Sports Watch
After giving a sponsor's exemption to the top qualifier on the Burns Challenge Cup's 12-man amateur team for more than 15 years, the Hawaiian Open has decided not to continue the arrangement.
"It wasn't an easy decision," said tournament director Chester Kahapea. "We've wrestled with this for years."
Kahapea cited increasing pressure from the touring pros as one of the reasons why the exemption to a local amateur was withdrawn.
Jim Burns - who helped to found the challenge cup in honor of his late father, Gov. John Burns - was disappointed about the decision.
"Unquestionably, this arrangement has been good for the Hawaiian Open, the quality of golf tournaments in Hawaii, and the quality of amateur golf in Hawaii," Burns said. "If it can't continue, I'm sorry it can't. What can I say?"
Under PGA Tour guidelines, every tournament has eight sponsor's exemptions - four restricted and four unrestricted.
Restricted exemptions require that two must go to Qualifying School graduates and two to those finishing in the top 125 on the money list. Effective next year, players in spots 126 through 150 are eligible for unlimited sponsor's exemptions, creating more demand, said Bill Speicher, chairman of the tournament's executive committee.
THE local amateur spot came from among the four unrestricted exemptions. Kahapea said that the Hawaiian Open needed to have more flexibility in view of the PGA Tour's new directive involving the 150-player money list.
According to Kahapea, one of the unrestricted exemptions is offered to one of the top six golfers from the Japan PGA Tour, in order to boost Japanese tourist and media interest in the Hawaiian Open.
The other unrestricted exemptions usually have been given to past champions of the Hawaiian Open who are not otherwise exempt.
"This year we had to turn down Andy Bean (the 1980 champion) and he was upset," Kahapea said.
Even when David Ishii defended his title in 1991, he played with an unrestricted sponsor's exemption because he wasn't a PGA Tour member. He played in the last two tournaments through another qualifying category - as champion of the Aloha Section PGA.
The decision doesn't mean you'll never see a local amateur in the Hawaiian Open, Kahapea said.
"We're not closing the door on local amateurs," Kahapea said. "If there's a super kid out there locally, we'll give him a chance." Besides, there's always the opportunity of Monday qualifying.
KAHAPEA said that the Hawaiian Open hopes to support local amateur golf in other ways.
"We'll try to get more involved with the junior golf program. And I'm sure United can assist with reduced fares when our amateur golfers go to tournaments on the mainland," he said.
Clearly, though, it was a setback for the Burns Challenge Cup - Hawaii's version of the Ryder Cup, involving the top 12 pros and amateurs based on their performances during the year.
"We still think it's a great event and we'll continue it," Burns said. "That's not going to change, although there might be less motivation now for the amateurs to be on the team."
Guy Yamamoto, the 1995 national public links champion who has played in three Hawaiian Opens (once as a Monday qualifier), was disappointed. "That's why we play all year. It encourages everybody to stay focused."
The Burns Challenge Cup will be held for the 23rd time in November at a course to be announced later.