53-year-old Duffy Waldorf shot a 6 under 66 to finish at 18 under par at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai Golf Club. Not only was it Waldorf’s first appearance here, but he managed to play all 54 holes without a single bogey.
It was an incredible week with a stellar field. Veteran Tom Watson made headlines Friday afternoon after bettering his age of 66, shooting 7 under 65 to be two behind Waldorf going into final round Saturday.
In fact, a total of 9 players were within 3 shots of the lead entering the final round.
The entire field seemed to be playing exceptional golf, but Tom Lehman and Duffy Waldorf’s match was one for the books. Both players amazingly kept their composure all the way into the final holes. It started with a clutch putt made by Lehman to save par on the 15th hole to keep his 1-shot lead over Duffy. Waldorf however didn’t falter and dropped a nice looking birdie putt on No. 16 which would result in a tie. Waldorf had a small error when he overshot the 17th green, but Lehman only had the advantage for a couple of minutes before Waldorf made his clutch 7 footer again tying Lehman heading into 18.
The two hit beautiful approaches into the green, landing 25 and 30 feet away. Duffy, being away, managed to drain his long putt to put the pressure on Lehman. Lehman couldn’t comply as his ball stopped just a few inches short of the hole. Lehman closed with a solid 66, but couldn’t match the play by Duffy Waldorf.
"I knew I was playing well, but this is a strong field," Waldorf said. "Even starting the day, I'm like, 'If I play well there's a good chance I won't win.' So I really didn't feel any pressure out there that I had a chance to win or was going to do well, just wanted to play as good a round as I could."
This is Waldorf’s second victory in his last three starts, winning the Toshiba Classic last November, his first senior title.
If you and your family are planning a golf trip to the islands or would like to learn more about courses in Hawaii. . .
The 2016 Mitsubishi Electric Championship begins today and will run until January 23, with a distinctive Saturday finish. The Championship will be held at the Jack Nicklaus designed Hualālai Golf Club on the Big Island of Hawai‘i for the 20th consecutive year, the second longest of any event at a single course on the PGA TOUR Champions.
Defending champion Miguel Ángel Jiménez will be teeing it up this afternoon along with other notables such as: Freddie Couples, Paul Goydos, Bernhard Langer, Corey Pavin and Vijay Singh, just to name a few.
Broadcast coverage will start this afternoon on Golf Channel at 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Hawaii Time) and continue each day at 2:00 p.m. until Final Round Saturday.
About the course:
The course is located in Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii, situated in stunning black lava fields along the Big Island’s Kohala Coast. The Nicklaus course contains a variety of ocean views including from the course’s signature 17th hole which practically touches the sea. The Hualālai Golf Course is a semi-private course and is reserved exclusively for resort guests…
…So for other exquisite Big Island courses and lava golf click the link below!
Congrats to Fabian Gomez on winning the 2016 Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday January 17th 2016 at the Fantastic Waialae golf course on Oahu, Hawaii.
Starting the final round four shots behind, Gomez seized control with his seven straight birdies starting on No. 6, only to follow with back-to-back bogeys that let Snedeker and Zac Blair back into the game. Gomez closed with a 7-iron to 10 feet for birdie on the par-3 17th, and a 20-foot birdie putt from just off the 18th green.
"I felt good all week long and was about to put on a great round today," Gomez said through a translator. "And I had Brandt Snedeker in front of me. I got on a streak with seven putts in a row. And it makes me feel good and feel like I could win the tournament."
He finished at 20-under 260.
To Read about or book other golf courses in Oahu, please click the button below.
With Christmas over, all thoughts move to New Years in Hawaii. ”Hau’oli Makahiki Hou” as we like to say here. A time of celebration, with some unique Hawaii style flare.
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou - Happy New Year. The western Christmas and New Year fell during this same time of the year that the Hawaiians traditionally honored the earth for giving them plenty to eat. This period of resting and feasting was called Makahiki (mah-kah-HEE- kee). It lasted for 4 months, and no wars or conflicts were allowed during this time. Because makahiki also means "year", the Hawaiian phrase for "Happy New Year" became "Hau'oli (happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)"(how-OH-lee mah-kah-hee-kee ho).
While visiting our lovely islands, consider a game of golf!
Wanting to be warmed by more than yuletide cheer this Christmas? Well let us tell you how Hawaii does it!
In ancient times, Christmas coincided with a traditional Hawaiian festival called Makahiki. For four months the islands celebrated which included great feasts and games. During this time, wars and conflicts were strictly forbidden. As far as the early Hawaiians were concerned, the Makahiki was their time for “peace on earth and goodwill toward men.”
Christmas wasn’t formally introduced to Hawaii until the Protestant missionaries came from New England after 1820.Though, the first Christmas celebration in Hawaii is believed to have occurred in 1786, when Captain George Dixon, docked aboard the Queen Charlotte in Waimea Bay on Kauai, commanded his crew to prepare a Christmas dinner that included roasted pig, pie and grog mixed with coconut milk. The English navigator then led his men in toasts to their families and friends back home. Following that, in 1856, Alexander Liholiho (King Kamehameha IV) declared December 25 to be his kingdom’s national day of Thanksgiving. Two years later, Santa Claus made his first appearance in Hawaii, arriving at Washington Place (now the governor’s residence) to deliver gifts for the children.
Today, there’s no bigger Christmas celebration than “Honolulu City Lights,” a favorite holiday spectacle put on by the City & County of Honolulu. Held at Honolulu Hale (City Hall), “Honolulu City Lights” features a 50-foot Norfolk pine Christmas tree (pictured above), elaborate Christmas tree and wreath exhibits, giant Yuletide displays and live entertainment!
Considering a trip to Hawaii? Consider the Island Golfing!
This holiday season make sure to check out the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani's gingerbread festival!
Each year, the hotel puts on a beautiful display, showcasing extravagant gingerbread houses. The festival is located in the heart of the lobby, and is open to the public to view free of charge. Check back soon for official dates.
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