Saint Louis receiver Jason Rivers, the Star-Bulletin's No. 2 prospect in the state, will visit Hawaii next week, Crusaders athletic director Cal Lee said. Rivers paying a visit
Garcia putts from the gut
Sony has field to match Mercedes
By Dave Reardon and Nick Abramo
dreardon@starbulletin.com | nabramo@starbulletin.comWith three-year starter Justin Colbert's eligibility expired, Rivers has a chance of playing right away at UH, especially since he has familiarity with the run-and-shoot offense.
Rivers visited Washington State last month, and Oregon and Washington have also been in the picture. But it is doubtful Rivers will end up with the Huskies, considering they have commitments from five wide receivers. Oregon, however, could be looking for another receiver; junior Samie Parker might make himself available for the NFL Draft, meaning the Ducks would lose three wideouts who played last year. "We talked about (signing) four receivers, now it might be five," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti told the Eugene Register-Guard.
Arizona State also appears to be making a late run at Rivers. The Sun Devils are trying to set up a visit for the 6-foot-2, 193-pound state sprint champ.
"I think UH is the best bet for him, it's a place where you know they're throwing the ball," Lee said.
Rivers is still awaiting college entrance test scores, as is the state's top prospect, Saint Louis defensive end Tolifili Liufau.
Rivers and Liufau will be among a large group of local recruits to visit UH this coming weekend.
The competition is tough, but the Warriors are in the hunt for another outstanding receiver, B.J. Vickers of Venice High School in the Los Angeles area. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound all-around athlete is also considered a potential star at safety. According to Rivals, he is the 16th best receiver prospect in the nation. Vickers is scheduled to visit Hawaii on Jan. 31. He has already been to Oregon and Mississippi State and is slated to tour Louisville and Tennessee before UH.
Willing and able: Kamehameha offensive lineman R.J. Willing (No. 4) returns from a visit to Washington today. He also has trips planned to Brigham Young and Utah before spending a weekend with Hawaii at the end of the month. Willing also visited Oregon last month.
He has former high school teammates at Washington (Brandon Ala) and Oregon (Enoka Lucas).
R.J.'s father, Richard, said he would like to see his son go to Oregon.
"They offered him a scholarship last summer, and R.J. played next to Enoka in high school. R.J. and Enoka did well together," the father said.
"But my in-laws like UH and my wife wants him to go to BYU," added Richard, whose daughter, Ilima, is a BYU graduate. "But we're leaving the decision to him. He has to enjoy where he is."
The four mainland schools have offered scholarships to date; Hawaii has not.
Wilson visits Huskies: Star-Bulletin defensive player of the year Wilson Afoa (No. 7) is at Washington this weekend. He said he is set to be hosted by Hawaii on Jan. 24, and a trip to Utah is being arranged.
Afoa said he liked Washington State, but does not plan on making a choice until completing all visits.
"I liked the surroundings, the country. I liked the facilities," he said of WSU. "Next year their starting defensive ends are seniors. But that's also the situation at UH, and it's my hometown. No one really has the lead. I'm keeping my options open."
Coaches corner: Many coaches took a break from the recruiting wars early last week to attend the AFCA convention in New Orleans. UH assistants Dan Morrison and Mike Cavanaugh were keynote speakers and addressed about 200 of their colleagues about the Warriors' run-and-shoot offense.
"It was quite an honor," said Morrison, who was apprehensive at first about possibly giving up trade secrets to rival coaches. "What I discovered was that no one really does talk too much about their specific schemes. I addressed myths about the offense, a little bit about how we practice and went through a simple play. It worked out fine. Cav talked a lot about technique."
