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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, February 16, 2007

Fields Open in Hawai'i up next on tee for LPGA Tour

 •  LPGA opener has all-American look

Advertiser Staff

All active and retired military with proper ID will be admitted free to next week's Fields Open in Hawai'i at Ko Olina Golf Club. The second official LPGA tournament of the year will be Feb. 22 to 24.

Tournament week begins with a Fields Open Kama'aina Pro-Am Monday morning, followed by the LPGA Qualifying Tournament at 1 p.m. Honolulu teens Ayaka Kaneko and Stephanie Kono received exemptions into the qualifier.

LPGA players Juli Inkster, Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford will conduct a Junior Golf Clinic Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Fields Pro-Am is Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., with the afternoon wave starting at 1 p.m.

Advance daily tickets ($10) and season passes ($25) are available at First Hawaiian Bank branches, Ko Olina Golf Club and the Fields Open tournament office. Admission is charged Wednesday through Saturday.

The tournament features nearly all the players at this week's SBS Open at Turtle Bay. Sponsor exemptions include Hilo's Kimberly Kim and Japan's Sakura Yokomine, who played in the 2005 Hawai'i Pearl Open. Former U.S. Open champion Liselotte Neumann, not playing this week, will be at Fields.

All three tournament days will be broadcast on The Golf Channel, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Hawai'i. For more information, call the tournament office at 671-1727. To volunteer, call 722-6508. Just like Tadd

Tadd Fujikawa spent Wednesday trading long drives with Laura Davies in the SBS Pro-Am, and showing amateur partner Taylore Karle, also 16, the proper form for his drop-the-club, hands-raised-in-triumph walk.

Fujikawa gave Karle the pose pointers when she sank a long birdie putt that helped their team share seventh. Fujikawa debuted his triumphant form at last month's Sony Open in Hawai'i, after the eagle that made him the youngest in 50 years to make a PGA Tour cut.

VEGA MEETS REAL WORLD

Briana Vega received a rude welcome to the LPGA by almost any definition yesterday.

Vega, who earned an exemption by beating Punahou alum Bridget Dwyer in the final of the last "Big Break" reality series, was 3-over after eight holes. On the par-5 ninth tee, she had to stop her swing when a photographer behind her began to shoot as she took the club back. Vega then drove into the hazard on the right, took a drop and hit into the hazard again. She pulled her fifth shot and three-putted for a 9.

Vega finished at 81 for a share of last place.

MISSING BIRTHDAYS

In a confusing — for many reasons — move, the LPGA left birthdates out of its media guide for the first time this year, for "security reasons," according to a spokesperson. The guide does have the year players are born, but no month or day.