Happy Thanksgiving, golfers.

Without question, the most thankful golfer on this day is Kane'ohe's Lance Watanabe, who plays once a week to a 12 handicap.

He and with his wife, Colleen, leave next week for an all-expenses paid trip to South Africa that will cap a year of golf that you and I can only fantasize about.

His magical carpet ride began with a hat trick — literally.

Watanabe's name was pulled out of a hat after he and his scramble partner, Garrett Ichimura, won their flight in the American Heart Association benefit tournament at the Hawai'i Prince Golf Club in early May, a couple of weeks before his 40th birthday.

It has turned out to be quite an early birthday gift, one that keeps on giving.

The grand prize was an opportunity to play three rounds of golf at Pinehurst, N.C., while qualifying for three American spots in the BMW Golf Cup, which will be held Dec. 6 to 8 in George, South Africa.

Not only did Watanabe play Pinehurst No. 2 — site of two recent U.S. Open championships (1999 and 2005), and next year's U.S. Women's Open — he won his flight in a stableford competition.

With his victory, Watanabe now gets to play in the BMW Golf Cup, a three-day amateur championship tournament involving 30 different countries.

The site of the event?

Fancourt Hotel and Country Club, South Africa's premier golf destination.

And the golf course?

Gary Player's Links Course, where the 2003 President's Cup was held.

You can't blame Watanabe for being thankful. In fact, he thinks he's still dreaming.

Imagine the surprise when his name was drawn.

"My first thought was, 'Wow, I never was good in lucky-number drawings. And I never came close to anything like this,' " Watanabe said.

Also, he didn't think his game was good enough. Especially the past two years after the birth of his son, Dane, the couple's first child.

"I haven't been playing much because of that," said Watanabe, an engineer with the city traffic department and 1989 University of Hawai'i graduate.

He remembers playing in several amateur tournaments such as the Hickam Invitational and the Army Amateur. But that was years ago, said Watanabe, who never played junior golf.

Baseball, not golf, was his sport growing up in Kane'ohe. He played shortstop for Castle High School. It was during his baseball days that he met another Lance Watanabe, also an infielder, for Waipahu High School.

They've since become good friends. They play mostly softball at nights these days, but do get together for a round of social golf on weekends.

"We all end up playing golf," said Watanabe, who has to give the other Lance, two a side.

But not everybody gets to play Pinehurst No. 2 and now the Fancourt Resort in South Africa's Western Cape Province.

"I've played Pebble Beach but it couldn't compare with Pinehurst," Watanabe said.

He said the BMW Cup qualifying used the exact pin placements as the 1999 U.S. Open when the late Payne Stewart won.

Watanabe's caddie related stories of what happened at the course during the latest two U.S. Open championships.

When his playing partner that day was in the gully at the fifth hole, the caddie told him, "Phil Mickelson was there. He took an 8."

Watanabe parred that difficult hole for a net birdie, which proved to be the key to his victory and the opportunity to go to South Africa.

"I'm told it (the BMW Golf Cup) is a big tournament. They've held it in Phuket (Thailand), Australia and other places," said Watanabe, who almost wasn't going to go.

"Everybody, friends and family, told me I had to go. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.

"Don't worry, go," his parents, Satoru and Dorothy Watanabe, repeatedly told him. They will babysit Dane, saying he'll be in good hands.

For that, Lance Watanabe is thankful as well.