Scott Head has returned to Hawai'i to become the Director of Club Operations for Waikoloa Beach & Golf Resort. The position was just created, and Head started work Monday.

Head played for the University of Hawai'i four years, graduating in 1990 with a degree in business management. He was assistant pro at Waialae Country Club before moving up to head pro at Princeville Resort from 1996 to 2000. He was the Aloha Section PGA Professional of the Year in 1999.

For the past seven years, Head has been director of golf operations at Treetops Resort in Michigan. He worked with resort owner and popular pro instructor Rick Smith at Treetops. Head also helped coach former Hawai'i state high school champion Parker McLachlin on the Mainland. He and McLachlin, now a rookie on the PGA Tour, still work together.

Head will oversee management, maintenance, marketing and sales for Waikoloa's Kings' and Beach courses, and develop new strategies and programs.

UH TO HOST TOURNAMENT

Hawai'i, now 42nd in the national women's rankings, will host the 22nd annual Donnis Thompson Invitational starting Monday at Kane'ohe Klipper.

Tennessee won the 54-hole tournament by 38 shots last year, sweeping the top four spots. The Rainbow Wahine were fifth, shooting a season-best 294 (best four of five scores) the final day.

Hawai'i has finished in the top six in its past five tournaments. Maui's Dale Gammie, UH's only senior, won the Heather Farr Memorial in October. She and junior Xyra Suyetsugu have led the Rainbows in every tournament.

Gammie has earned first-team all-Western Athletic Conference honors the last two years. She finished second in this tournament as a freshman and was fourth the next year. Suyetsugu, a Roosevelt graduate, was 18th last year. She went on to finish eighth in the WAC.

This year's WAC Championship is next month at New Mexico State.

Hawai'i is one of five top-50 teams at Klipper. Arizona is ranked 10th, with Brigham Young 20th, Ohio State 28th and Birmingham Southern 37th.

The Wildcats are led by Alison Walshe, ranked ninth individually. Gammie is 113th in Golfweek's women's ratings.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

Entries are still being accepted for the Aloha Section PGA Foundation Scholarship. The new program is designed to "encourage and promote the attainment of higher educational goals" for high school seniors and current college students who have actively participated in golf and excelled in academics.

Applicants must be a resident of Hawai'i, demonstrate financial need, have completed or plan to complete high school by June 30, plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year college or university, and be a full-time student in a course of study leading to a traditional associate or baccalaureate degree.

Applications are available on the Scholarship Program Web page at aloha.pga.com or by calling 593-2230.

In other foundation news, the 31st annual PGA Classic will be at Turtle Bay Resort April 13. The tournament is the Aloha Section's primary fundraiser.

MPI EVENTS COMING UP

Entry forms are available for the 49th Mid-Pacific Open, April 19 to 22, and the 57th Jennie K. Invitational, May 18 to 20, at Mid-Pacific Country Club. Both are available by contacting the MPCC pro shop (261-9765) or at mpcchi.org.

Last year, David Ishii captured the Mid-Pacific title, becoming the latest in a long run of Hawai'i Golf Hall of Famers to win. That group includes Guinea Kop, Ted Makalena, Jimmy Ukauka, Larry Stubblefield and eight-time champion Lance Suzuki.

The men's tournament begins with a Pro-Am April 18. There are Pro, Championship, Pro-Senior, A and B Flights. The three amateur flights require a USGA Index of 10.6 or less. Entry deadline is April 5.

Professional purse is $50,000. Major sponsors include Aloha Petroleum, AIG Insurance and University Health Alliance.

Kristina Merkle won last year's Jennie K. at age 14. Merkle was the sixth straight high school or junior high school golfer to win the first Hawai'i women's major of the year. The streak started with 11-year-old Michelle Wie.

Golfers 16 and older, with a handicap index of 21.0 or less, are eligible. Juniors 13 to 15 need a handicap index of 5.0 or less. Field is limited to 120. Sponsor is University Health Alliance.

NOTES

The University of Hawai'i is hosting its annual Warrior Golf Tournament, April 13, at Waikele Golf Club. It begins at noon and is followed by a banquet and program. Proceeds go to the Warrior golf program. Cost is $600 for a team of four golfers. Winners will be calculated in a stroke-play format.

The ninth annual Miss Hawai'i Golf Tournament is May 25 at Royal Kunia Country Club. The three-person modified scramble starts at 11 a.m. Cost is $160 per person and entry deadline is May 11. For more information, call 947-7575.