Casio 2005 World Open Information
Where? Kochi, Japan.
When? Thursday-Sunday November 24-27
Where? Kochi Kuroshio Country Club (7,220 yards, par 72).
Total purse? $1.17 million. Winner? $234,670.
$234,670 seems a little chinsey compared to the near $1 million dollar winner’s purses in the U.S. Maybe Michelle Wie’s presence will help future purses in Japan.
Michelle Wie will have to go up against New Zealand’s David Smail, who won the tournament last year for the second time in three years, beating American Hunter Mahan by a stroke at Ibusuki Golf Club.
Michelle is playing for the first time since she was disqualified in her pro debut, is making her sixth appearance in a male professional tournament. The field will be cut to the 60 and ties after the second round. … Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson missed the cut in the 2003 tournament, the only other time a female player has appeared in a top Japanese tour event. … Jumbo Ozaki is in the field. The 58-year-old star has a record 94 Japanese tour victories. … The tournament is in its first year at Kochi Kuroshio. … The season-ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup is next week at Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club.
November 26th, 2005 at 8:42 pm
There’s a new novel called PUNAHOU BLUES set @ Michelle’s campus in Honolulu. The love interest of Jeff Gill is Korean American, an athlete, and her parents are from Korea. There’s also a chapter that takes place during the Hawaiian Open Was the character of Laura Kwon based on Michelle?!