Jennie K. branches out

For 66 years the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational has provided women in Hawaii a major challenge on the golf course, to say nothing of a major afterparty.

As it heads into its 67th year, organizers are introducing an idea they hope will keep the Jennie K. — the only women’s major left in Hawaii — thriving for generations to come.

This year’s tournament is May 19-21 at Mid-Pacific Country Club. Deadline to apply for the inaugural Jennie K Merit Scholarships is May 1.

The application form, found at mpcchi.org, is looking for girls who have “a passion for golf, playing golf, attending junior or high school, and a desire to continue to include golf in their lives.”

The quantity and immensely confusing quality of NCAA regulations convinced organizers to stay away from offering scholarships to college golfers. Other than that, basically any girl between 12 — a year older than Michelle Wie was when she won Jennie K. — and 18 is eligible. You don’t even have to play Jennie K.

The idea was floated by tournament chair Susan Erne, who quickly found support, particularly from primary tournament sponsors Bowman Connectivity Solutions and Quality Air Conditioning & Service, LTD.

“I thought why not create our own Jennie K. scholarship, targeted just for young women,” says Erne, who didn’t start golfing until she was 50 due to a shortage of time and money. “It’s a little ambitious in the beginning, but I thought it was a good idea because we are supporting young women playing golf.

“I also wanted it to be a merit scholarship. It’s not based on financial need or how you played in a tournament. We’re just paying it forward and encouraging young women, and older women, to continue playing this tournament. It’s a really nice tournament and we want to perpetuate this legacy.”

The legacy is unique and worth perpetuating. The tournament was started by Jennie K. Wilson, a former dancer in the court of King Kalakaua and wife of former Honolulu Mayor John H. Wilson. She was not a golfer, but she was a huge supporter of women’s golf and her namesake tournament, staying late into the Lanikai night at its legendary awards banquet.

Hawaii Golf Hall of Famers litter the early championship list, including six-time winner Joan Damon. They are all the way into the 1980s — Bev Kim won in 1981 and Lori Castillo two years later.

Starting with 16-year-old Anna Umemura in 1995, high school and college players have dominated, including those from Japan in recent years.

Umemura won again in her memorable 1997, becoming the only golfer to win all three women’s majors in the same year. Four years later, “Big Wiesy” looked large at Mid-Pac. In 2006, 14-year-old Kristina Merkle captured the first of four Jennie K. championships. And, in 2014 and ’15, Mariel Galdiano’s 10-under par finish shredded the tournament record and she became just the fifth to win back-to-back — on her way to becoming the world’s sixth-ranked female amateur.

With the Hawaii state women’s match- and stroke-play championships now limited to Hawaii State Women’s Golf Association members, the state is down to just one women’s major. The Hawaii State Golf Association is trying to help, adding women’s flights to its State Amateur (stroke-play) and Manoa Cup (match-play) championships, but numbers have been low in the transition period, in part because of timing.

That’s another reason the Jennie K. committee wanted to reach out with scholarships. It is seeking tee sponsors to cover the cost and has guaranteed at least three $500 grants this first year.

“Our field is 120, including the championship and A-F flights,” Erne said, “but the scholarships are aimed at young girls. We didn’t want to stipulate they had to play Jennie K., but this creates awareness of the tournament and also gives them opportunities. Maybe if they got a scholarship they would have the money to enter another tournament or buy equipment.”

The goal is to empower young players to pursue their dreams.

“We want them to play Jennie K.,” Erne says, “but we also want them to be successful in any venue. It’s not limited to this. This is perhaps the stepping-off place to do it. Then there’s next year. We want them talking about merit scholarships. That’s my vision.”

The application is straightforward, until the essay section. That asks applicants to:

>> Briefly tell us about who has played a significant part in your development as a golfer and how they influenced you;

>> Explain your immediate and long-term goals in golf;

>> What must you do to accomplish these goals; and

>> What strengths do you have that will help you achieve them.

The goal is to “recognize a passion and desire for golf and to develop that,” according to Erne.

“We want to see this is something they really want to do,” she says. “It’s a little too early to know how we’ll succeed, but I feel good about at least trying.

“We will see what the response is. We want people to know there is money out there and it’s not that difficult to get that money — you just have to be honest and passionate and willing to step up a little bit. It’s about them making the effort. We think that will show growth and maturity. Golf is that kind of game. It’s not easy to say I had a whiff.”