SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Ishii to tee it up at Champions Tour's first major
The invitation wasn't completely unexpected.
After all, David Ishii knew on Sunday that he was No. 1 on the waiting list for an entry into this month's Senior PGA Championship and had a very good chance at making the 156-player field for the first Champions Tour major of the year.
But it was still a thrill on Tuesday when Ishii got the call from a tour official, informing him that he had been added to the field for the May 25-28 tournament at Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, Okla.
It is the same course on which Ishii played his first PGA Championship back in 1988.
"I don't remember it all that much, except that it was tough," said Ishii, who tied for 38th at the event. "It's a pretty narrow, demanding kind of course.
"It's going to be exciting, playing in a major. I'm looking forward to it and to playing on the mainland."
Ishii, who turns 51 in July, was inducted into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame this month. His 1990 Hawaiian Open victory earned him an invitation to the Senior British Open this July in Scotland, and he plans to play in next month's Hawaii qualifier for the U.S. Senior Open at Waialae Country Club.
Ishii spent that past few days at Turtle Bay, where his foundation is the title sponsor of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state golf tournament.
"We don't have a contract per se, but I hope that our foundation will allow us to continue to sponsor this for a good many more years," he said.