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Posted on: Thursday, June 14, 2001 • Ishii Foundation gets boost Around the Greens By Bill Kwon
Suzuki, who will be 50 Saturday, will be playing in the inaugural Turtle Bay Championship Oct. 5-7 at the resort's newly renamed Arnold Palmer Course and his old home stomping grounds. "Your growth from a one-time Kahuku junior golfer to becoming one of Hawai'i's top golfers has been something for the North Shore community is very proud of. This along with your years of support of junior golf in the area has led to this invitation," said Dennis Rose, Turtle Bay Resort's director of golf, in a letter to Suzuki, inviting him to join the 78-player, no-cut field playing for a $1.5 million purse. "I was surprised. It's going to be at a course I'm familiar with," said Suzuki, who was an outstanding two-sport athlete at nearby Kahuku High School. For the Turtle Bay Resort, it is a good public relations move to have Suzuki in the event, which has replaced the Ka'anapali Senior Classic on the 2001 Senior Tour schedule. For Suzuki, who has been thinking about giving the Senior Tour a try, the exemption certainly comes at the opportune time. And there is nothing like making his Senior Tour debut before home fans. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it. But I'm under no grand illusions, boom, I'm going to be on the Senior Tour if I do well (at Turtle Bay)," Suzuki said. "Basically, I'm physically fit. But you have to get in shape mentally as well." As for his game right now, Suzuki admits it's not where it needs to be or where he wants it to be. "I've only played in a few local tournaments and they've been few and far between. You can't gauge yourself that way," added Suzuki, who is playing in the Sports Shinko Rainbow Open at Mililani this week. When he is on his game, Suzuki has been virtually unbeatable. His record of accomplishment in Hawai'i's major tournaments is mind boggling — eight Mid-Pacific Open titles, five JAL Rainbow Open victories and four Hawai'i State Open championships. He also won the Hawai'i Pearl Open twice. One of the highlights of his career was finishing tied for fifth with Tom Watson and two others in the 1977 Hawaiian Open. He shot a 7-under 65 to make the cut and a 66 in the final round to be the first local golfer since 1966 Hawaiian Open winner Ted Makalena to make a strong finish in the PGA Tour event before David Ishii won in 1990. Perhaps, the Senior Tour might be the "mulligan" in Suzuki's golfing career as it has been for other golfers his age. Suzuki was not only a two-sport athlete at Kahuku, but he was an all-state performer in both of the sports, golf and basketball. "I liked playing basketball better," said Suzuki, who was the point guard for the Red Raiders who won the OIA basketball championship. Among his teammates were Junior Ah You, John Heffernan and Clayton Ah Quinn. His coach, Dick Mizuta, probably didn't mind Suzuki skipping practice to play golf, because coaching the golf team was Charles Barenaba Sr., the school's vice principal. After winning the individual title and leading Kahuku to the team championship in the 1969 state golf tournament, Suzuki went to Brigham Young University where he won All-Western Athletic Conference and first team All-American honors in golf as a senior in 1973. Suzuki tried the PGA Tour's Qualifying School six times. He earned his playing card once, after finishing as the second medalist at Pinehurst, N.C., in 1977. He played in seven or eight tournaments on the PGA Tour the following year before returning home to an ailing father — who died shortly thereafter — and for the birth of his first son, Nathan. Suzuki's sons, Nathan, now 23, and Ryan, 18, who recently graduated from Kamehameha School, played in the Manoa Cup last week. Suzuki and his wife, Gail, whom he met in high school, reside in Hauula. Just a pleasant drive away from the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, where it all began for Lance Suzuki. And where it might all begin again for him. Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net • • •
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