Sports Watch
Souza's a player - one of the best amateurs locally - and definitely one of the longest hitters anywhere, pro or amateur.
He was inducted into the Aloha Section PGA Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame on Monday along with Ben Neeley, golf professional at Molokai's Kaluakoi Golf Course.
One couldn't ask for a better bestball twosome than the latest inductees into the hall of fame, which now claims 37 members. Their names belong right up there along with such previous honorees as Francis I'i Brown, Guinea Kop, Ted Makalena, Jackie Pung and Allan Yamamoto.
Neeley moved to Hawaii nearly 30 years ago and was instrumental with Bob Tom - another Hall of Fame member - in setting up Hawaii's fine junior golf program, which developed such outstanding players as National Publinx champions Lori Castillo, Charles and Randy Barenaba and David Ishii, winner of the 1990 Hawaiian Open.
Souza is one of a select few to win both the state amateur stroke-play and match-play (Manoa Cup) championships. He also helped to co-found the Burns Challenge Cup.
It was in the finals of the Manoa Cup in 1980 that Souza recorded the greatest back-to-back shots in local golf - a double eagle.
OAHU Country Club's par-5 13th hole is 510 yards uphill into the wind. It's the closest you can get to the Nuuanu Pali lookout and still be in-bounds.
Souza was playing Ken Miyaoka, an OCC member who had won the Manoa Cup six times, in the 36-hole finals. In the morning round, Souza hit a tee shot so hard on the 10th hole that he broke his driver, a McGregor MT.
He limped around with a 3-wood the rest of the morning round as buddies Joe Anthony and Dickie Furtado rushed off to have the driver fixed. They came back with it in time for the afternoon round.
On the 13th hole, Souza nailed his tee shot 290 yards, only to break his driver again. He then hit a 2-iron from 225 yards away.
"I knew it was a good shot, at least some place on the green," Souza said. "In those days, the Manoa Cup was a big deal. I heard the people at the green yelling and screaming. It was a blind shot, but by their reaction I knew it went in."
Souza went on to beat Miyaoka, 2 and 1.
An outstanding basketball, baseball and track athlete at Hilo's St. Joseph's High School, Souza went on to win All-American honors in baseball at the University of San Francisco.
DESPITE his famous double-eagle, state amateur titles and nine Waialae Country Club championships, Souza was always bugged that he never had a hole-in-one. "I think I'm a pretty good player," Souza said. "But I never had a hole-in-one, while everybody else I knew had one."
Last Nov. 28, Souza finally recorded his first ace after nearly 30 years at Waialae's second hole. Unlike most guys who had a hole-in-one, Souza was lucky. He played with three Japanese TV executives and his ace was videotaped. So Big Al can replay his shot again and again. Or, at least until he gets another hole-in-one, we should live so long.
Joining Souza at the induction ceremony was his family, which included four generations of Al Souzas - his 81-year-old father, Al Souza I; son, Al Souza III, and infant grandson, Al Souza IV. Sharing the moment with Neeley were his 79-year-old mother, wife Carol, daughter Ann Marie and two brothers.
A native San Diegan, Neeley came to Hawaii in 1967. He began as an assistant at Waialae and was the head pro at the Mid-Pacific Country Club from 1970 through 1977 before moving to Molokai.
A member of the PGA of America, board of directors Neeley also spent four years at the Poipu Bay Resort Course, which hosts the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.