|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Inside Hawaii Golf - Tournament Golf "The Pulse of Competitive Golf in the Aloha State" Hawaii State Open History
Traditionally Hawaii's last
tournament of the year, the Hawaii State Open also is one of
Hawaii's oldest tournaments. The Hawaii State Open was
launched in 1974 as a revival of the original Hawaiian Open,
which became the stop for the PGA of America tour in 1965,
held at the Waialae Country Club. The Hawaiian Open began in
the 1920s and was a fitting championship that determined the
best golfer in the Islands. Many great players from the
mainland were invited to compete and did so for more than 30
years. Because of the diversity of
players and the boost in the economy from these events,
three former Waialae Country Club presidents, Ken Brown,
John Bellinger and Francis Wright asked the PGA in 1965 to
add the Hawaiian Open as a regular stop on the PGA Tour. Although this was a great
commercial success, it restricted Hawaiian pros and amateurs
from participating in the Hawaiian Open, since now, to play
in the event, a player had to be a playing member on the PGA
Tour. In 1974, the tournament was
revived and the name changed to the Hawaii State Open. While
its name had changed, its mission remained the same: to find
the best golfer in Hawaii. As part of the revival, the Ted
Makalena perpetual trophy was established. Makalena was the
first Hawaii resident to win a PGA Tour event, the 1966 PGA
Tour Hawaiian Open. In 1977, a women's division was
added. In 1993, the tournament was
taken over by the Aloha Section of the PGA, with the goal of
returning the event to its rich tradition of hosting a
premier local golf tournament on the best courses throughout
the islands.
|
