Winners descend on Hawaii for PGA opener
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship | Preview | 07 Jan 2009
The USPGA Tour is back this week with all available winners from the 2008 season on deck at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort on the island of Maui in Hawaii
33 players will line up for the US$5.6 million purse with $1.12 million going to the winner. The defending champion is Daniel Chopra who last year became the first to qualify for this year’s field when he defeated Steve Stricker at the fourth extra hole of a playoff to win his second USPGA Tour title.
Chopra’s recent form pales in comparison to this time last year. His last start came at the Australian Masters where he finished 22nd, his best in eleven starts.
The tournament favourite is likely to be Vijay Singh who arrives at Kapalua Resort as a previous winner and a two time runner up plus he is coming off a win at the Chevron Challenge in California then he must surely be the player to beat.
Other than Woods the notable absentees from this week’s amongst 2008 winners on the PGA Tour are the world number two, three and fourth ranked players, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington.
Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas are playing this event for the first time in 2009 having gained their starts in the field via their maiden victories on the PGA Tour in 2008. Kim in particular played well in recent events while Camilo Villegas’ form fell away late in the season after a brilliant run through the FedEx Cup playoff series.
Both Kim and Villegas advanced their cause in world golf during 2008 and have an opportunity to make further progress this week.
Villegas is the second highest world ranked player (7th) in the field after Singh and just ahead of Ernie Els who at # 9 has slipped four places in the past 12 months but has a genuine chance this week.
Els, who is in the field due to his win at the Honda Classic last year, has played sparingly in recent months but when he has played he has done well enough to suggest his second Mercedes Championship is not beyond the realms of possibility.
The Australian challenge is headed by recent Australian PGA Championship winner, Geoff Ogilvy, who is playing this event for the third occasion. His previous best in this restricted field has been 13th but he has been in good form in recent starts and has played well on Bermuda greens.
Adam Scott’s first start since the Singapore Open will be watched with interest. After a horror finish to the 2008 season Scott looks to send his world ranking heading back in the right direction having slipped from 3rd to 17th during 2008. Scott has played this event well on the three occasions he has been here including when runner up to Vijay Singh in 2007.
This opening event of the 2009 PGA Tour season could well offer an interesting insight into what is promising to be a year of intrigue in world golf.
