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Return invitation
expected for WieCOLLEGE FOOTBALL
Big schools look toward Big Island
Sony Open in Hawaii officials will announce as early as this week that Michelle Wie will be invited to play in the PGA Tour event in 2005 with a sponsor's exemption.
Wie -- who told national golf commentator Mark Rolfing on Saturday that she might consider playing in another PGA event this year if the right course comes along -- will accept the local sponsor's exemption once it is officially offered.
Unlike the previous three days, Wie was not in the national spotlight during the final round of yesterday's first full-field event on tour. She served as a makeshift ESPN-TV announcer during Saturday's third round, a move some questioned.
B.J. Wie said Friday that he thought he and his wife had prepared their daughter properly for this event.
"She's going to be a star we're going to let sail away," B.J. Wie said. "We are very proud of her and thank everyone for offering their support."
Wie became a household name outside the 50th state with her often-spectacular play through the opening 36 holes. She missed the cut of 1-under 139 by a single shot. Her birdie on the 18th left her with a 2-under 68 for the second round.
Sony and tournament officials have said over the weekend that she helped in attendance the first two days and likely with the national television ratings as well, although the official number won't be released until tomorrow. ESPN extended its coverage by an hour on Friday and broke into the Los Angeles-Sacramento NBA game to give two updates on Wie.
She believed that a birdie on the 18th would get her through to the weekend and was clearly disappointed that she hadn't made it.
"I think it was a very happy experience for me this week," Wie said. "It was a very good learning experience, too. I learned what the PGA does."
Asked what she would do if she were asked to play in another PGA Tour event this year, Wie said, "If I had time I would certainly go. If it conflicted with another tournament, I don't think I'd be able to play."
Sony officials are hopeful she won't play in another PGA Tour event until their tournament in 2005.
"She's made all the right moves so far," Rolfing said. "I think it would be great if she waited until next year to play here on the PGA Tour again."
Els in rare company: Ernie Els was not only the third player to successfully defend his title at this tournament -- Hubert Green did it in 1979 and Corey Pavin in 1987 -- he's also the first player to successfully defend on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods won the 2003 World Golf Championship.
In his four appearances here since the Mercedes Championships moved to Maui in 1999, Els has earned $2.062 million and moved to No. 5 on the tour career money list with $19.6 million. Woods leads the way with $40 million.
Els never played in Hawaii until the Mercedes, a bit of good fortune for him. Would he ever have played here had the Mercedes not been at the Plantation Course?
"Probably not," Els said. "Years ago when I stayed home, I never even used to go to California for the Mercedes. I used to watch the tournament (Hawaiian Open) on television and I thought it was a nice look. I'm glad I came.
"I'm glad I won at the Mercedes or I got into the Mercedes. This used to be a hidden, a little hidden gem. A lot of good players never used to come here. Now, a lot of our players come here. It's a great tournament."
Ten times before: Els' victory over Harrison Frazar is the 10th playoff in the history of this Oahu event that dates back to 1965. Els has been involved in two. Last year, he beat tour rookie Aaron Baddeley with a 43-foot birdie putt at the second playoff hole.
His final-round 65 yesterday was his 16th consecutive round in the 60s since first playing in the Sony Open in 1999. There were 14 players in all who fired four rounds in the 60s this year. Among that group was Frazar, 2002 Sony Open champ Jerry Kelly, who tied for fifth with Briny Baird and had a four-hole stretch where he went 5-under par. Baird also had four rounds in the 60s.
Count Vijay Singh in there as well. The world's No. 2-ranked player behind Woods finished in a tie for 10th. Had close friend Paul Azinger made his birdie at the 18th, Singh would have finished out of the top 10 for the first time in 10 tournaments. His 10 consecutive top 10s date back to the WGC-NEC at the end of August 2003.
Pros go low: The average score for the Sony Open this week was a stellar 69.508. The only real wind was at the pro-am on Wednesday. It was relatively calm after that, leaving the Waialae course a bit defenseless.
The first hole held the ranking as the most difficult, yielding an average of 4.337 shots per player. There were only 19 birdies this week at the 488-yard hole and 128 bogeys, 16 doubles and three triples. The par-5 ninth was the easiest hole, with a scoring average of 4.324. There were 30 eagles and 265 birdies vs. only 13 bogeys, four doubles and one triple.
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Hilo’s Medeiros
making big schools
look toward Big Island
Hilo offensive lineman Abe Medeiros is getting a lot of attention from college football recruiters.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound tackle has heard from schools such as Boston College, Ohio State, Arizona State and Stanford, as well as smaller programs such as Idaho, Colorado State, Boise State, Western Kentucky and Harvard.
Medeiros' football skills aren't the only thing he has going for him. He carries a 4.2 grade-point average, according to Vikings coach Albert Kawelu.
"I told him to imagine all the possibilities after football -- and the prestige -- if he went to a place like Stanford," Kawelu said. "But he's being wise and keeping his options open. There's also Hawaii to think about if he ever wanted to go pro, because they've got the O-line pipeline going."
Medeiros visits Idaho on the last weekend of January but hasn't scheduled other trips as yet.
Medeiros' father, Abraham, said former UH defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa, a defensive backs coach at Boston College, is working on scholarship possibilities for his son.
"They've got 20 scholarships and 17 are filled, so they're looking closely at the last three," he said.
Kawelu confirmed the Eagles have shown strong interest in Medeiros.
"I'm acquainted with Kevin and he's a real genuine guy, so I know he would keep an eye out for Abe if he chooses to go there," Kawelu said. "They've got tackles who are 6-7 and 6-8, so I think he would end up playing guard.
"He's such a hard worker, a guy who takes the initiative. Many of the other guys work hard, too, but you've got to watch over them. With Abe, I don't have to tell him anything. He knows his goals and his steps to achieve them."
Medeiros, who helped lead Hilo to the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I championship, is surprised by all the attention.
"When I saw letters from Stanford and Harvard, I was stoked and have been very surprised, overall," he said. "The process isn't easy, though. It's a lot of hard work and time that I put into it."
Bengals like Yamauchi: Idaho State is making a bid for Kahuku DE Shosei Yamauchi, who was instrumental in guiding the Red Raiders to the Division I state championship. The school is trying to set up a visit for him.
"They told me they saw my tapes and were impressed," Yamauchi said. "They're looking for an end and said I would be a perfect fit."
Troy State, Alcorn State and Fresno State have also shown an interest in Yamauchi.
"I plan to cut my choices down to two in the next couple of weeks," he said.
Kahuku C Jeremy Perry solidified plans for his trip to Big Ten power Michigan next weekend, while Red Raiders defensive back Afa Garrigan visited Utah this weekend.
On the trail: Saint Louis RB/WR B.J. Batts and teammates DB Keao Monteilh and DL Oren Long are trying to arrange visits to Alcorn State for next weekend, according to Oahu recruiting analyst Doris Sullivan. She added that Utah is interested in McKinley slotback/running back Quinton Sayers. ... Kapolei's Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada visited Navy last weekend and is at Air Force this weekend, according to sources. Both schools are interested in the speedy, elusive, all-purpose player as a possible option quarterback.