Chardonnay big winner at Kauila GC tournament

LIHU‘E — Reid Muramoto shot a 77 gross and a 64 net to emerge as the latest overall winner Sunday at the Kauila Men’s Golf Club.

Muramoto shot his way to the top of the “A” Flight with his five-over par 77 gross and was joined by Lloyd Manibog who topped the “B” Flight with an 86 gross and 66 net.

But the big winner was Chardonnay Rosa-Arango who was joined by a group of her friends, enjoying lunch at the Puakea Grill while awaiting the arrival of the KMGC field.

Rosa-Arango, a junior at Kaua‘i High School, was the recipient of a $500 scholarship presented by the KMCG to an aspiring student in the Advancement Via Individual Determination classes at Kaua‘i High School.

“They never had programs like this when I was in high school,” said Chad Plowman, president of KMGC, in making the presentation. “This is a really good program because it allows students an opportunity to further their education when they would otherwise not be able to.”

Chad’s wife Divina is one of the AVID program teachers, agreeing with him on the benefits of the program.

She said there are more than 80 students enrolled in the program, which will celebrate its first seniors graduating during this year’s commencement ceremonies.

There are about 20 students in each class from 9th through 12th grades, and the program is growing each year as students hear about its benefits from other students, Divina said.

“This scholarship is in honor of Connor, Chad and Divina’s child who passed away in infancy,” said Rosa-Arango, who plans to attend the Southwest Assembly of God University in Texas.

Divina said Rosa-Arango was selected the winner after KMGC screened all the applicants, and after reading her essay, determined her the scholarship winner.

“She had a difficult life, growing up in different foster homes and not having a real mother,” Divina said. “But that made her stronger and she’s determined to get a degree in either psychology or ministry. One of her guests today is her minister.”

Divina said AVID is an elective course designed to increase school-wide learning and performance, geared toward students with a 2.0 to 3.5 grade point average. The goal of AVID is to ensure that all students, especially the least-served students in the middle- and first-generation college-bound students succeed.

Students in the AVID program work through a rigorous curriculum and complete a college preparatory path which will increase their enrollment opportunities in four-year colleges and universitites leading to the students becoming educated and responsible citizens and leaders.

Students are selected to the program after they apply, Divina said. The interested student supplies an essay and teacher recommendations along with the application, which are screened by a committee. Once past the initial screening, the student is interviewed before being accepted into the program.

The KMGC was established in 2009 as a non-profit and charitable organization for “men who just want to play golf.”

Today, the KMGC boasts a membership of about 30 members who meet once a month for tournaments with awards being distributed once per quarter, Chad said.

The main objective of the KMGC is to provide college scholarships for high school students in memory of Connor Plowman, Chad’s daughter.

“Usually, we charge $5 per golfer, which is set aside specifically for the college scholarship,” Chad said. “Outside of that, we just play to have fun.”

KMGC’s home base is the Puakea Golf Course, but Chad said the club rotates through the different courses for its monthly tournaments, usually held on the last Sunday of each month.

The mission of KMGC is to use golf as a medium to foster social and business networks and community service, focusing on camaraderie, competition, integrity, sportsmanship and the promotion of the values of golf, Chad said.

The club is always looking to expand its membership; people interested in having fun and golfing can call Chad at 652-5737.