Jeff Sluman's amateur team went off early in yesterday's Sony Open Pro-Am. Jeff Maggert's fivesome went off late. The result was a first-place tie between the two teams, which finished with 16-under-par totals of 54. Sluman, Maggert
squads tieBy Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comSluman and Maggert split the first prize of $3,600. Frank Lickliter's squad finished third at 55. He pocketed $1,400 for his efforts in nearly perfect conditions at Waialae Country Club. In all, 50 groups took part in the pro-am, which lasted from dawn to dusk.
"I always enjoy playing in the pro-am," defending Sony Open champion Brad Faxon said, whose team just missed finishing in the top 10 by one stroke. "It's a good way to see what the course is playing like the day before the tournament."
Star attraction: At first, Sluman wasn't sure why so many people gathered around his group at yesterday's pro-am event. Then it hit him, Kazuhisa Ishii was standing next to him.
Several members of the Japanese media wanted to talk to the star baseball player, who will likely be in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform come spring. The National League club won the rights from the Yakult Swallows to try to sign Ishii for more than $11 million.
Ishii was camera and interview shy. But as one member of the Japanese media said, "He should have known."
Local flavor: More than a decade has come and gone since David Ishii won the Hawaiian Open, but he'll be back to see if he can spin some more of his local magic. Of late, it has been a struggle for Ishii just to make the cut, but his local knowledge should come in handy.
Also competing in this event with local ties are Kevin Hayashi, Tommy Hines, amateur Jonathan Ota, Ken Tanigawa, Dean Wilson and Keoke Cotner.
Wire-to-wire: Whoever emerges as the leader in today's first round might have a shot to win the Sony Open outright. Five players have managed wire-to-wire wins at Waialae, including back-to-back winners Brad Faxon last year and Paul Azinger in 2000.
John Huston turned that trick in 1998. That year, his 28-under 260 finish set a PGA Tour record for the low winning total. Mark Calcavecchia equaled Huston's 28-under mark at last year's Phoenix Open. Joe Durant bettered the record with a 29-under effort through the first four rounds of last year's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, which is a rare 90-hole event.
Third-round indicator: Only one player has led at the 54-hole mark in each of the last three years of the Sony Open. Two of those, Faxon in 2001 and Azinger in 2000, have gone on to win the tournament. Tommy Tolles was alone atop the leaderboard in 1999 after three rounds. He wound up finishing in a tie for second. Sluman won the tourney by birdieing the final two holes.
Extra holes: The Sony Open has not had a playoff in its three years of existence, but that doesn't mean this professional event hasn't had its fair share of extra holes.
In the 37 years Waialae Country Club hosted a PGA Tour event, a playoff was needed to determine the winner eight times. The most recent was at the 1997 United Airlines Hawaiian Open when Paul Stankowski defeated Mike Reid and Jim Furyk. That year, Furyk was the defending champion.