Today's not the only day to give thanks. Thanksgiving came early for three Hawai'i golfers — Jarett Hamamoto, Michelle Wie and Ron Castillo Sr.

Wie sighed in relief and gave thanks two Sundays ago in Guadalajara, Mexico, when she broke through for her first LPGA victory, raising her arms in triumph and later hugging that elusive winning trophy.

Hamamoto gave thanks last Sunday with less fanfare — the way he likes it — in Beaumont, Calif., when the Hilo native survived the second stage of the PGA qualifying school and now heads to Florida for the 132-player final stage at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach Dec. 2 to 7. The top 25 and ties earn PGA Tour cards for 2010 with the rest playing for some degree of Nationwide Tour status.

Castillo, member of the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame, is thankful he's around to celebrate another Thanksgiving dinner with his family after suffering a heart attack July 28, on a golf course, where else?

Let's get caught up with Hamamoto first.

He, too, breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Hoo, thank, God," to himself after finding out he made it through the second stage, tying for 19th place after shooting an 8-under 280 over 72 holes at the Oak Valley Golf Club.

"It definitely was a relief. I was squeezing all the way until the end," Hamamoto said from Chandler, Ariz., where he lives. There was no scoreboard to tell him where he stood. "There's nothing out there. We had no idea where we stood even when we came in. They were still posting scores."

So JT — as he's known, which helps because of the unusual spelling of his first name — watched the results online, as did his mom, Karlynn, in Hilo. "I was tied for 14th and then 19th as the players finished their rounds," he said. He ended T19 when the final group came in and that's when he gave thanks.

Hamamoto, who won the 2001 and 2002 state individual championships when he was at Waiäkea High School, opened with a 70. "I didn't hit the ball that well but I scrambled to shoot 2-under." He followed that with a 71, hitting the ball and putting better. But the playing conditions were more difficult because the wind picked up.

A third-round 69 gave him a "nothing-to-lose" attitude because he hadn't made it this far in two previous attempts, according to Hamamoto, 25, who won the 2005 Hawai'i State Open.

"I felt a little pressure in the final round towards the end because I wanted to make a couple more birdies just to make sure," added the former University of Hawai'i golfer, who shot 2-under despite a 37 on the back nine. "I missed a lot of birdie opportunities but I managed to hold on."

Ronn Miyashiro isn't surprised that Hamamoto became the first player in his 11 years as coach of the UH men's golf team to reach the final stage of the PGA Q-School. "JT has always been very focused and no one has ever questioned his work ethic. I'm glad to see that it paid off. What JT did is good for our program and good for Hawai'i."

Wie is enjoying her Michelle Moment and Stanford football. But she's a bit bummed that there's no LPGA event in Hawai'i next year.

"While no one is more disappointed than I am about not having an LPGA Tour event in Hawai'i next year, I'm very excited about the future of the tour and look forward to playing an event again back home soon," Wie said by e-mail. "The LPGA's new leadership has done a great job already in confirming a pretty strong schedule for 2010 and has shown ... that we will be taking the steps to grow women's golf here and around the world. I know that returning to Hawai'i will be an important part of that growth. I'll be happy when we're back."

The LPGA is taking a "less-is-more" approach regarding its downsized 2010 schedule. There are 24 tournaments with 13 in the United States, counting the U.S. Women's Open, which is a USGA event. That's three fewer than this year with the notable loss of the SBS Open and the LPGA Ka'anapali Classic.

"I really think there is a place on the LPGA Tour for Hawai'i," says NBC golf analyst Mark Rolfing. "Hawai'i needs to be there and they (the LPGA) need Hawai'i with how few events there are in the United States."

He thinks the LPGA will be back some day. "I don't know when or who will put it together. But it makes too much sense not to have an LPGA event here."

No one, though, is more thankful today than Castillo, up and about after his heart attack. He was more than an interested spectator at the Governor's Cup at Mid-Pacific Country Club earlier this week. It's an event Castillo, along with Al Souza and Jim Burns, started 37 years ago when he was head professional at Hawai'i Kai Golf Course.

"I didn't know I was having a heart attack," recalled Castillo, who had just teed off on the last hole at Moanalua Golf Course. "Good thing it was next to my hospital (Kaiser)." Good thing, too, that two of Castillo's regular golf gang played in the same foursome. Al McGurin, a retired fireman, and George Aio, a retired cop, knew what was happening when Castillo just sat in the golf cart and blanked out.

"I don't smoke any more," said Castillo, 73. "I don't miss it except when I breathe."