Sony Open facts
Paul Goydos will defend his title after a disappointing finish at last week's Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua, where he placed 30th of 31 golfers in the winners-only field.
What: The PGA Tour's first full-fledged field of 144 this year.
When: Tomorrow through Sunday.
Where: Waialae Country Club, 7,068 yards, par-70 (35-35).
Time: 7 a.m., tomorrow and Friday; 8 a.m., Saturday; 8 a.m., Sunday.
Prize money: $5.3 million, with the winner earning $954,000.
Defending champion: Paul Goydos.
Previous champions: David Toms (2006), Vijay Singh (2005), Ernie Els ('04, '03), Jerry Kelly ('02), Brad Faxon ('01), Paul Azinger (2000), Jeff Sluman (1999).
Tickets: Daily admission tomorrow through Sunday $15. Season badge (all week) $50.
TV: The Golf Channel, 2-5:30 p.m., tomorrow, Friday and Saturday; 2-5 p.m. Sunday.
Parking: Free at Hunakai Park, Kahala Park and across the street from Kapiolani Community College on Diamond Head Road.
Shuttle bus service: Complimentary shuttle from free parking area at Hunakai Park and Kahala Park provided by E Noa. Roberts Hawaii Tours will provide complimentary shuttle from Kapiolani Community College. E Noa will also provide shuttle service ($2 one way) every 30 minutes (from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.) from Waikiki to the golf course -- stops include the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Tower, Outrigger Islander Waikiki, Duke Kahanamoku Statue, Waikiki Beach across the zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium. Call 591-2561 for more information.
City bus: Regular city bus service will be available. Call TheBus information department at 848-5555 or visit thebus.org for routes and times.
Tee times
First tee
7:10 a.m.: John Huston, Jay Williamson, Brian Davis. 7:20: Shigeki Maruyama, Omar Uresti, John Riegger.
7:30: Ted Purdy, Dudley Hart, Kevin Stadler. 7:40: Angel Cabrera, Rory Sabbatini, Bart Bryant.
7:50: Chad Campbell, Brian Bateman, Boo Weekley. 8: Jonathan Byrd, Carl Pettersson, Tom Lehman.
8:10: Aaron Baddeley, D.J. Trahan, Jeff Maggert. 8:20: Robert Gamez, Kevin Na, Tag Ridings.
8:30: Ron Whittaker, Justin Bolli, Cody Freeman. 8:40: James Driscoll, Kevin Streelman, Keiichiro Fukabori.
8:50: Paul Claxton, Chad Collins,
Alex Ching. 9: TimWilkinson, Scott Sterling,
Tadd Fujikawa.
11:40: Vaughn Taylor, Tom Scherrer, Brad Elder. 11:50: Heath Slocum, Peter Lonard, Frank Lickliter II.
Noon: Carlos Franco, J.P. Hayes, Jim McGovern. 12:10: Steve Stricker, Mark Wilson, Fred Funk.
12:20: Stephen Ames, George McNeill,
Dean Wilson.12:30: K.J. Choi, John Senden, J.B. Holmes.
12:40: Tim Petrovic, Briny Baird, Bubba Watson. 12:50: Brian Gay, Robert Garrigus, Daisuke Maruyama.
1: Roland Thatcher, Marc Turnesa, Kevin Hayashi. 1:10: John Merrick, Alejandro Canizares, Alex Aragon.
1:20: Nicholas Thompson, Travis Perkins, Liang Wen-chong. 1:30: Jason Allred, Matt Jones, Kaname Yokoo.
10th tee
7:10: Tom Pernice, Jr., Ryuji Imada, Patrick Sheehan. 7:20: Billy Mayfair, Kent Jones, Brenden Pappas.
7:30: Jason Gore, John Daly, John Mallinger. 7:40: Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Kenny Perry.
7:50: Charles Howell III, Brett Wetterich, Jeff Sluman. 8: Steve Flesch, Brandt Snedeker, Mark Calcavecchia.
8:10: Bob Estes, Steve Lowery, Ryan Armour. 8:20: Jerry Kelly, Richard S. Johnson, Shanre Bertsch.
8:30: Parker McLachlin, Jimmy Walker, Jason Day. 8:40: Nick Flanagan, Jon Mills, David Lutterus.
8:50: Kenneth Ferrie, Todd Demsey, Mitsuhiro Tateyama. 9: Kyle Thompson, Jin Park, Spencer Levin.
11:40: Rocco Mediate, Paul Azinger, Jeff Quinney. 11:50: Jonathan Kaye, Cameron Beckman, Steve Marino.
Noon: Sean O'Hair, Matt Kuchar, Jeff Overton. 12:10: Daniel Chopra, Zach Johnson, Shaun Micheel.
12:20: Paul Goydos, Eric Axley, Olin Browne. 12:30: Troy Matteson, Will MacKenzie, Robert Allenby.
