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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Plantation, Prince courses on Top 100

 •  Doing a slow burn over slow play


Advertiser Staff

Kapalua Plantation and Princeville Prince earned a place among the Top 100 Modern Courses in Golfweek magazine's Best Courses issue. The March 12 edition features Best Classic (before 1960) and Modern Course lists as well as a state-by-state listing of the country's best public-access courses.

Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska was No. 1 among Modern Courses. Like Kapalua Plantation, which was ranked 62nd, it was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Princeville Prince, No. 92, was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Golfweek's national team of course raters, which includes more than 475 evaluators, surveyed more than 2,200 courses and rated each nominated course on the basis of 10 standards of evaluation. Collectively, Golfweek raters turned in more than 45,000 votes.

The magazine's Best Courses You Can Play in Hawai'i are, in order: Kapalua Plantation. Princeville Prince, Mauna Kea, Challenge at Mānele Bay, Po'ipū Bay, Hualālai, Kaua'i Lagoons, Ko'olau, Experience at Kō'ele, Wailea Gold, Mākena North, Mauna Lani South, Mauna Lani North, Royal Ka'anapali and Puakea.

To see all the lists, visit www.Top100.Golfweek.com/GolfweeksBest.

AWARD

CHING STAR OF MONTH

Punahou graduate Alex Ching was named Amateur Star of the Month by the San Diego Hall of Champions, as well as a Player of the Month by the West Coast Conference for his play in February.

The University of San Diego sophomore led his team to three tournament championships during the month. Ching began February with a fifth-place showing at the San Diego Intercollegiate. He was runner-up at the fifth annual USD Callaway Invitational and closed the month by winning the All State Sugar Bowl Mardi Gras Invitational.

For his eight rounds, he averaged 70.87. At the Mardi Gras, his opening-round 64 tied a tournament course record at TPC Louisiana.

LPGA

WIE IN KIA CLASSIC

School is out at Stanford and junior Michelle Wie will be back out on the LPGA Tour. Wie is playing in next week's Kia Classic, in Carlsbad, Calif. The Punahou grad moves on to the year's first major the following week, when the Kraft Nabisco Championship is played in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

A few Hawai'i golfers even younger than Wie are also on the road around Easter break, at AJGA events. Punahou sixth-grader Allisen Corpuz plays the Junior All-Star at Chateau Elan, in Braselton, Ga., April 2 to 4. At the same time, Lorens Chan, Brett Komoto, Michelle Condry, Kelli Oride and Alexandra White are in Mesa, Ariz., for the Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic.

FUNDRAISER

UH VOLLEYBALL

The Charlie Wade-led University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team is having its inaugural golf tournament fundraiser April 8 at Olomana Golf Links. Format is three-person scramble.

Funds will be used to support the summer tuition assistance program and augment the recruiting budget.

The cost is $150 per player. Registration forms are available on the men's volleyball page at www.hawaiiathletics.com.

Players, sponsors and donors can call Wade (956-9931) or e-mail uhboosters@hawaii.rr.com for information or to help.

NOTES

Sunday's Emily T Gail Talks Golf and Other Sports will feature Kei-Lin Cerf, Dave Pansini, Juan Rodrigues and Jim Felechner. The show will air at 6 p.m. on ESPN Radio AM790 Kona/AM850 Hilo. Cerf will discus the Hualālai Ohana Foundation tournament and Pansini the Kohala Bandits Classic. Rodrigues is an assistant pro at Mauna Lani. Felechner, a former tournament director in Hawai'i, is now involved with the LPGA's Kia Classic.