Mid-Pacific Country Club is celebrating its 50th Mid-Pacific Open with a field for the ages.

The tournament tees off this morning with its largest purse ($64,000) and number of pros (80). Its field of 208 golfers was culled from a record number of entries (250). It hosted its largest Pro-Am yesterday.

Six Hawai'i Golf Hall of Famers are playing — eight-time champion Lance Suzuki, David Ishii, Chuck Davis, Dan Nishimoto, Wendell Kop and Brandan Kop, who will be inducted April 28.

A push to include juniors has inspired a Hot List of Hawai'i teens to play, including Tadd Fujikawa, Bradley Shigezawa, Lorens Chan and TJ Kua. And Punahou senior Stephanie Kono, desperately seeking competition before she heads to UCLA in the fall, and defending state high school champion Anna Jang debut at 1:09 p.m. today as the first female participants.

While other events have come and gone, Mid-Pacific is celebrating its golden anniversary with unrestrained glee.

"You have to have people who have a will to continue the event, and run with it," said Michael Kawaharada, tournament chair since 2000.

"We wanted to have something special for the local pros and we've added the idea that this tournament should give junior golfers an opportunity to play ... on a golf course prepared like it's a real (PGA Tour) tournament."

Kawaharada also pushed, unsuccessfully, for Michelle Wie to play the two years she petitioned for a place while still an amateur. She was turned down then with the reasoning that the Jennie K. Invitational, one of the Hawai'i women's majors hosted by MPCC every May, already offered women an amateur championship.

Kawaharada got around that this year by getting Kono and Jang "committee exemptions" into the professional flight, playing as amateurs (from the back tees). Kono made the cut in February's Hawai'i Pearl Open, playing from the championship tees.

The club has also created a scholarship fund to help juniors with entry fees.

"It's part of our commitment to the game and to golf in Hawai'i," Kawaharada said.

Since 2000, first prize has nearly quadrupled (from $3,500 to $13,500) as the tournament has taken on corporate help. This year Aloha Petroleum — one of Fujikawa's sponsors — and University Health Alliance are diamond sponsors and AIG Insurance and BEI Hawaii platinum sponsors. The tournament is self-supporting, and a source of pride for Mid-Pacific. It has also become a Hawai'i tradition, to players and members.

"It means a lot to the club," said 1973 champion Larry Lee. "And now the kids see how much it means and they want to carry on."