Wednesday, February 11, 1998
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Lanny Wadkins, right, congratulates David Ishii after
Ishii won the Johnny Bellinger Shootout yesterday
at Waialae Country Club.
Ishii wins Shoot-Out
on chip-in
His eagle ousts Wadkins
By Paul Arnett
in what could be the final
Johnny Bellinger event
Star-BulletinLocal knowledge is a dangerous thing. Pearl City's David Ishii proved that to Lanny Wadkins after chipping in for eagle from about 100 feet to win yesterday's 11th annual Johnny Bellinger Shoot-Out at steamy Waialae Country Club.
The Shoot-Out kicked off this week's United Airlines Hawaiian Open. The Pro-Am portion of the tournament was scheduled today with the opening round set to begin tomorrow at 7:21 a.m. Defending champion Paul Stankowski tees off on No. 1 at 7:57 a.m., along with Fred Couples and Woody Austin.
Couples and Stankowski were among 14 golfers who took part in the fun-filled portion of this week's stop on the PGA Tour, but Ishii is the only player who has competed in every Johnny Bellinger Shoot-Out.
He took home $5,000 for winning the $25,000 event and a $1,000 bonus for making the eagle.
It was Ishii's second victory in the seven-hole, sudden-death event. The victory moved him past Paul Azinger into first place on the Shoot-Out's all-time money list with $28,600.
After receiving the two checks, he said he would donate the money to junior golf, which helped him in his younger days.
Whether this was the last Johnny Bellinger Shoot-Out remains to be seen. First Hawaiian Bank sponsors the event that honors the late Johnny Bellinger. Bank CEO Walter Dods Jr. said yesterday that negotiations with the PGA Tour continue in an effort to keep it.
SONY Corporation will take over sponsorship of the 33-year-old tournament from United Airlines next January.
The $1.8 million Hawaiian Open is one of eight West Coast events to benefit from a $300,000 Bank of America donation.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
David Ishii won the Johnny Bellinger Shoot-Out
yesterday with this pitch shot to the 18th green
that went in for an eagle.
Dods said Bank of America would talk with the PGA Tour -- which is serving as a mediator for the Shoot-Out -- to iron out any possible wrinkles. But because Bank of America no longer has branches here, Dods is hopeful the Shoot-Out will survive."I certainly hope so, too," Ishii said. "It's a lot of fun to play with all these great professionals in a relaxed setting like this.
"To win something like this, where people are driving at the same time and chipping at the same time, takes a lot of luck. You don't know who is going to miss a shot because they're just having fun.
"But being over here for the tournament at Pearl (the Pearl Open, which concluded Sunday) and then coming over here for this helps a little bit because you know the weather and what the ground is like when the ball hits it."
Ishii must know something to negotiate his way through more chip-offs and putt-offs than anyone had a right to survive.
By the time he reached the par-5 18th, the only golfer still with him was Wadkins, who won the second Shoot-Out in 1989. He also won in 1996.
"Lanny knows this course as well as anyone," Ishii said of the two-time Hawaiian Open champion. "We were the two shortest golfers out there. With him, I figured I had a fighting chance because we don't hit it that long."
On the 551-yard final hole, Wadkins' drive landed in the right side of the fairway. Ishii's tee shot was longer, but his ball rolled into the right rough.
At 260 yards out with a perfect lie, Wadkins was in better position, but he pulled his fairway wood into the front-left bunker, giving Ishii the opening he needed.
"I just played the hole like it should be played," Ishii said. "We were both in the right position to probably make birdies. I didn't have a good lie, but I hit a 5-wood or something from 250 yards, and it came out pretty good."
The shot ended about 23 yards short of the green and Ishii figured it was another 10 yards to the hole.
"I got lucky it went in because I was just trying to make birdie," Ishii said. "From where I was, it was going straight for the hole.
"When they go straight for the hole in this kind of stuff, and when it's going your way, you say, 'Ah, maybe it's going in.' I didn't really think it was going to reach the hole. But on these greens, they sometimes roll a little more."
It rolled enough to put all the pressure on Wadkins. He hit a solid shot from the bunker to within five feet of the hole, but it might as well have been a mile.
Wadkins earned $3,500 for second. The Dallas resident is third on the event's all-time money list with $23,250.
At Waialae Country Club Hawaiian Open
Starting Times
Tomorrow
First tee
7:21 a.m.--Mike Springer, David Ishii, Bobby Wadkins. 7:30--David Peoples, Mike Reid, Clark Dennis. 7:39--Brian Henninger, John Huston, Dave Rummells. 7:48--Jeff Sluman, Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk.
7:57--Fred Couples, Paul Stankowski, Woody Austin. 8:06--Scott Simpson, Steve Jones, Billy Mayfair. 8:15--Jeff Maggert, Don Pooley, Doug Barron. 8:24--Jim McGovern, Tommy Armour III, Lennie Clements.
8:33--Spike McRoy, Joe Daley, Greg Meyer. 8:42--Chris DiMarco, Mike Weir, Iain Steel. 8:51--J.P. Hayes, Jimmy Johnston, Esteban Toledo. 9--Sonny Skinner, Niclas Fasth, Buddy Harston.
11:45--Fulton Allem, Larry Mize, Greg Kraft. 11:54--Dicky Pride, Bruce Fleisher, Wayne Levi. 12:03 p.m.--Robert Gamez, Dave Barr, Kelly Gibson. 12:12--Duffy Waldorf, John Morse, Lanny Wadkins.
12:21--Billy Ray Brown, Tom Watson, Chip Beck. 12:30--David Edwards, Howard Twitty, Olin Brown. 12:39--Nolan Henke, Gene Sauers, Phil Tataurangi. 12:48--Jim Thorpe, Jet Ozaki, Dave Stockton, Jr.
