Friday, January 11, 2002
Hidemichi Tanaka can always say he had the first ace of the 2002 PGA Tour season. Tanaka has first
Facts and figures
ace of seasonPaul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comThe Japanese player got the hole-in-one on the par-3, 172-yard seventh hole. He used a 6-iron into the wind to record his first competitive ace. It is his first year on tour as well.
It was the second ace at Waialae Country Club since the event was changed to the Sony Open in 1999. Fellow Japanese star Shigeki Maruyama posted the first one last year on the same hole. From 173 yards out, Maruyama needed a 7-iron to make the ace.
Tanaka fired an opening-round 70. He trails first-round Sony Open leaders Chris Riley and Kenny Perry by five shots.
Local connection: Former Hawaiian Open winner David Ishii headed a solid contingent of local golfers with an even-par 70.
The 1990 champion shot 35 on the front and 35 on the back to remain in contention, just five shots off the lead. Amateur Jonathan Ota of Kauai didn't fare as well, but came in with a 75. He'll need to shoot in the mid-60s today to survive the cut of the top 70 golfers and ties.
Considered the top local pro the past two years, Big Island boy Kevin Hayashi shot consecutive 37s to finish at 4-over 74. Like Ota, he will need a good round today in order to play over the weekend. Other golfers with local ties and scores were: Keoke Cotner (75), Tommy Hines (74), Ken Tanigawa (72) and Dean Wilson (74).
New blood: There are 22 rookies beginning their first tour of duty and that number increases to 23 when 17-year-old Ty Tryon completes his junior year in high school this June. He is the only one of the newcomers not taking part in this week's Sony Open.
Two of the young bloods took high honors on the Buy.com Tour and at Q-school finals in 2001. Chad Campbell, a three-time winner last season and player of the year, captured the money title on the Buy.com Tour with $394,552. He opened yesterday with a 71.
Pat Perez took home medalist honors at the qualifying tournament finals. He began his PGA career with a blistering 2-under 68. Only fellow rookie Jonathan Byrd did better among the first-timers with a 67, good enough for a tie for sixth.
Slow start: The 5-under 65s fashioned by Riley and Perry make the highest first-round leading score at Waialae since 1996. The hottest start was 62, turned in by three golfers, including Scott Simpson.
The 5-under 67 (on the then par-72 course) shot by Wayne Levi gave him a one shot lead over Simpson and eventual winner Jim Furyk. The course was changed to a par-70 in 1999.
Streak over: Chris DiMarco's streak of 18 consecutive rounds at par or better ended yesterday after he fired a 3-over 73. The streak dated back to the fourth round of the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas, and was tied for the fourth-longest streak on tour.
Not out yet: Mercedes Championships winner Sergio Garcia wasn't anywhere near the top of the leaderboard after opening his career at the Sony Open with a rather average 71. But before you count out the young Spaniard, consider this.
Garcia opened last week's Mercedes with a dead-even 73 that left him back in the pack. Steadily, he improved each day, including a final-round 64 that brought him even with David Toms. He beat Toms on the first extra playoff hole with a birdie.
Other notables who shot even-par or worse yesterday were Fred Couples (70), Tom Lehman (70), Simpson (72), Jeff Maggert (73) and Davis Love III (75).
FACTS&FIGURES
What you need to know from yesterday's first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii:Hardest hole