On the trail: Penn State wants Kahuku safety Viliami Nauahi, Hawaii's No. 3 prospect, to visit next weekend and Nauahi is trying to juggle his scheduled trip to Brigham Young to accommodate the Nittany Lions. He returned from Utah today, and will visit UH at the end of the month. ... Centennial (Coronado, Calif.) linebacker Brett Martin committed to San Diego State, spurning other offers from Hawaii and Cal. ... Saint Louis linebacker Timo Paepule (No. 10) is set to visit Utah on Jan. 24, and is slated to visit Hawaii and Oregon as well. ... Quarterback Drew Tate (Lee High School of Bayview, Texas) is visiting Houston this weekend after rescinding his oral commitment to Texas A&M. He is also interested in Hawaii and Iowa. ... Roosevelt High School defensive end Nailon Frank has been offered by Oregon State. Rough Riders coach Les Parilla said Frank is green, but the Beavers like his quickness and potential for growth at 6-5, 226. ... Quarterbacks Jack Rolovich (San Marin High School, Novato, Calif.) and Taylor Tharp (Fairview High School, Denver) and running back Mike Liti (Foothill High School, Santa Ana, Calif.) complete their UH visits today. Rolovich has committed to UH, according to several sources, including his brother, former UH quarterback Nick ... The Star-Bulletin's Prospect Watch listings will appear in tomorrow's editions.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
K.J. Choi, two strokes behind Ernie Els, shot a course-record 11-under 62 yesterday in Kapalua, Maui.
KAPALUA, Maui >> Sergio Garcia joined a group of his fellow PGA Tour players in the locker room to watch the closing moments of Tennessee's playoff win over Pittsburgh, only to take some good-natured ribbing. Garcia putts from the gut
By Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comAfter bending his putter during Friday's round in a brief fit of anger, Garcia was forced to putt with a wedge for most of the back nine. During yesterday's round, the defending champion of the Mercedes Championships decided to borrow his father's belly putter, much to the chagrin of his touring mates.
"You're too old to use a belly putter," someone said from the back of the room. Garcia responded, "I just turned 23, I'm an old man now."
Whatever. Garcia did well enough yesterday with the long stick to shoot a 7-under 66 for a three-day total of 210. True, at 9-under for the tournament, it doesn't matter what Garcia uses today, he's not catching any of the front-runners.
"My dad told me it worked for him, so I decided I would try it," said Garcia, who still needed 30 putts to finish the round. He has 95 in three days, not exactly winning numbers. "But what am I going to do? I have to try something."
Rocco Mediate has decided to go in the opposite direction. After 11 years with a long putter, Mediate has opted for the shorter stick in 2003. It helped him yesterday to an 8-under 65. He was the early leader in the clubhouse at 13-under, but was passed by nine golfers by day's end.
"I putted for 18 birdies today," said Mediate, who is one of only eight golfers here skipping the Sony Open in Hawaii later this week. "And I made a lot of them. They were short putts. They weren't 15-footers. Four-footers aren't easy with any putter.
"I made a change to a club that can't kill me, but it can help me. I was a bit out of sorts because I hadn't used it in 11 years. I came naked here. I didn't bring (the long putter). I'm committed. It's coming around. I'm feeling more and more comfortable with it."
Streak ends: Kevin Sutherland walked up to the par-5 18th looking for his 12th consecutive birdie on the long holes. His 20-foot putt came up short, ending the streak at 11. He made eight birdies on the par-5s through the first two rounds and three yesterday.
But with the wind change at the 18th, golfers had a hard time reaching the green in two. Sutherland's third shot was a chip to the green that checked up short, leaving him a long birdie opportunity. Sutherland is tied for 10th at 13-under.
Shooting gallery: There was not a single bogey recorded on the par-3 second hole, the par-4 third and the par-5 18th yesterday. In fact, the 380-yard par-4 third hole at the Plantation Course has yielded only two bogeys all week, while there have only been four bogeys recorded on No. 18.
Once again yesterday's 69.250 scoring average is the lowest average for any round in the five years that the tournament has been held on Maui, breaking the record set in the first round of 69.361. It is the third time this week that the 18-hole scoring average has come in below 70 and the second time it has dipped below 70 in the third round.
Out of a field of 36 golfers, 28 broke par yesterday. The toughest hole yesterday was the par-4 first. It yielded only one birdie by Don Forsman, seven bogeys and two triple bogeys by Matt Kuchar and Jonathan Byrd for a scoring average of 4.333. Neither golfer finished over par for their round, despite the 3-over start.
The easiest hole was the par-5 fifth. There were 26 birdies and only two bogeys by Shigeki Maruyama and Spike McRoy. The scoring average was a blistering 4.333. For the tournament, the easiest hole is the fifth (4.333) and the most difficult is the first (4.231).
