Lenore Muraoka Rittenhouse came before the first wave of Title IX sports terrors such as Tita Ahuna, Nani Cockett and Erin Hoe, and long before Michelle Wie. The Roosevelt High graduate could surf, put up a pure jump shot in pickup games against the guys at Manoa and poach opponents on the tennis court.

A 5-foot-3 point guard, she started for the Rainbow Wahine basketball team as a University of Hawaii freshman — for four games. A broken ankle led her to golf and she took her first lessons from Walter Kawakami — Allan Yamamoto was also a mentor — with a cast on her left leg.

As a senior in 1978, Muraoka was the Wahine golf captain and MVP. She qualified for the LPGA in her first attempt. In 1983, a final-round 69 erased a six-shot deficit and she won the United Virginia Bank Classic. It would be the highlight of more than 20 years on tour. She won nearly $500,000 before retiring more than a decade ago.

On Jan. 12, at the annual Hawaii Golf Ho‘olaule‘a Awards, Muraoka wil be inducted into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame. Former Honolulu Star-Bulletin sports editor and Honolulu Advertiser golf columnist Bill Kwon will also be honored that night at the Japanese Cultural Center with an Aloha Section PGA Lifetime Achievement award.

Over more than 50 years as a sportswriter Kwon, also a Roosevelt graduate, closely followed Muraoka’s career. He noted that Crayola became her sponsor after son William was born and kept a close eye on all 497 LPGA tournaments she played. Muraoka was only the second woman from Hawaii to win on the LPGA tour, her victory coming 25 years after Jackie Pung captured the Jacksonville Open and 26 years before Wie finally broke through for her first pro win.

As an amateur, Muraoka won four Hawaii Women’s Army Championships and reached the semifinals of the 1977 USGA Women’s National Public Links. Two years later, she was runner-up at the Women’s Western Amateur.

"She learned how to play golf in like one summer," said her niece, Marissa Chow, who just finished her first semester on the 24th-ranked Pepperdine golf team. "She was just an all-around athlete. She played everything, or at least tried everything. …She hit the ball really far. Pound for pound, she hit it farther than anyone, but she really practiced her short game."

The summer before her freshman year at ‘Iolani, Chow spent the summer with her aunt in North Carolina, where Muraoka is now a nurse.

"Almost every day the entire summer we practiced together," Chow recalled. "It was really helpful for me. She learned golf so fast. She learned how the — how should I say — ‘older generation’ plays. It’s not as risky, more percentage shots that you can execute consistently. She taught me a lot, to be a lot more level-headed. You don’t have to take unnecessary risks. There are ways to avoid low-percentage shots."

And mid-round meltdowns, something the mellow Muraoka avoided during her long career.

One memorable day, she caddied for her niece, who was having "basically the worst day I could ever have" and not handling it well.

"She just dropped my bag in the middle of the fairway and she was like, ‘Here, you take it then,’ " said Chow, whose 74.42 stroke average was second on her team this fall — to seventh-ranked Grace Na. "I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do, so I just pulled myself together. It taught me it’s just a game. You can always do worse. People have had worse days. That’s probably why I’m not one to lose my composure on the course now."

Muraoka was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Her induction into the Golf Hall will be the focal point of the 2013 Ho‘olaule‘a Awards, which honor golfers from all Hawaii’s golf associations. Kwon will be singled out for "dedicating his life to promoting sports in Hawaii," especially golf, the game he covered and played most.

The event is presented by Friends of Hawaii Charities and the Aloha Section PGA and is open to the public. To make a reservation or for more information, contact Wesley Wailehua at 593-2230 or wwailehua@pgahq.com.

Proceeds benefit the Aloha Section PGA Foundation.

CHIP SHOTS

Kuchar joins next week’s tournament at Kapalua

Matt Kuchar has committed to play in next week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He is hoping to improve on two previous top-10 finishes at Kapalua.

The PGA Tour’s season-opening tournament tees off next Friday (Jan. 4) at Kapalua’s Plantation Course and has a rare Monday final round. Steve Stricker is defending his title.

Kuchar was third at the Plantation in 2010 and sixth the year after. This year he began the season with three top 10s, including third at the Masters, then won The Players Championship.

Other 2012 champs who committed early include Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, Keegan Bradley, Zach Johnson and Johnson Wagner.

Johnson won the 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii, and Wagner will defend his 2012 Sony Open title Jan. 10-13 at Waialae Country Club. The following week (Jan. 18-20), the Champions Tour opens its season with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Dan Forsman is defending champion there.

The second Pacific Links Hawaii Championship is on the senior schedule for Sept. 20-22 at Kapolei. The LPGA does not have its 2013 schedule out yet. This April, Ai Miyazato won the inaugural LPGA Lotte Championship at Kapolei.

Tickets are on sale online at a discount for the Hyundai TOC (pgatour.com/hyundai). They are also available at Kapalua Golf Shops, some ABC stores and Walmarts.

Admission is free for next Thursday’s Pro-Am at Kapalua. Next Friday’s first round of the PGA Tour season will be preceded by an Aloha Kick-Off, with Amy Hanaiali‘i and George Kahumoku, and a Hawaiian Blessing, with Clifford Naeole and the cast of Ulalena.

The TOC dates back to 1953. It has been played at Kapalua since 1999. Past champions include Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.