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Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Friday, October 20, 2000

GOLF WATCH

Seniors, club pros
teeing it up on Maui

B OY, Maui is wall to wall with professional golfers this week. Not only are 78 pros competing in the Senior PGA Tour's EMC Kaanapali Classic, 119 are at Makena for the Western PGA Club Professional Championship.

Most of the attention at the $1.1 million Kaanapali Classic will be centered on Jim Thorpe, who will be trying to win his third straight tournament.

Trying to stop Thorpe's bid for a three-peat will be defending champion Bruce Fleisher and Hale Irwin, second and third, respectively, on the 2000 money list behind Larry Nelson, who's sitting this one out.

At this time of the year, it's a tournament within a tournament on both the regular and senior tours. Or, as they call it, bubble time.

The top 31 money winners qualify for the Senior Tour Championship.

With three events remaining, sitting in 31st place is Australian Graham Marsh with $549,648 and broadcaster Gary McCord is 32nd in earnings with $541,557.

Also entered are seven others ranked Nos. 34-40, including Dave Stockton, a three-time runner-up at the par-71 Kaanapali North Course.

The PGA Tour Championship invites the top 30 money winners. But the real magic number is 125.

Only the top 125 money winners are fully exempt for the 2001 season. Those who finish below that number are forced to return to the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament or play a limited schedule.

All of the real big money players, led by Tiger Woods, are playing for mostly pride in the Presidents Cup this week.

That leaves the money race wide open in the Tampa Bay Classic to guys scuffling to make the top 125 list with four official events left.

Bob Burns, who is playing in Tampa this week, is on the bubble at 125th place. He's around $13,000 ahead of Joe Ozaki.

As for the lucrative $5 million PGA Tour Championship, it's touch and go for the 30th and final spot. Scott Hoch is on that bubble with Chris Perry trailing by less than $3,000.

Meanwhile, Mike Hulbert is trying to make a quantum leap in the money ranks, just as Billy Andrade did last week.

Hulbert, who's 214th, led after the first round in Tampa. Andrade in Las Vegas jumped from 159th to 43rd on the money list with his victory, which was worth $765,000.

The best money race in golf, though, is on the LPGA Tour. Juli Inkster and Karrie Webb last week joined leader Betsy King and Annika Sorenstam in attaining the $6 million circle in career earnings.

To put it in perspective, however, Tiger Woods has won $8.2 million this year alone.

KAPALUA COMMITMENT:

The Kapalua Resort on Maui celebrated a grand opening for its new Village Course clubhouse and restaurant Monday.

The new clubhouse and adjoining golf academy with its driving range and practice facilities demonstrate the importance of golf to Kapalua, said Don Young, president and CEO of Kapalua Land Co.

It's a $17 million commitment. The clubhouse and golf academy will be an integral part of a new town center planned at the site.

On hand for the ceremonies was Kapalua touring pro Hale Irwin, who helped designed the practice facilities.

CITY BANK HELPS

City Bank donated $20,000 for the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation at its 23rd golf benefit tournament yesterday at the Pearl Country Club.

All told, City Bank has raised more than $680,000 in benefit tournaments on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.