12:57--R.W. Eaks, Ben Bates, Brian Sasada. 1:06--Tom Pernice, Jr., Glen Hnatiuk, Ron Castillo. 1:15--Jeff Gallagher, Steve Flesch, Keoke Cotner. 1:24--Richard Coughlan, Bobby Gage, Robert Friend.
7:21 a.m.--Gary Hallberg, Pete Jordan, Joe Durant. 7:30--Mike Sullivan, Brandel Chamblee, P.H. Horgan III. 7:39--Keith Clearwater, Brad Fabel, Frank Lickliter. 7:48--Tim Herron, Steve Stricker, Curtis Strange.
7:57--Loren Roberts, David Ogrin, Paul Goydos. 8:06--Ted Tryba, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Peter Jacobsen. 8:15--Joe Ozaki, Michael Christie, J.L. Lewis. 8:24--Tim Simpson, Tom Byrum, Len Mattiace.
8:33--Brett Quigley, Barry Cheesman, Joe Root. 8:42--Steve Jurgensen, Vance Veazey, Don Berry. 8:51--Mike Small, Craig Barlow, Lan Gooch. 9--Hugh Royer III, Guy Hill, Taylor Smith.
11:45--Mark Wiebe, Lon Hinkle, Brian Claar. 11:54--Jay Don Blake, Jay Delsing, Omar Urasti. 12:03 p.m.--Blaine McCallister, Danny Edwards, Robin Freeman. 12:12--Guy Boros, Corey Pavin, Paul Azinger.
12:21--Phil Blackmar, Craig Stadler, Kenny Perry. 12:30--Russ Cochran, Brian Kamm, Brent Geiberger. 12:39--Bob Gilder, Jim Carter, Trevor Dodds. 12:48--Mark Carnevale, Andy Bean, Skip Kendall.
12:57--Kent Jones, Mark Wurtz, Tim Loustalot. 1:06--Keith Nolan, Kevin Wentworth, Joakim Haeggman. 1:15--Lee Porter, Tim Conley, John Riegger. 1:24--Harrison Frazar, Jim Estes, Ryan Koshi.
Friday
7:21 a.m.--Mark Wiebe, Lon Hinkle, Brian Claar. 7:30--Jay Don Blake, Jay Delsing, Omar Urasti. 7:39--Blaine McCallister, Danny Edwards, Robin Freeman. 7:48--Guy Boros, Corey Pavin, Paul Azinger.
7:57--Phil Blackmar, Craig Stadler, Kenny Perry. 8:06--Russ Cochran, Brian Kamm, Brent Geiberger. 8:15--Bob Gilder, Jim Carter, Trevor Dodds. 8:24--Mark Carnevale, Andy Bean, Skip Kendall.
8:33--Kent Jones, Mark Wurtz, Tim Loustalot. 8:42--Keith Nolan, Kevin Wentworth, Joakim Haeggman. 8:51--Lee Porter, Tim Conley, John Riegger. 9--Harrison Frazar, Jim Estes, Ryan Koshi.
11:45--Gary Hallberg, Pete Jordan, Joe Durant. 11:54--Mike Sullivan, Brandel Chamblee, P.H. Horgan III. 12:03 p.m.--Keith Clearwater, Brad Fabel, Frank Lickliter. 12:12--Tim Herron, Steve Stricker, Curtis Strange.
12:21--Loren Roberts, David Ogrin, Paul Goydos. 12:30--Ted Tryba, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Peter Jacobsen. 12:39--Joe Ozaki, Michael Christie, J.L. Lewis. 12:48--Tim Simpson, Tom Byrum, Len Mattiace.
12:57--Brett Quigley, Barry Cheesman, Joe Root. 1:06--Steve Jurgensen, Vance Veazey, Don Berry. 1:15--Mike Small, Craig Barlow, Lan Gooch. 1:24--Hugh Royer III, Guy Hill, Taylor Smith.
7:21 a.m.--Fulton Allem, Larry Mize, Greg Kraft. 7:30--Dicky Pride, Bruce Fleisher, Wayne Levi. 7:39--Robert Gamez, Dave Barr, Kelly Gibson. 7:48--Duffy Waldorf, John Morse, Lanny Wadkins.
7:57--Billy Ray Brown, Tom Watson, Chip Beck. 8:06--David Edwards, Howard Twitty, Olin Brown. 8:15--Nolan Henke, Gene Sauers, Phil Tataurangi. 8:24--Jim Thorpe, Jet Ozaki, Dave Stockton, Jr.
8:33--R.W. Eaks, Ben Bates, Brian Sasada. 8:42--Tom Pernice, Jr., Glen Hnatiuk, Ron Castillo. 8:51--Jeff Gallagher, Steve Flesch, Keoke Cotner. 9--Richard Coughlan, Bobby Gage, Robert Friend.
11:45--Mike Springer, David Ishii, Bobby Wadkins. 11:54--David Peoples, Mike Reid, Clark Dennis. 12:03 p.m.--Brian Henninger, John Huston, Dave Rummells. 12:12--Jeff Sluman, Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk.
12:21--Fred Couples, Paul Stankowski, Woody Austin. 12:30--Scott Simpson, Steve Jones, Billy Mayfair. 12:39--Jeff Maggert, Don Pooley, Doug Barron. 12:48--Jim McGovern, Tommy Armour III, Lennie Clements.
12:57--Spike McRoy, Joe Daley, Greg Meyer. 1:06--Chris DiMarco, Mike Weir, Iain Steel. 1:15--J.P. Hayes, Jimmy Johnston, Esteban Toledo. 1:24--Sonny Skinner, Niclas Fasth, Buddy Harston.
