Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Friday, July 2, 1999

GOLF WATCH

New job has Root on move

ALOHA to Joe Root, director of golf at the Mauna Kea Resort. He will be leaving the islands in mid-July to take a similar position at a new resort course called CordeValle in California's Silicon Valley.

"It's a good project and a good opportunity for me. One with a good future and great potential," said Root, who has been at Mauna Kea since 1984. He also directs the golf oper-ations at the Hapuna course.

"The hardest thing for me is leaving friends and colleagues here."

Root, who came from Santa Ana, Calif., in 1983, had been the head pro at both the Waikoloa Beach and Kings courses before taking over at Mauna Kea.

A hard-working member of the Aloha Section PGA, Root is vice president and treasurer. He was the section's president in 1996-97.

Root credited Dennis Rose, Waikoloa's director of golf, and Larry Tanimoto for turning him on to a career in golf when he first arrived on the Big Island. "They gave him a very good start in golf education."

KAUAI KAPERS:

"We have a great field," said Larry Lee Jr., who's coordinating the 54-hole Kauai Open that begins today at Princeville's Makai Course.

Two-time defending champ-ion Dean Wilson, who's fifth on the Asian Tour money list, is in the field that includes David Ishii, the 1990 Hawaiian Open champion, who's taking a break from the Japan PGA Tour.

Besides Ishii, other Kauai pros hoping it'll be a winning homecoming are Deron Doi and Dan Nishimoto.

The pro field also includes Lance Suzuki, Kevin Hayashi, Dean Prince, Jerry Mullen, Brian Sasada, Casey Nakama and Henry Sieradzki, who won the Maui Open last month. Top amateurs are Guy Yamamoto, Regan Lee and Parker McLachlin.

OFF TO THE PUBLINX:

Ten players will represent Hawaii in the U.S. Amateur Men's Public Links Championship July 12-17 at Alton, Ill.

The local qualifiers are Regan Lee and Justin Kim, Oahu; Jaime Matsumura, Johnathan Ota and Shannon Sibayan, Kauai; Duane Pavao and Landon Chang, Big Island, and Alakai Hao, Garrett Okamura and Takeshi Mitsuhashi, Maui.

Matsumura, a June graduate of Kauai High School, won the boys' individual title in a state tournament field that included Kim, a 1999 Kamehameha graduate and Waiakea High's Chang, who received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. Also, Hao (Maui High), Okamura (Baldwin High) and Mitsuhashi (Seabury Hall), who will be seniors this fall.

CHANGE OF HEART:

I'm glad that John Daly had a change of heart and won't boycott next year's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He wrote a letter of apology to the USGA about his comments on the difficult playing conditions at Pinehurst No. 2, where this year's event was held.

In a fit of frustration, Daly swatted his golf ball that rolled back down a second time at the eighth green. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty and took an 11 at the par-4 hole.

Afterwards, Daly said he wouldn't play in another U.S. Open because the USGA was trying to embarrass golfers.

I'm sure the fact that the final year of Daly's five-year exemption for the U.S. Open by winning the British Open ends in 2000 had nothing to do with his change of heart.

WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR:

The Waialae Women's Invitational, first held in 1953, has been canceled this year because the country club course is under-going construction and the kitchen is being renovated.