12:40: Bo Van Pelt, Nathan Green, Bill Haas. 12:50: Jesper Parnevik, Pat Perez, Craig Kanada.
1: Brad Adamonis, Michael Letzig, Dustin Johnson. 1:10: ChezReavie, Tommy Gainey, Bryce Molder.
1:20: Doug LaBelle II, Y.E. Yang, Yasaku Miyazato. 1:30: Bob Sowards, Martin Laird, Kiyoshi Miyazato.
Past winners
2007: Paul Goydos; 2006: David Toms; 2005: Vijay Singh; 2004: Ernie Els; 2003: Ernie Els; 2002: Jerry Kelly; 2001: Brad Faxon; 2000: Paul Azinger; 1999: Jeff Sluman
Ones to Watch
Jim Furyk: Eight top-10 finishes in 2007 netted him more than $4.1 million. Third in last year's FedEx Cup. ... Tied for fifth at the Mercedes.
Vijay Singh: Second in the 2007 FedEx Cup standings. ... Won two titles and had seven top-10 finishes. Tied for 12th at the Mercedes.
Steve Stricker: Runner-up at last week's Mercedes Championship. ... Nine Top-10 finishes in 2007 with one title. ... 12th in FedEx Cup points.
John Daly: Always a fan favorite despite struggles on and off the course. ... best finish in 2007 was tie for ninth at Merrill Lynch Shootout.
Paul Azinger: His 13th-place finish at last year's Sony Open in Hawaii was his best of the year. ... Captain of the 2008 Ryder Cup team.
Dean Wilson: Hawaii native. ... Four Top-10 finishes in 2007, including tie for fifth at the St. Jude Classic. ... Earned more than $1.2 million in 2007.
Rory Sabbatini: Had best year as a pro in 2007, winning one title and earning more than $4.5 million. ... Sixth in last year's FedEx Cup standings.
Zach Johnson: 2007 Masters champion was seventh in last year's FedEx Cup standings. ... Tied for 20th at last week's Mercedes Championship.
STAR-BULLETIN 2007
Charles Howell III trailed by six shots after the first round of last year's Sony Open before closing the gap with middle rounds of 63 and 65 to wind up in a tie for second behind Paul Goydos.
|
|
How they finished in 2007
| Paul Goydos |
66-63-70-67 -- 266 |
| Luke Donald |
63-66-69-69 -- 267 |
| Charles Howell III |
69-63-65-70 -- 267 |
| K.J. Choi |
64-71-68-68 -- 271 |
| Jim Furyk |
65 68-69-69 -- 271 |
| Doug LaBelle II |
69-71-66-65 -- 271 |
| Steve Stricker |
67-67-67-70 -- 271 |
| Robert Allenby |
67-66-70-69 -- 272 |
| Geoff Ogilvy |
67-72-69-64 -- 272 |
| Craig Kanada |
72-65-66-70 -- 273 |
| Steve Lowery |
72-67-67-67 -- 273 |
| Pat Perez |
68-70-69-66 -- 273 |
| Jason Dufner |
67-68-70-69 -- 274 |
| Jerry Kelly |
69-65-71-69 -- 274 |
| George McNeill |
70-66-70-68 -- 274 |
| David Toms |
70-68-68-68 -- 274 |
| Bo Van Pelt |
69-70-66-69 -- 274 |
| Paul Azinger |
68-66-68-72 -- 274 |
| Bart Bryant |
69-69-66-70 -- 274 |
| John Rollins |
66-70-72-67 -- 275 |
| Ryuji Imada |
66 70-68-71 -- 275 |
| Jeff Maggert |
73-65-67-70 -- 275 |
| Ted Purdy |
67-68-66-74 -- 275 |
| John Senden |
69-67-68-71 -- 275 |
| Heath Slocum |
66-68-71-70 -- 275 |
| Boo Weekley |
69-67-71-68 -- 275 |
| Tadd Fujikawa |
71-66-66-72 -- 275 |
| Andrew Buckle |
70-66-70-70 -- 276 |
| Daniel Chopra |
68-72-70-66 -- 276 |
| John Daly |
69-68-71-68 -- 276 |
| Robert Garrigus |
68-72-67-69 -- 276 |
| Troy Matteson |
69-68-69-70 -- 276 |
| Jesper Parnevik |
69-67-68-72 -- 276 |
| Harrison Frazar |
71-67-69-70 -- 277 |
| Nathan Green |
67-71-70-69 -- 277 |
| Craig Lile |
70-67-71-69 -- 277 |
| Steve Marino |
68-71-66-72 -- 277 |
| Daisuke Maruyama |
66-72-69-70 -- 277 |
| Rory Sabbatini |
69-71-70-67--- 277 |
| Vijay Singh |
71-67-70-69 -- 277 |
| Johnson Wagner |
70-67-70-70 -- 277 |
| Shane Bertsch |
66-70-71-71 -- 278 |
| Trevor Immelman |
67 70-68-73 -- 278 |
| Jarrod Lyle |
68-71-71-68 -- 278 |
| Will MacKenzie |
65-68-74-71 -- 278 |
| Chad Campbell |
66-65-75-73 -- 279 |
| Kaname Yokoo |
69-70-70-70 -- 279 |
| Eric Axley |
72-67-75-66 -- 280 |
| Jeff Sluman |
66-72-75-67 -- 280 |
| David Branshaw |
67-69-76-68 -- 280 |
| Yusaku Miyazato |
69 70-71-70 -- 280 |
| Rod Pampling |
71-66-71-72 -- 280 |
| Bubba Watson |
71-66-72-71 -- 280 |
