Punahou graduate Parker McLachlin, James Hahn, Smylie Kaufman, Lanto Griffin and a PGA Tour golfer to be named later will be the pros in the Hawaii Tourism Pro-Junior Challenge.
The annual exhibition is Jan. 7, the Tuesday before the Sony Open in Hawaii — the PGA Tour’s first full-field event of the year — at Waialae Country Club.
Hahn shot 62 in the final-round of the 2018 Sony Open, then lost a six-hole playoff with Patton Kizzire. He is making his seventh appearance at Sony. McLachlin, who won the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, is making his 10th.
This year’s Pro-Junior will be held on Waialae’s 18th green. The event benefits the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association and is free for the public.
The participating HSJGA players who earned their way into the Pro-Junior are:
>> Roosevelt senior Kolbe Irei, who will play for UC Irvine next year;
>> Maryknoll junior Peter Jung, who earned the amateur exemption into this year’s Sony Open;
>> Punahou junior Karissa Kilby, second at the 41st Girls’ North & South Junior Championship at Pinehurst (N.C.) in July;
>> Punahou sophomore Marshall Kim Jr., winner of this year’s Dave & Busters Junior Classic.
>> 2019 Oahu Junior Champion Jennifer Koga, whose sister Eimi plays on the Japanese LPGA Tour.
The 2020 Sony Open is Jan. 9-12, following next week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s Plantation Course.
CaddieNow still needs caddies for the Sony Pro-Am on Jan. 8. For more information and to apply, visit caddienow.com/sonyopen.
Trick shot artist Dan Boever will perform at the Pro-Junior, and also at a free hour-long show beginning at 10 a.m. Jan. 4 at Kapolei Golf Club.
Kageyama takes over at HPU
Punahou golf director Ed Kageyama is now also the women’s and men’s golf coach at Hawaii Pacific University. He replaces Ryan Acosta, who resigned this month.
Kageyama is a 25-year Class A PGA professional. For nearly 20 years he was Billy Casper Golf’s Hawaii & Asia-Pacific Regional Manager, which included Ka’anapali, Puakea, Coral Creek, Kauai Lagoons Golf Course, Minami (now Ko’olau), Luana Hills (Royal Hawaiian), Turtle Bay and golf facilities in China, Korea, Vietnam and Macau.
Over the last 13 years at Punahou, Kageyama’s girls and boys teams have won 17 state championships.
The Sharks’ season resumes in February. The PacWest Championships are April 20-22 at Waikoloa Kings’.