Oahu Women's Golf Tourney Bites The Dust

I don't play golf, but I do volunteer for the Turtle Bay tournaments. I was told by my golf nut nephew that the tournament over at KoOlina - the Fields Open is most likely not going to happen. He sent me an article that I reprinted below.

Why do we care?

Well the North Shore and Turtle Bay Resort are already losing the Turtle Bay Championship. The SBS Open is signed up through 2009 which is 5 months away. I have not heard about any extensions so, we might lose that one.

If both tournaments go away, the North Shore might lose some of the greatest funding for charities that has ever happened over here.

Every year since 2001, Turtle Bay Resort and Friends of Hawaii have been giving out grants from funds raised by these golf tournaments to local charities. It's gone from $50,000 a year to over $100,000 a year. I think it is over $500,00o to date.

If both of our North Shore tournaments go away, that funding could go away.

I have volunteered for many years, yet I have not seen any of those Haole surfing serial protesters doing anything to help this cause (yup, getting mad again).

So instead of raising money for legal bills for their lawyers and themselves, maybe Defend Oahu, Governor Benito Linda Lingle and Keep The North Shore Country can give something back to the community instead of Fascism, Socialism and the destruction of a great community business:

Fields won’t renew ‘09 title sponsorship The Fields Corporation, title sponsor of the Fields Open in Hawaii, has announced it will not renew its title sponsorship for the LPGA tournament for 2009, leaving an early-season hole on the tour’s schedule for next year.Fields officials said the Japanese entertainment company will concentrate its future marketing efforts primarily in Japan. There had been speculation the event was in trouble and might not return, one of several LPGA tournaments that is having title sponsor issues....

...The Fields Open, which began in 2006 and was held at Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei, has been the second tournament on the LPGA schedule the past three years. It was the second stop on a two-event Hawaii swing, following the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, an event that is secured through 2009. ..

... LPGA officials declined to comment about the future of the Ko Olina event.“I think the LPGA will be disappointed because the players like to have two events on Oahu to defray travel expenses,” Greg Nichols, general manager and director of golf at Ko Olina, told The Honolulu Advertiser. “We’re disappointed because the tournament was growing; attendance was growing. We enjoyed being able to put on such a quality event in Hawaii.”Nichols told The Advertiser that it was unlikely the event will be held in 2009."A tournament at this late date is unlikely,” he said. “The timeline is not sufficient to bring in a new sponsor for 2009.”