Mauna Kea's renovated course has joined Nanea Golf Club as the only Hawai'i golf courses in Golf Magazine's list of the "Top 100 Golf Courses in the U.S. and the World." It is in the magazine's October issue.

Nanea dropped one spot to No. 45. The private club, built for Charles Schwab and Safeway's George Roberts, opened in 2003 and is in Kailua, Kona. Mauna Kea, a resort course also on the Big Island, was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1964. It is No. 100.

There are 12 Hawai'i resorts in the 2009 edition of Golf Digest's 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America. Pebble Beach, which will host next year's U.S. Open, regained the top spot after dropping to third in the previous ranking in 2006. Pebble Beach was also ranked No. 1 in 2004 and in 2002.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, another Big Island course, ranks fourth on the Golf Digest list. Other Hawai'i resorts are Four Seasons Lana'i at Manele Bay (T13), Ritz-Carlton Kapalua (15), Grand Hyatt Kaua'i (16), Grand Wailea (17), Four Seasons Maui at Wailea (19), Fairmont Orchid (20), Mauna Kea (28), Four Seasons Lana'i at Ko'ele (30), Mauna Lani (50), Turtle Bay (58) and Kaua'i Marriott (T60),

The Fairmont Orchid and Ko'ele are new to the list.

To determine the best golf resorts, the magazine uses 900-plus course rating panelists, who also produce the list of America's 100 Greatest Courses. The best resorts ranking is in the magazine's October issue.

LINKS TO LITERACY GOLF TOURNAMENT

This year's 16th annual Links to Literacy Golf Tournament, which raises funds to support Hawai'i's 51 public libraries, will feature a "Million Dollar Hole-In-One" contest for 16 golfers.

Names of the 16 contestants will be drawn at 10 a.m. the day of the tournament (Sept. 25). Each will get one shot at making a hole-in-one from 150 yards at Ko Olina Golf Club's 18th.

If anyone is successful they will be awarded $500,000, with the remaining $500,000 benefiting Friends of the Library of Hawai'i. Proceeds from this event provide "supplemental funding for enhancements to the Hawai'i State Public library system, including programs, supplies, continuing education, and scholarships for library science students."

The tournament starts at 11:30 a.m. Last year's raised more than $150,000, putting the 15-year total at more than $1 million. Marriott International Inc. and Ko Olina Resort & Marina are co-title sponsors for the first year.

FIRST TEE AT HICKAM AND PEARL HARBOR

Hickam Air Force Base and Naval Station Pearl Harbor are among 50 new First Tee sites recently started to train children of military personnel in character education and life skills through golf.

The goal of the program is to reach 87,000 participants by April 30, 2011.