| Rich Beem |
69-66-71-75 -- 281 |
| Glen Day |
71-69-72-69 -- 281 |
| Brian Gay |
68-69-70-74 -- 281 |
| J.P. Hayes |
70-70-71-70 -- 281 |
| Kenny Perry |
71-66-70-74 -- 281 |
| Briny Baird |
67-72-72-71 -- 282 |
| Cliff Kresge |
71-67-71-73 -- 282 |
| Tim Petrovic |
70-68-74-70 -- 282 |
| Brett Quigley |
70-70-73-69 -- 282 |
| Gavin Coles |
71-67-69-76 -- 283 |
| Ken Duke |
69-69-71-74 -- 283 |
| Cameron Beckman |
69-70-70-75 -- 284 |
| Joe Daley |
70-69-74-71 -- 284 |
| Azuma Yano |
73-66-74-71 -- 284 |
| J.J. Henry |
68-72-70-75 -- 285 |
| Davis Love III |
70-70-71-74 -- 285 |
| Michael Putnam |
71-69-70-75 -- 285 |
| Jeff Quinney |
69-71-73-74 -- 287 |
| Tom Lehman |
68-72-76-75 -- 291 |
The course
Waialae Country Club
7,060 yards, Par 70
| HOLE |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
OUT |
| YARDAGE |
488 |
426 |
423 |
203 |
466 |
459 |
167 |
459 |
510 |
3601 |
| PAR |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
35 |
| HOLE |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
IN |
TOTAL |
| YARDAGE |
353 |
196 |
446 |
478 |
433 |
396 |
417 |
189 |
551 |
3459 |
7060 |
| PAR |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
35 |
70 |
Established in the late 1920s, the Waialae Country Club sits between the Koolau mountain range on the north and Pacific Ocean on the south and serves as a spectacular playing field for its members and for the world's best professional golfers once a year.
On land acquired from the Isenberg family, the Waialae Golf Course was designed by San Francisco architect Seth Raynor and opened for play in 1927. It was first groomed as an amenity for the guests of Waikiki's Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
The 40-year-old Isenberg home became the first clubhouse for the golf course. Competitive tournament play began immediately also when the first Hawaiian Open was held there in 1928.
Waialae has hosted major golfing events for more than seven decades. Since 1965 it has been a prime venue for the annual official Hawaiian PGA Tour tournament.
The Waialae Golf Course, more than 7,000 yards long displayed a new look in 1999 as PGA Tour-designated enhancements were put in place for the PGA Tour official event, the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Source: PGA.com
Key Holes
No. 1
Mamao Distant Par 4, 488 yards
This hole was originally designed in 1927 by Seth Raynor with the famous Road hole of St. Andrews, Scotland, in mind. A new forward tee was built on the left so that this former par-5 hole will play as sort of a par-4 1/2. Depending on the wind the second shot to a very shallow green, which is guarded in front by a huge, deep bunker, can be played with anything from a 3-wood to a 9-iron.
No. 6
Lalau, Go Astray Par 4, 459 yards
A prevailing left-to-right wind blows straight toward the out-of-bounds fence on the right of the fairway. A well-placed drive between a new fairway bunker on the left and trees on the right will leave the golfer a short iron shot to a green protected on both sides by bunkers.
No. 17
'Alae, Mud Hen Par 3, 189 yards
The signature hole bears the name of the Sony Open fire-bird of Hawaiian lore. It is a very difficult par-3 requiring a long or middle iron, depending on the wind. The green was restored to the original Seth Raynor design, a classic Redan-style green with a large bunker on the left and a series of four deep, hidden bunkers guarding the right.
No. 18
Kilou Loa, A Long Hook Par 5, 551 yards
The tournament can be won on this hole as Isao Aoki proved in 1983 when he holed his approach shot from 128 yards away for an eagle. A huge bunker is situated at the turn on this easily-reachable dog-leg left par-5 and makes the drive off the tee as important as any. Driving the ball into the rough or the bunker makes it a little more difficult to score an eagle, but a birdie is not out of the question.
Source: Waialae Country Club
