PGA Grand Slam of Golf

Two lefties converged on the practice tees at the Po‘ipu Bay Golf Course yesterday morning, one of them, 2004 Master’s champion Phil Mickelson and the other, Kaua‘i High School junior Kellen Watabu.

It turned out to be an eye opener for the elder statesman, who was impressed by the younger lefty’s tee-off swing.

“With a swing like that, we’ll definitely be seeing you on the tour,” Mickelson said.

But it was at the beginning when Mickelson noticed that he and Watabu had the south paw connection.

“We could always use more left-handed players on tour,” Mickelson said of Watabu, after a couple of swings at the practice tees.

Golf’s best, played along with amateurs at the 2004 PGA Grand Slam of Golf Pro-Am day at the Po‘ipu Bay Golf Course, Hyatt Regency Kaua‘i Resort and Spa. Championship play kicks off between the pros today and continues tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m. on both days.

Pro-Am players included Atlanta Braves GM John Schuerholz, junior golfer Sean Ogawa, TNT sports broadcaster Ernie Johnson, Kaua‘i High School senior Shelcie Takenouchi, Sam Choy, Roy Yamaguchi, UH-Hilo golfer and former Kaua‘i High School standout Ki‘ilani Matsuyoshi, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Michael Murray, and most of the Castillo ohana, along with other Aloha PGA Section golf professionals.

The format was a five-person net scramble score combined with the 18-hole individual professional score for an aggregate total.

Tickets are available in advance or at the door. Visit PGA.com or call 1-800-PGA-TCKT for ticket info. Tuesday and Wednesday tickets are $20 each day.

In an effort to encourage attendance of juniors, free juniors tickets will be offered to children 17 years of age and under who must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. Junior tickets are available at all admission gates. Gate hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and tomorrow.

This is the 22nd PGA Grand Slam of Golf and 11th straight year its being held on Kaua‘i at the Po‘ipu Bay Golf Course and the Hyatt Regency Kaua‘i Resort and Spa.

Players and spectators at this year’s PGA Grand Slam of Golf may notice a few changes at the Po‘ipu Bay Golf Course. The course is constantly making improvements and upgrades.

First off, the course has added a new tee box to its par 3 seventh hole, extending the yardage from 152 to 179. Secondly, the grounds staff added another 80 or so coconut palms and other trees throughout the course, increasing the shot value on some holes and adding to the scenic beauty.

Third, a new instructional tee was constructed this summer for private golf lessons, and finally, the course is continuing a bunker restoration project that began in 2001. The bunkers on the course are being refurbished with new sand that will look whiter and stay cleaner — it contains a stabilizing polymer material to prevent Kaua‘i’s red dirt from mixing with it. This project is being accomplished slowly (four holes per year) so year-round play on the course will not be interrupted.

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf has the most difficult entry requirement of any event in golf. Each year, The PGA of America only invites the winners of the four major championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and The PGA Championship. The participants compete for a $1 million purse, with the champion taking home $400,000.

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is a 36-hole stroke-play competition conducted over two days. TNT will televise the PGA Grand Slam of Golf to more than 88.9 million U.S. homes and to an international audience in more than 100 countries in a prime-time telecast. TNT Broadcast Times: Today, Nov. 23: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST), Wed. Nov. 24: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST).

The 2004 participants are Phil Mickelson (2004 Masters champion), Retief Goosen (2004 U.S. Open champion), Todd Hamilton (2004 British Open champion), and Vijay Singh (2004 PGA Championship).