Lotte enjoying its partnership with island scene

With the August announcement that Lotte and the LPGA had reached an agreement to extend its sponsorship through 2017, Hawaii golf fans could rest assured Michelle Wie would play in her home state at least once a year for the foreseeable future.

LPGA events have come and gone the past quarter-century, with a variety of tournaments being held on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, giving local fans of the game plenty of venues to see the finest women players.

This tournament is the only women’s event in Hawaii these days, with Wie’s win last year on her home course of Ko Olina before thousands of fans as one ingredient of Lotte remaining as the title sponsor.

Greg Nichols, director of golf at this picturesque course, anticipates the remaining two Lotte Championships being played right here, but unlike the new three-year agreement Lotte reached with the LPGA, the negotiation for the site and time of the event is year-to-year.

"That allows them to negotiate and we’re fine with that," Nichols said. "We love everything about having the women play here. And next year the new Four Seasons Resort will be involved and they will be a great sponsor as well."

Lotte representatives are happy the tournament is in the island chain and expect it to remain here for at least the duration of the new deal.

"The first three editions of the LPGA Lotte Championship provided us with a successful platform in terms of exposing and promoting the Lotte brand globally," said Sunwook Jang in a release. He is the CEO of Daehong Communications, the company that owns the tournament and oversees all aspects of the Lotte Championship.

"With this extension, we are looking forward to further establishing the Lotte Championship as one of the best events on the LPGA Tour that all players, sponsors, and global following of the LPGA can look forward to enjoy and participate in," he said.

In recent years, this tournament has been played six days after The Masters held at Augusta National the second week in April. The women take that week off after playing their first major of the year at Rancho Mirage in California. It used to be the Kraft Nabisco but is now sponsored by ANA Inspiration.

A Lotte spokesman said Friday that the date for the 2016 tournament is to be determined. With the new deal, the total purse went up $100,000 to $1.8 million for the four-day event.

One of Lotte’s goals is to contribute to the growth of Korean women’s golf.

It must be working.

The top five players heading into Saturday’s round hail from South Korea. LPGA commissioner Mike Whan was also happy Lotte continued its sponsorship and is looking for it to remain here in the 50th state.

"We are proud to extend the partnership with Lotte and to continue building this wonderful tradition in the Hawaiian islands," Whan said in a release last summer. "Together with Lotte, we look forward to showcasing the global nature of our tour, the global impact of the Lotte business and the incredible beauty of Hawaii for this spectacular tournament."

The current format of ending the tournament on Saturday will remain in place throughout the life of the contract to accommodate a Sunday television audience in South Korea. That might make it a little tough at the gate with three of the four rounds being played during the week, but the crowd that attended last year’s final 18 with Wie in contention was robust enough.

The Punahou product struggled during Friday’s third round, shooting a 1-over 73 to drop back to 4 under for the event. With five bogeys on her card she trails third-round leader Sei Young Kim by eight shots.

She and Ai Miyazato drew a nice gallery for most of the day. By the time the twosome finished together at 18, the entire green and part of the stands were filled with Friday afternoon fans.

"It’s always good to come home," Wie said after her round.