First full field of 2008 at Sony Open
IN: News | US PGA | Sony Open in Hawaii (2008) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 08 Jan 2008
The first full field event of the 2008 USPGA Tour gets underway this Thursday at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, the tournament first being played as a PGA Tour event in 1965 on the original Seth Raynor layout but a course that has seen many changes since being opened in the mid 1920’s.
Measuring just over 7000 yards, the course is not long by modern day standards and scores between 15 and 20 under par have been the order since the last major renovations were made in the late 1990’s.
The defending champion is 43-year-old Paul Goydos, who produced a last round 67 to move past Charles Howell III and Luke Donald, both of whom had led him into the final round, to eventually win by one.
The most prolific winner of this event in recent times is Ernie Els, who won in 2003 and 2004 and finished runner up in 2005 but Els is not in the field this week. The world number three (Steve Stricker), number four (Jim Furyk), number 9 (K.J. Choi) and number 10 (Vijay Singh) are in Honolulu however and both Furyk and Singh have previously won the tournament and did well enough in Kapalua last week for there to be enough natural improvement to win this tournament for the second time.
I thought Charles Howell III played well enough last week to be considered as a genuine chance on a golf course where he has recorded three top five place finishes in six appearances. Howell was brilliant over the weekend last week and must surely be a serious factor this week.
Aaron Baddeley also did well last weekend, especially on Sunday, his final round of 67 giving him the boost he needs heading into this week’s event where he finished runner up in 2003 in his first event as a USPGA Tour cardholder. Baddeley appears headed for another great season in 2008 and this might just be the event to get things started in a big way.
Steve Stricker has moved into the number three position in the game and given his close shave last week, his 4th placed finish in this event last year and that he played well in the event earlier in his career points to another great week for the game’s biggest improver over the past two years.
Stephen Ames will again be a factor after his very good week last week on Maui. He withdrew from this event last year but in the current form he is in and with one or two solid tournaments at the Waialae Country Club previously then he stands a good chance of an even better week than last.
It’s always difficult for a player to back up a win of such significance as that recorded by Daniel Chopra last week but there is something about the way he is playing right now that suggests he could.
While there is much interest in the more fancied candidates for victory there is a lot of intrigue in how the Australians will play, especially those who are new recruits to the PGA Tour.
Robert Allenby comes off a disappointing last day at the Australian Open but has played well in this event previously and might get his year off to another good start after a top ten last year started a string of top ten finishes early in the season.
Nathan Green and Peter Lonard have both played well in this event, Green finished with a 5th in 2006 in his very first USPGA Tour start as a card holder. Lonard comes off a good finish to the season and reinvigorated by a two month break before two very good finishes in Australia, his progress will be watched with interest by his many Australian fans.
Many consider Jason Day to be Australia’s next best thing and he has already proven that those accolades are not far from the mark. Working against Day is a lack of tournament play in recent months.
His last event prior to a break to rest a wrist injury was in early October and so without a tournament in three months he might need a start or two to get things moving in the right direction. He is a huge talent however and is capable of great things.
Nick Flanagan comes off a superb season on the Nationwide Tour and in just a few PGA Tour starts after his Battlefield Promotion he displayed the capacity to do well at this level.
Matthew Jones is a New South Welshman who is improving steadily in his professional career. A golfer with superb technique, Jones could well develop into a very successful PGA Tour player following what was a very consistent season on the Nationwide Tour in 2007.
Jones was four times runner up and the long hitter appears well suited to the demands of the PGA Tour. It might not be immediate success but there appears a determination and persistence in Jones that will lead to a successful career.
New Zealander Tim Wilkinson and South Australian David Lutterus will both play as new recruits to the PGA Tour although Wilkinson has played a couple of events previously at this level. Lutterus is one of the real surprises of 2007 as far as Australians are concerned and seems capable of stepping up to the plate at whatever level it is at.
The Sony Open is a most intriguing event for a number of reasons and promises to get the 2008 season proper off to a great start.
