Michelle Wie announced yesterday that she will play in the Casio World Open, Nov. 23 to 26 in Kochi, Japan.

Wie competed in last year's Japan Golf Tour tournament, missing the cut by one shot in the men's event.

"I am very honored to once again be offered an opportunity to play in the Casio World Open," Wie said in a press release. "I hope to build upon my experiences in the 2005 tournament, and show the people of Japan my improved game in 2006. I look forward to seeing everyone at Kochi in November."

Last year, Wie received an appearance fee of about $1.5 million, according to the Associated Press.

She shot a 4-over 148 last November.

The Casio World Open has hosted numerous stars before, including Lee Trevino, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Greg Norman and Payne Stewart.

In 1998, Tiger Woods made the tournament his first ever event on the Japan Golf Tour.

MCLACHLIN ENJOYS SUPPORT OF GALLERIES

It wasn't the U.S. Open ... well, it pretty much was if you were Parker McLachlin.

The 1996 Hawai'i state high school champion was the only golfer with local ties to survive the cut at the 2006 Sony Open in Hawai'i. To celebrate, he fired a 5-under-par 65 at Waialae Country Club — where he grew up cleaning the toilets so he could practice into the twilight — on Saturday to surge into the top 30.

Yesterday, with one of the larger galleries on the golf course, the 26-year-old Punahou graduate could not match the magic. He closed with a 74 to finish at 2-over 282 and tie for 59th. His inaugural PGA Tour paycheck is for $10,914.

McLachlin found just two fairways and did not have a birdie. More alarming, for a guy who has always been great on the greens, he went from 24 putts Saturday to 34 yesterday — three-putting for the first time in the tournament on his 69th hole.

Still, the affection of a hometown crowd as he walked down the final hole was something that will be etched in McLachlin's memory the rest of his life.

"Playing in the U.S. Open was pretty special a couple years ago, but this is right up there," Mclachlin said. "It was really, really special for me. Playing at the course I grew up at and being at a point where I can compete and make the cut ... I'll always look back on this week with fond memories."

McLachlin came up a shot short of qualifying for the tour this year, but earned playing privileges on the Nationwide Tour. He has an exemption to play in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am next month. For now, he will work on his game and try to put the past week in perspective.

"(Today) was one of those bittersweet things," McLachlin said. "I wish I could have played better for everyone today and for myself. But it's just such a heartwarming kind of a feel walking up the 18th hole and knowing everybody was proud of the way I played this week."

FINDING WAIALAE FAIRWAYS NOT SO EASY

The wind at Waialae definitely eased up over the weekend. Still, it was harder to hit the fairway here this past week than at any tournament in all of 2005.

The driving accuracy percentage for the week was 45 percent. The lowest percentage all last year in a stroke-play event was 47.1 percent, at the Wachovia Championship. The players managed to hit the fairway 54.3 percent of the time at last year's Sony Open.

The average score at Waialae through this year's 451 rounds was 70.672. Yesterday's 69.854 average was more than a shot higher than Saturday, but two shots lower than Thursday.

TOUR ROOKIE WATSON WINDS UP IN FOURTH

Rookie Bubba Watson eagled the last hole to shoot into fourth place yesterday. His first tour check is for $244,800 — $42,000 more than he made last year on the Nationwide Tour.

Watson was one of three rookies to finish in the top 10, along with Nathan Green (fifth) and J.B. Holmes (T10).

Watson, the Nationwide driving distance leader last year at 334 yards, led the field this week at 347.5 yards. He was 75th in driving accuracy.

SINGH IN FAMILIAR SPOT IN ANOTHER ISLAND EVENT

Defending champion Vijay Singh took sixth for his 11th top-10 finish in Hawai'i, in 11 starts.

Stuart Appleby, who won the Mercedes Championships last week, shared seventh with former Hawaiian Open and Mercedes champion Jim Furyk, and Charles Warren. Appleby has made more than $4 million here in his career. He has seven top-10 finishes here and Furyk has 10.

DUVAL POSTS BEST SCORE SINCE 2003 EVENT

David Duval's final-round 63 was his best score since he shot 62 at the 2003 FBR Capital Open — 37 events ago.

This was Duval's second career start at Waialae. He tied for 14th at the 1995 Hawaiian Open.

MASTERCARD KICKS OFF AT HUALALAI ON FRIDAY

Golf's "Aloha Season" moves to the Big Island this week when the Champions Tour opens its season at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai Friday.

Defending champion Dana Quigley, who also won in 2003, will try to become the first to win the event three times. The $1.7 million tournament features winners on the senior circuit from the last two years, major champions from the past five years and four sponsor invites, who must have at least 15 career wins and a major championship.

The Champions' first full-field event of the year, the Turtle Bay Championship, will be the following week (Jan. 27 to 29) on O'ahu's North Shore. Hale Irwin will attempt to win for an unprecedented sixth straight year.

Hawai'i's David Ishii is making his Champions Tour debut at Turtle Bay on a sponsor's exemption.

Massy Kuramoto and Jack Ferenz will also make their debuts after earning spots through last November's Qualifying Tournament. Former Kailua resident Scott Simpson will also play at Turtle Bay for the first time. Simpson, the 1987 U.S. Open champion, spent last week caddieing for Parker McLachlin.

The Golf Channel will have live coverage each day of the two senior events. ESPN will broadcast the revamped Wendy's Champions Skins Game, Feb. 6 from Wailea's Gold Course. The teams of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Peter Jacobsen, Raymond Floyd and Quigley, and Gary Player and Irwin will play a new alternate-shot format. The purse has been pushed up to $770,000.

Hawai'i's golf season continues through the rest of next month, with the Hawai'i Pearl Open (Feb. 10-12), followed by the first two LPGA full-field events of the year — The SBS Open at Turtle Bay (Feb 16-18) and Fields Open in Hawai'i (Feb. 23-25) at Ko Olina.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.