Of the 8,390 golfers entered in this year's U.S. Open, 23 will be playing at Turtle Bay's Fazio Course tomorrow in one of 111 local qualifiers. It is the first step to reaching the U.S. Open, June 12 to 15 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.

Fazio will also be the site of the state's only U.S. Women's Open local qualifier tomorrow, with 11 women playing for three spots. The USGA accepted 1,236 entries for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open, June 26 to 29 at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn.

All but two in the women's field are from Hawai'i, with pros Corina Kelepouris, from Canada, and Akane Oshiro, from Japan, also among those teeing off between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

Bridget Dwyer, a Punahou graduate who ranks 66th on the Duramed Futures Tour money list, is home to try and and advance to a sectional qualifier next month. Dwyer has made the cut the past three weeks and was 17th two weeks ago in Texas on the Futures Tour. Punahou senior Stephanie Kono is also playing, along with Cyd Okino, Anna Jang and Kristina Merkle. All have won major events in Hawai'i.

Pierre-Henri Soero, a former University of Hawai'i golfer who qualified for the 2005 U.S. Open, is trying again. Among those joining him are Turtle Bay pro Kevin Carll, former Manoa Cup champ Ryan Perez and 13-year-old Lorens Chan, who was second in Sunday's Hickam Invitational. There are also golfers from Japan (two), Canada, Florida, California (two), Kentucky and Indiana. The men tee off beginning at 7:30 a.m.

U.S. Open local qualifiers will also be played at Wailua Monday, Ka'anapali on May 17 and Waikoloa Kings' May 19. One will advance from Kaua'i and the Big Island and two from Maui. The Kaua'i qualifier has a few boys who will be playing in next week's state high school championship, including TJ Kua and David Fink.

Pros and amateurs with a handicap index of 1.4 or less are eligible to play in the U.S. Open, with golfers from 50 states and 68 other countries entering. There will be 13 sectionals (none in Hawa'i') June 2, including one in England, and another in Japan May 26. The top players at those advance to San Diego.

U.S. Women's Open entries were received from 45 states and 37 other countries. It has 16 local qualifiers and seven sectionals, June 9, including one at Turtle Bay's Palmer Course.

NOTES

Kaua'i Lagoons Golf Club in Lihu'e is one of 34 sites around the world that will hold a Marriott International Family Golf Festival in the upcoming months. The festival encourages parents and children to learn and play the game together and invites them to Marriott Golf properties for free instruction, clinics, games and prizes. Afterwards, families can golf free as part of the Kids Golf-4-Free program. Kaua'i Lagoons will hold its festival July 13.