H. Wayne Owen watched the finish of the PGA TOUR Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on Saturday evening (EST) with only passing interest until getting an indirect shout-out from winner Tom Lehman.

Talking with Golf Channel immediately after his come-from-behind, one-stroke victory over David Toms, Lehman mentioned a particular reason he was tickled with the win.

"I love the trophy," Lehman said. "The trophy is so cool. I can't wait to give it to my kid."

Expect it in 2-3 weeks, Tom. Owen, 71, an artist in Atlanta, just sent the base to an engraver. He's pretty much done with your replica wooden fish hook trophy which he carves from Koa wood indigenous to Hawaii, but he might tinker with it a bit more since he can’t help himself.

"It was thrilling to hear him talking about the trophy," Owen said. "It's a lot of work, but I enjoy doing it."

So how did an artist in Atlanta who has never so much as set foot in Hawaii land the gig as the carver of the stunning "Makau" trophy given to the winner at Hualalai?

Don't worry. It's not an especially long or complicated tale. Owen and his wife had a small advertising agency, for which he was the art director and she a copy writer. They did some work with Mitsubishi Electric, ancillary work such as sale sheets and training materials.

In the process of working with them, Owen became familiar with some of the folks in the marketing department. When Mitsubishi took over sponsorship of the golf event in Hawaii, it decided it wanted to change from a crystal trophy purchased from the PGA TOUR to something that would carry more meaning in the area.

Some Mitsubishi officials went to Owen's home to discuss ideas. While they were there, they noticed several wood carvings, not realizing they were the work of Owen. They liked the pieces enough to ask him if he’d take a crack at a large-scale wooden hook used by fishermen in Hawaii.

Owen, who didn’t start carving until after he had turned 50, made some calls to Hawaii and was told he should use Koa wood, which comes from the Acacia, a flowering tree in the pea family. It’s valued because of its strength, weight and deep color.

“I didn’t realize until I was well into carving how fascinating wood is,” Owen said. “Even from the same tree, wood, because of grain pattern and where it is on the tree -- limbs, roots -- it’s all different. And it’s somewhat alive still.

“Koa is rough and brownish, and you can’t really see the grain. Then when you start getting in there, it’s magical. I get a piece that is about 14 inches wide and 2 inches thick, rough cut. I go for the grain. I want it to be a show piece. … When you carve into it you contour it and the grain appears to wrap around it.”

Lehman will receive the 11th winner’s replica trophy made by Owen. The artist’s first was sent to Bernhard Langer after his win at Hualalai in 2009 (the first year under the new sponsorship of Mitsubishi Electric), albeit much later because the design hadn’t been agreed upon before the tournament. His first “live” fish hook replica went to Tom Watson, who won in 2010.

“To me with the history of the islands and the meaning of the hook to the locals it’s the most iconic trophy on PGA TOUR Champions,” 2018 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai winner Jerry Kelly said. “The two Hawaii trophies I have (Kelly won the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open in Hawaii in 2002) are my most-prized pieces in our house. I’m not a big display type of guy, but those are the two I see the most.”

The big fish hook trophy, the permanent one that stays in the clubhouse at Hualalai, is called the Makau.

“That is a Hawaiian word for strength and prosperity,” said Kelly Fliear, the tournament manager at Hualalai. “It also represents plentiful, like if they go fishing, they’d get a plentiful catch.”

Fliear estimated the Makau weighs about 10 pounds. It’s nearly two feet long and its width at the base is eight inches.

Owen has gotten the big trophy back once for a touchup. It had been handled so much during trophy presentations and photo ops that it had some wear. As he does with the replicas that go to the winners, Owen did some sanding and clear-acrylic sealing. He never stains the Koa, which is why every trophy replica, were they side by side, would look a little different in color.

The winners aren’t the only players who own some of Owen’s work. Every player who qualifies to play at the MEC receives a necklace with a tiny replica of the fish hook. Owen said they’re the toughest piece he makes because of the size and intricate detail.

Four players received necklaces this year – Scott Parel, Steve Stricker, Steve Flesch and Ken Tanigawa.

This won’t be the last time a PGA TOUR Champions player can win a piece of Owen’s art, either. He also did the original bronze for the winner of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, which will be held at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia, from April 19-21.