In The Wood
ST. Louis School supporters came marching into the Hawaii Prince Golf Course last weekend and left $125,000 in the school's Education Foundation treasury. But all 198 participants drove away with enough gifts to pack the any of the four new vehicles offered as hole-in-one prizes. Saints’ tourney marches
on, thanks to GomesSome $100,000 in gifts and prizes were distributed. Fresh and frozen food items -- 90 pounds of rice, travel bags, potting soil, weed killer, coolers, golf balls, soft drinks, shampoo, blenders, wine, instant saimin, diapers and a lot more for every player was given away at each tee.
There were many door prizes, including Sony TVs, DVDs and VCRs; trips to San Francisco and fax machines; prizes for top finishing teams; and both live and silent auction items. Auction packages included airline trips, cruises and hotel and golf packages and a Subzero wine cooler.
The man behind the tourney is Advantage Webco Dodge Hawaii boss Greg Gomes. The cigar-smoking Gomes gives much credit to Percy Higashi, Nalani Bickson, Webco employees and St. Louis students and volunteers who worked on the tournament.
Emcee Larry Price, St. Louis President Allen DeLong and Education Foundation head Tony Guerrero praised Gomes. He was overwhelmed and had to collect himself after he was given leis and hugs from St. Louis students and helpers.
Gomes said 45 percent of St. Louis students receive tuition aid and the tourney makes some of that possible. "I'm really grateful for all the people who play and all the companies that support us," said the 1956 St. Louis grad who has been organizing the tourney for all of its 14-year run. "The first year we raised $30,000. Now it's $125,000. It's really not a golf tournament, it's an event."
Gomes limits entries to 198. Three-man team sponsorships are $1,500 but some sponsors donate up to $10,000.
Gov. Ben Cayetano, Sen. Donna Kim and City Councilman Romy Cachola played this year. When Cachola made a wisecrack at Price, the emcee shot back with, "Don't talk to me like you talk to Mirikitani!"
Football coaches June Jones of the University of Hawaii and St. Louis' Cal Lee took part. Asked how he played, Jones said, "Some good, some bad." And how is he feeling after his near-fatal accident? "I feel good enough to do what I gotta do but I still feel sore."
Lee said, "I won some prizes," when asked about his game. He walked off with a $50 Longs gift certificate.
Food from Alan Wong's, Roy's, Russell Siu, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and a variety of hot dogs from Greg's Dog House were available on the course.
I played with Wong, Larry Johnson, Conrad Nonaka, Karl Kaneko and Waialae pro John Ramelb. Don't think cooking is the only thing Wong can do well. He hits the ball a mile.
One of the gifts everyone got was an iron, prompting retired banker Johnson to say, "If I give my wife, Claire, an iron she will hit me with it. She hates ironing."
Ben Wood, who played his first round of golf at Ala Wai
50 years ago, vows to learn how to play the game well even if
it takes another 50 years. E-mail him at bwood@starbulletin.com.