• Two Hawaiian-born
players have won this event when it was named the Hawaiian Open. David Ishii,
who is a regular member of the Japanese tour, won in 1990. He followed in the
footsteps of Ted Makalena, who won the event in 1966. Makalena's victory was
very popular, since he started in golf at the age of eight as a caddie at Waialae.
Tragically, two years after his win and at the age of 34, Makalena was killed
while swimming in the ocean off of Wakiki.
• Wayne Levi's win
in the 1982 Hawaiian Open was the first time that a PGA Tour event was won by
a player using an orange golf ball.
• Many events have
been won by a player making eagle on the final hole, but the most remarkable
of them happened in 1983 when Isao Aoki won the Hawaiian Open by holing a wedge
from 128 yards on the final hole to edge Jack Renner by one. With the win, Aoki
became not only the first Japanese to a win a PGA Tour event but he is the only
Japanese to ever win on the PGA Tour. Aoki also owns the same record on the Senior
PGA Tour.
• What a difference
a year can make. In 1983 victory was snatched from Jack Renner, who was leading
Aoki by one and was in the scoring tent signing his card. Aoki's miracle wedge
was a cruel blow to Renner, but the following year he got his revenge. At the
72nd hole Renner watched as Wayne Levi had a seven-footer on the final hole to
win the tournament by one. But a year later, lady luck was with Renner as Levi
missed the putt to force the tournament into a playoff. At the second playoff
hole, Levi three-putted giving Renner the victory.
• In the 34 previous
Hawaiian Opens only eight have had playoffs. The first six were short, with three
of them decided on the first hole and the other three only going two holes. That
tradition was broken in 1996 when Jim Furyk took three holes to beat Brad Faxon.
The following year Paul Stankowski took four holes to win the last playoff in
this event over Jim Furyk and Mike Reid
• Talk about having
a good time in Hawaii, Mark O'Meara had a pretty good one in '85. In three Hawaiian
starts that year, O'Meara won all of them. On top of his Hawaiian Open victory
(won $90,000) he was on the winning Nissan Cup team ($50,000) that was played
in Maui and then won the Kapalua International ($125,000). For his three weeks
of work in Hawaii, O'Meara won $265,000, which was a lot of money back then.
• In the 1998 tournament,
John Huston broke the 72-hole to-par scoring record. Here is a look at the lowest
strokes to par in 72 hole events:
To par Score Player Tournament
-28 260 John Huston 1998 Hawaiian Open
-27 257 Frank Souchak 1955 Texas Open
-27 261 Ben Hogan 1945 Portland Invitational
-26 258 John Cook 1996 FedEx St. Jude Classic
-26 258 Steve Jones 1997 Phoenix Open
-26 262 Gay Brewer 1967 Pensacola Open
-26 262 Robert Wrenn 1987 Buick Open
-26 262 Chip Beck 1988 USF&G Classic
-26 262 John Huston 1992 Walt Disney World
-26 266 David Duval 1999 Mercedes Championship
It wasn't the only record that
Huston broke that week. He made 31 birdies for the week, the most birdies made
in a 72-hole event on the PGA Tour since the Tour starting keeping stats in 1980.
• John Morse, the
1995 Hawaiian Open champion, can thank the par 5s for his victory. Morse's winning
total was 19-under par, and Morse played the par 5s in 18-under par. During the
week on the 16 par 5s, Morse had one par, 12 birdies and 3 eagles, including
an eagle on the final hole of the tournament. Here is a chart that shows how
Morse played the par 5s compared to the field, with 1st in the rank of field
meaning it was the easiest hole:
Holes 1st 9th 13th 18th
Morse 1st rd. Birdie Par Birdie Eagle
Morse 2nd rd. Birdie Birdie Eagle Birdie
Morse 3rd rd. Birdie Birdie Birdie Birdie
Morse 4th rd. Birdie Birdie Birdie Eagle
Avg of field 4.51 4.66 4.41 4.48
Rank of field 3rd 4th 1st 2nd
Since records haven't been
kept on the lowest totals on par 5s in a 72-hole event, we don't know if Morse's
totals are the lowest, but since he accomplished the feat in 1995 nobody has ever
played the par 5s better in a 72-hole event
• In the last 16 Sony
Opens/Hawaiian Opens, only four solo-leaders going into the final round won the
tournanament. Here is a chart on the fate of the 3rd-round leaders:
Year Player 4th-rd. Finish
score
1999 Tommy Tolles 71 T-2nd
1998 John Huston 66 Win
1997 Mike Reid 71 T-2nd
1996 Brad Faxon 70 2nd
Steve Stricker 71 3rd
1995 John Morse 68 Win
1994 Davis Love III 71 2nd
1993 Howard Twitty 68 Win
1992 John Cook 65 Win
Paul Azinger 67 2nd
1991 John Cook 75 2nd
1990 Hubert Green 77 T-12th
1989 Jim Carter 70 4th
1988 Richard Zokol 70 2nd
1987 Craig Stadler 70 2nd
1986 Tom Watson 73 T-3d
1985 Mark O'Meara 69 Win
1984 Wayne Levi 70 2nd
• Here's a note on
the 31 champions of this event. Fifteen of them made it either their first or
second career PGA Tour win. Here is a list of those:
Year Player Win #
1997 Paul Stankowski 2
1996 Jim Furyk 2
1995 John Morse 1
1994 Brett Ogle 2
1990 David Ishii 1
1989 Gene Sauers 2
1983 Isao Aoki 1
1977 Bruce Lietzke 2
1975 Gary Groh 2
1973 John Schlee 1
1972 Grier Jones 1
1968 Lee Trevino 2
1967 Dudley Wysong 2
1966 Ted Makalena 1
1965 Gay Brewer 2
• On the other end
of the foot, 14 of the champions of this tournament have not won again on the
PGA Tour since their Hawaiian victory, including seven of the last 11. Here is
the list:
1999 Jeff Sluman
1997 Paul Stankowski
1995 John Morse
1994 Brett Ogle
1993 Howard Twitty
1990 David Ishii
1989 Gene Sauers
1984 Jack Renner
1983 Isao Aoki
1975 Gary Groh
1973 John Schlee
1971 Tom Shaw
1967 Dudley Wysong
1966 Ted Makalena
