Photo by Leah Friel
and Adam Scott give sports-mad Australians new national golfing heroes. Norman also has been heavily involved with CureSearch for Children’s Cancer for more than 20 years. His annual Shark Shootout (now Franklin Templeton Shootout) has raised millions for cancer research at the Children’s Oncology Group. The game plan for his life has always been remarkably diverse. Even Norman admits “there never is a final score, if you keep evolving.” The evolution always includes time to enjoy all the fruits of his labor. He grew up in the Great Barrier Reef and his natural inclination is often to enjoy those fruits on an island. Hawai‘i provides plenty of options—“from six-star resorts to whatever your budget allows you to do”—for a man like Norman with a passion for present-day life and a sense of history and the world around him. “From golfing in the desert to a tropical rain forest,” he says, “to kite boarding to wake boarding to surfing to fishing and sitting out on the beach. It is an active lifestyle here. You don’t want to forget the history of Pearl Harbor either, and what the U.S. military does for O‘ahu and the state.” Hawai‘i reminds him of home, but he enjoys it here for its many other attributes as well. “The culture is just such a laid-back culture,” Norman says. “Hawai‘i is the antithesis of the mainland United States—right? And, you have such a diversity and cross-section of nationalities and different cultures and everybody just gets on fantastically well. “I’m a big believer in island lifestyle. If a friend … if you put him on a place like the Bahamas or Hawai‘i for a week and he’d say ‘I’d get island fever,’ I’d say ‘bad for you, man.’” ◆
Pacific Links Norman organizes new PGA tour stop in HI. Greg Norman will be in the field when the inaugural PGA Champions Tour Pacific Links Hawai‘i Championship tees it up Sept. 14 through 16 at Kapolei Golf Course. The tournament consists of three rounds with no cut, preceded by a pro-am. “Over the years, Hawai‘i has served as a mid-point for my commutes between the United States and Australia,” says Norman, winner of two British Opens, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and now an ambassador for Pacific Links. “It is my pleasure to now have a direct involvement in the development of the Pacific Links Hawai‘i Championship, which will afford me the opportunity to spend more time in Hawai‘i on a consistent basis.” Pacific Links Hawai‘i also owns and operates Kapolei Golf Course and recently purchased Olomana Golf Links in Windward O‘ahu. “Hosting this tournament at our scenic Kapolei course falls in line with the company’s goal to elevate the quality of golf in Hawai‘i, while helping to build our Pacific Links Hawai‘i brand by showcasing Kapolei, promoting golf tourism and strengthening the local economy,” says Micah Kane, Pacific Links’ chief operating officer. Players finishing in the top 10 at the Pacific Links Hawai‘i Championship also will earn valuable Charles Schwab Cup points. The Charles Schwab Cup is a season-long competition designed to recognize the Champions Tour’s leading player, rewarding week-in, week-out consistency in all official events. The Pacific Links Hawai‘i Championship will be televised nationally in the United States on Golf Channel, which reaches some 83 million homes in the United States. The tournament also will be broadcast in China. Those interested in volunteering at the tournament can go to www.pacificlinksvolunteers.com or call 738-9200. H I L U X U RY AUGUST/S EP T E M B E R 20 1 2
HILux 6.2_112+4_jul2_li_rev3.indd 73
73
7/5/12 11:30 AM