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Easiest hole
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At Waialae Country Club Scoreboard
Purse: $4 million
Yardage: 7,060; Par 70
First round
Chris Riley 32-33 - 65 Kenny Perry 34-31 - 65 Jerry Kelly 34-32 - 66 Jesper Parnevik 35-31 - 66 John Cook 35-31 - 66 Phil Tataurangi 34-33 - 67 Jonathan Byrd 34-33 - 67 Cameron Beckman 32-35 - 67 Stephen Ames 34-33 - 67 Matt Kuchar 34-34 - 68 Brian Gay 33-35 - 68 Brad Elder 35-33 - 68 Len Mattiace 33-35 - 68 Esteban Toledo 36-32 - 68 David Toms 34-34 - 68 John Huston 34-34 - 68 Joe Durant 36-32 - 68 Frank Lickliter II 35-33 - 68 Scott Hoch 33-35 - 68 Mark O'Meara 35-33 - 68 Rich Beem 32-36 - 68 Andrew Magee 35-33 - 68 Pat Perez 34-34 - 68 K.J. Choi 33-35 - 68 Tommy Armour III 35-33 - 68 Brad Faxon 32-36 - 68 Fred Funk 35-33 - 68 Jay Haas 36-32 - 68 Jim Carter 35-34 - 69 Steve Elkington 34-35 - 69 David Gossett 35-34 - 69 Jeff Sluman 37-32 - 69 Jim Furyk 33-36 - 69 Chris Smith 34-35 - 69 Gary Nicklaus 35-34 - 69 Jay Don Blake 33-36 - 69 Robert Allenby 38-31 - 69 Corey Pavin 36-33 - 69 Bob Burns 34-35 - 69 Luke Donald 36-33 - 69 Deane Pappas 36-33 - 69 John Rollins 34-35 - 69 John Riegger 35-35 - 70 Michael Allen 35-35 - 70 Pat Bates 36-34 - 70 Joel Edwards 35-35 - 70 Tom Scherrer 36-34 - 70 Hiroyuki Fujita 36-34 - 70 Bo Van Pelt 36-34 - 70 Bob Heintz 36-34 - 70 Brian Bateman 37-33 - 70 Hidemichi Tanaka 35-35 - 70 David Sutherland 35-35 - 70 Bob May 37-33 - 70 Greg Kraft 34-36 - 70 Stuart Appleby 35-35 - 70 Fred Couples 35-35 - 70 Shigeki Maruyama 35-35 - 70 Tom Lehman 37-33 - 70 Shaun Micheel 33-37 - 70 Brent Geiberger 37-33 - 70 Peter Lonard 35-35 - 70 David Ishii 35-35 - 70 Mike Sposa 35-36 - 71 Tim Herron 37-34 - 71 Loren Roberts 35-36 - 71 Carlos Franco 35-36 - 71 Lee Porter 37-34 - 71 Tim Petrovic 39-32 - 71 Ian Leggatt 35-36 - 71 Katsumasa Miyamoto 37-34 - 71 Richard Zokol 37-34 - 71 Russ Cochran 36-35 - 71 Sergio Garcia 35-36 - 71 Rory Sabbatini 35-36 - 71 Scott Dunlap 36-35 - 71 Chad Campbell 37-34 - 71 Scott Simpson 38-34 - 72 Mike Hulbert 36-36 - 72 Billy Andrade 38-34 - 72 Charles Howell III 39-33 - 72 Paul Gow 36-36 - 72 Briny Baird 37-35 - 72 Brad Lardon 34-38 - 72 Ken Tanigawa 40-32 - 72 Pete Jordan 37-35 - 72 Kaname Yokoo 37-35 - 72 David Berganio, Jr. 36-36 - 72 David Peoples 37-35 - 72 Dudley Hart 36-36 - 72 Brian Henninger 38-34 - 72 Ben Crane 36-36 - 72 Jess Daley 35-37 - 72 Brent Schwarzrock 36-36 - 72 Brian Watts 37-36 - 73 Greg Chalmers 35-38 - 73 Jeff Maggert 33-40 - 73 Jay Williamson 38-35 - 73 Brett Wetterich 37-36 - 73 Per-Ulrik Johansson 38-35 - 73 Chris DiMarco 38-35 - 73 Olin Browne 35-38 - 73 Blaine McCallister 36-37 - 73 David Morland IV 37-36 - 73 Shinichi Yokota 40-34 - 74 Thomas Hines 38-36 - 74 Jason Hill 38-36 - 74 John Senden 40-34 - 74 Dean Wilson 36-38 - 74 Steve Allan 39-35 - 74 Jerry Smith 35-39 - 74 Duffy Waldorf 37-37 - 74 Steve Jones 39-35 - 74 Paul Claxton 38-36 - 74 Tomohiro Kondo 39-35 - 74 Kevin Hayashi 37-37 - 74 Kent Jones 35-39 - 74 Jeff Gove 35-39 - 74 J.J. Henry 38-37 - 75 Michael Clark II 40-35 - 75 Steve Stricker 40-35 - 75 Rod Pampling 40-35 - 75 Danny Ellis 35-40 - 75 Heath Slocum 36-39 - 75 Michael Long 39-36 - 75 Edward Fryatt 39-36 - 75 Robert Damron 39-36 - 75 Davis Love III 38-37 - 75 Geoff Ogilvy 37-38 - 75 Brenden Pappas 37-38 - 75 Keoke Cotner 38-37 - 75 Keiichiro Fukabori 39-36 - 75 Jonathan Ota 39-36 - 75 Stephen Gangluff 36-40 - 76 Robin Freeman 40-36 - 76 Dicky Pride 40-36 - 76 Matt Peterson 38-38 - 76 Boo Weekley 39-37 - 76 Eduardo Herrera 38-38 - 76 Michael Muehr 36-41 - 77 Chris Perry 38-39 - 77 David Frost 41-36 - 77 Kenneth Staton 37-40 - 77 Garrett Willis 43-37 - 80