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Sports Watch
CALL it a millennium mulligan for Scott Simpson. He's looking forward to 2001 season after sitting out the entire PGA Tour this year because of a broken ankle in a skiing accident. Simpson hopes
for better yearSimpson's in town with his wife, Cheryl, for a pre-holiday vacation. They watched the Rainbow Wahine volleyball victory over Long Beach State last night. He also played a couple of practice rounds at Waialae and Kapolei.
Thanks to a medical exemption, Simpson will be able to play around 30 tournaments, starting with the Sony Open next month.
Despite finishing 164th on the money list with $179,006, 1999 was a fun year, according to Simpson.
That is, until he broke his ankle Dec. 29 in Utah. It never healed well and he had to undergo corrective surgery again this summer.
As lousy as it was for Simpson, not being able to play golf, it was a blessing because he spent the entire time at home with his family.
And how time flies. Their daughter, Brea, started college at Biola University in Los Angeles and son, Sean, is 14 and already 5-feet-10.
ALOHA PGA HONORS: Congratulations to Mike Iyoki, Jerry King and nine other Aloha Section PGA members who will be honored at its annual awards luncheon Sunday at the Hawaii Prince Hotel.
Iyoki, director of golf at the U.S. Army golf courses -- Leilehua, Kalakaua and Fort Shafter -- was named golf professional of the year.
King, who's with the Kapalua Golf Academy, was recognized as teacher of the year.
Also to be honored will be Chuck Larson, Gary Planos, Lawrence Keil, John Ramelb (assistant pro of the year), player of the year Brian Sasada and the three top merchandisers of the year - Richard Castillo (resort, Wailea), John Freitas (private, Hualalai) and David Chin (public, Navy-Marine).
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The pairing of Tiger Woods and David Duval as partners for the United States in the World Cup competition that began yesterday in Argentina is great ... but late.
Woods is the top-ranked golfer in the world and he could win the World Cup team title with anyone. He did it with buddy Mark O'Meara last year.
Duval was the No. 1 player in the world two years ago, winning 11 times in a 16-month stretch before cooling off.
He was Tiger's choice as a partner, so we'll finally get to see America's "Dream Team of Golf" which fans had hoped to see back in 1998.
Count on them to walk off with the $1 million top prize in the two-man team competition involving 24 countries.
Duval proved to be a good pick. He carried Tiger in the first round as they tied for fourth place with a 61 in the bestball format.
The Australian team of Peter O'Malley and Lucas Parsons shot a 58, while Japan's Shigeki Maruyama and Hidemichi Tanaka were next at 60.
If Tanaka's name is familiar to local golf fans, it should be. He played in the Hawaii Pearl Open at the Pearl Country Club the last four years.
THEY'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY: With more than half of the 37 events offering prize money of at least $1 million, the LPGA Tour's 2001 schedule is the strongest in its 50-year history, according to commissioner Ty Votaw.
While Hawaii's two events -- the LPGA Takefuji Classic and the Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open -- aren't in the $1 million class, they give the tour a solid back-to-back booking on the February calendar.
