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Veneri headlines Quarterback Club

KHON sportscaster John Veneri, former Hawaii lineman Brian Derby and Iolani School journalism teacher Peter Greenhill will be the featured speakers at tomorrow's Honolulu Quarterback Club meeting at the Pagoda Restaurant.

Also on the agenda are the presentation of the Sportsperson of the Month. July's winners are Jerome Williams, the rookie pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, and Kimberly Wang, owner of the Hawaiian Islanders.

Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the noon program. Lunch is $7.50 for club members and $8 for non-members.

The cost to join the club this summer is $10.

Date set for Na Holo Kai

The 17th Na Holo Kai, a 90-mile sailing canoe race from Oahu to Kauai, has been rescheduled for Saturday at Haleiwa.

Twelve sailing canoes representing all Hawaii islands are entered in the Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association event. The race starts at 7 a.m. off Haleiwa Harbor with the first finishers expected at Nawiliwili between 3-4 p.m.

The race was postponed last month due to inclement weather.

This is the last of this season's channel races for the Aston Hotels & Resorts series. The series concludes with the Kendall Pacific Challenge on Sept. 20, a race along the Kauai coast from Nawiliwili to Waimea.

Saturday's race is dedicated to David Wiggins who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Wiggins is the stepfather of Terry Galpin, the captain of Moa E Ku, the only all-women's crew in the HSCA.

For more information, the web site is www.hsca.biz.

Ironman revisits roots with race on Oahu

The 25th anniversary celebration of the Ironman Triathlon begins with "Ironman Revisited" next Sunday, a benefit for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

The triathlon returns to its Oahu roots with 31 athletes competing on the original course of a 2.4-mile swim off Waikiki, 112-mile bike ride around Oahu and 26.2-mile run on the Honolulu Marathon route. The inaugural Ironman was held Feb. 18, 1978, and moved to its present location of Kailua-Kona in 1981.

Among those participating will be five-time winner Dave Scott and double amputee Rudy Garcia-Tolson. The race starts at 7 a.m. off San Souci Beach.

Mercedes Championships tickets on sale

Tickets for the 2004 Mercedes Championships, the season-opener for the PGA Tour, are currently on sale.

The champions-only event -- which includes defending champion Ernie Els, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk -- will be played at The Plantation Course at Kapalua Jan. 5-11. The pro-am portion is Jan. 5-6, followed by four rounds through Jan. 11.

A season pass is available through Dec. 22 at $50 and provides access to the practice rounds, pro-am and the 72-hole competition. Individual event tickets are also available.

Tickets can be purchased at the Kapalua Resort golf shops. For phone orders, call Ticketmaster toll free at 1-866-GOLFTIX. The web sites are www.pgatour.com and www.ticketmaster.com.

Punahou's Wong Remains in Contention

After being dropped from the winners bracket following a 21-18, 21-18 loss to second-seeded Mike Whitmarsh and Canyon Ceman, Kevin Wong and teammate Eric Fonoimoana defeated John Hyden and Andy Witt to stay alive in the Manhattan Beach Open at Manhattan Beach, California.

Up next for the duo is top-seeded and three-time Olympic gold medalist Karch Kiraly and Brent Doble with the winners advancing to the semifinals.

Five teams tied for ninth-place in the Nissan Series event, including Punahou graduates Stein Metzger and Sean Scott.

Hawaii sixth after first day

Led by Cory French's one-over-par 73, the Hawaii State Junior Golf Team is in sixth place after the firsy day of the Eddie Hogan Memorial Cup in Portland, Oregon.

The home team from Oregon holds a six shot lead over Washington, and is 19 shots ahead of the Hawaii team, which includes French, Sean Ogawa, Chris Caycayon, and Kellen Watabu. All four boys are from Kauai.

The final round begins today at 10:00 a.m.

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