As the rains hammered down in Honolulu the question today wasn’t “who’ll be the winner of the first full field event on the 2011 PGA Tour?” but “who has new and untested raingear in the bag?”
With luck, however, this 72-hole tournament will reach its full conclusion by Sunday evening and every question you could possibly have about the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii will be answered. Sadly, based on the forecast, rain will be a factor every single day.
With the 32-man winners-only Hyundai Tournament of Champions in the rear view mirror the PGA Tour season begins in earnest Thursday and that means different things for every player. For many veterans it is time to shake off the rust from what could be a several month break from competition while the thirty-five rookies in the field this week will make their tentative first tension-filled steps into the biggest arena in their sport.
With much of the worldwide golf audience dealing with winter weather and thirsting to see live golf action from one of the most beautiful places on earth, a lot of eyes and expectations will be on the pros playing this week.
Defending champion Ryan Palmer had a whirlwind season last year and is eager is to be back at the Seth Raynor designed Waialaie Country Club that was so favorable to him in 2010. As he told me last summer at the RBC Canadian Open on a casual evening away from the course. “It was great to win in Hawaii. I’m looking forward to going back there as a past champion for as long as I can.”
While Palmer is chasing a repeat victory, he will have to contend with a strong field of other proven winners.
Among those will be last year’s runner-up, Robert Allenby, two-time champion Ernie Els, and perennial contender Charles Howell III. Add to that list more great ball-strikers like Steve Stricker, Stuart Appleby, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Tim Clark.
The ability to hit the ball solidly is vital in the windswept holes of Waialaie where missed greens serve up trying shots from the 2.5” Bermuda rough. Palmer was third in greens in regulation in 2010, a statistic that set-up his winning score of 15 under par.
The rookies will be running theme this week during the late-day broadcast so we can all expect to learn a few things about these emerging players. Those that are best to keep firmly in sight will be those who have at least some Nationwide or PGA Tour experience or success at those levels. 2010 Nationwide Tour money list leader Jamie Lovemark easily comes to mind. My other picks to play well from the rookie class are Daniel Summerhays and Bobby Gates who proved their abilities last year on the Nationwide Tour. You can expect that some lesser-known player will pop up on the leaderboard at some point – resulting in a focus to a degree that they have never even imagined.
My only unsolicited (and likely unwanted) bit of advice for both veterans and rookies this week? It’s the first full-field event of the year; there really is no pressure (I’m lying). More than anything; hit fairways and try to stay dry…
Fun fact: The First PGA Tour Hawaiian Open Golf Tournament was held in the fall of 1965. Hawaiian Opens (under various sponsorships) have been held at Waialae since 1928.
Event Summary –
Dates: January 10-16, 2011
Where: Waialae Country Club; Honolulu, HI
Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,044
Field: 144 (first full-field event of the season)
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Defending Champion: Ryan Palmer
Purse: $5,500,000; Winner’s Share: $990,000
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