Mercedes Championships
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KAPALUA, Maui >> It's not often since the Mercedes Championships moved to Maui five years ago that the Sony Open in Hawaii could claim its field was equal to its island counterpart. Sony has field
to match MercedesBy Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comBut with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval missing in action this week, coupled with 18 first-time winners hogging half the Mercedes field, the Sony Open benefited in a big way.
The first full-field event on the PGA Tour not only has 28 of the 36 Mercedes players heading its way, the $4.5 million tournament also welcomes such seasoned veterans as Paul Azinger, John Cook, Fred Couples, Brad Faxon, John Huston, Tom Lehman, Larry Mize, Jesper Parnevik, Corey Pavin and Craig Stadler. Davis Love III was also expected to start his season here, but dropped out on Friday.
The eight players from the Mercedes who will not be here this week are Bob Estes, Matt Gogel, J.P. Hayes, Justin Leonard, Rocco Mediate, Nick Price, Kevin Sutherland and Phil Tataurangi.
In addition to the old boys, teen sensation Ty Tryon will tour the tight Waialae Country Club course, as will Castle alumnus Dean Wilson, who earned his tour card last fall.
"I've always started my year with January and February this way (starting out in Hawaii)," said Ernie Els, who has won three majors, including last year's British Open. "I tried (starting on) the West Coast one year, didn't really like it much.
"You know, when I'm in this tournament (Mercedes), I like coming here. I like to play two tournaments (Sony Open) here because it's such a long way to come. Then from here, I normally go to Australia, which I'm going to do again.
"I flew all the way from South Africa to be here. I think it's a great place to be, a great way to start your year. I can't speak for other guys. I think it's just a scheduling problem."
Having Els and PGA champion Rich Beem helps the Sony Open immensely. It's not every year Honolulu golf fans can see two players who won major championships the season before.
Defending champion Jerry Kelly brings an impressive pedigree as well. He went on to win the Western Open and finish sixth on the money list with $2.95 million in tour earnings. Like most of the PGA's best, he's looking forward to playing on Oahu.
International flavor: The Sony Open may need a few interpreters this week, what with all the foreign players in the field. A large Japanese contingent, headed by the ever-popular Shigeki Maruyama, will be on the course.
The South Africans will be well represented with Els and 2001 U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, as will the Spaniards with Sergio Garcia and two-time Masters champion Jose Marie Olazabal. Add Korean K.J. Choi and Fiji's Vijay Singh to the list and it's truly an international field.
Tough holes: In 2001, the par-70 Sony Open boasted two of the 50 toughest holes played on the tour. They slipped a bit last year, but Nos. 2 and 6 were rated 47th and 59th among the 1,026 holes played on the professional golf circuit during the 49 official events in 2002.
The second hole is a 426-yard par-4 that is wicked in the tradewinds. The tee was moved back 60 yards to bring the lake along the left side into play. Two fairway bunkers on the right side also make it difficult for players to score a par or better.
The sixth hole is a 459-yard par-4 that also uses the tradewinds to its advantage. Usually, the winds whip from left to right across the fairway, making out of bounds a distinct possibility along the right side.
Charities benefit: In only two years, Friends of Hawaii Charities contributed more than $800,000 to Hawaii charities. In 1999 more than $256,000 was provided to 43 organizations and in 2000, more than $559,000 was provided to 46 organizations. The $303,000 increase in contributions is highly attributed to charity partner The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation for its matching funds donation.
Commemorative pin flag: The first 3,000 spectators through the gates on Friday will receive a unique Sony Card Pin Flag.
The collective giveaway is ideal for getting their favorite players' autograph. Some lucky fans will receive a flag already autographed by a top PGA Tour professional.
The 18-by-14-inch nylon Pin Flag is compliments of Sony Card, Sony's very own credit card. Launched in October 1988, the Sony Card, which has no annual fee, has over 1.2 million members. To learn more about the Sony Card please visit www.sony.com/sonycard. The Pin Flag will contain the Sony Open in Hawaii official logo along with the Sony Card and My Sony logos.
Sony Open
