Top-ranked Singh
headlines Sony field

KAPALUA, Maui » Only seven golfers taking part in this week's Mercedes Championships opted not to play at the Sony Open in Hawaii next week.

The final list of PGA Tour players taking part in the first full-field event of 2005 was released yesterday and it includes second-round Mercedes leader and world No. 1 Vijay Singh.

It will be the first time the Sony Open will feature the top player in the world and the first time the world No. 1 will play in a tour event on Oahu since world rankings were kept in 1986. Starting with Bernhard Langer, there have been a dozen players ranked No. 1 the last 19 years.

Langer was No. 1 for three weeks, followed by Seve Ballesteros (61 weeks), Greg Norman (331), Nick Faldo (98), Ian Woosnam (50), Fred Couples (16), Nick Price (43), Tom Lehman (one), Tiger Woods (334), Ernie Els (nine), David Duval (15) and Singh (10).

Obviously, several of these players competed at the Hawaiian Open over the years; they just weren't ranked No. 1 at the time they played. Interestingly, Langer will compete at the Sony next week, as will Lehman and Els, who is the two-time defending Sony Open champion.

The seven golfers who opted not to play next week are Woods, Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir, Stuart Appleby, Stephen Ames, John Daly and Joey Sindelar. Daly is the defending champion at the Buick Invitational in San Diego in two weeks and decided not to play three consecutive tournaments.

Woods did the same thing as Daly. Garcia said he loves the Waialae Country Club course, but wasn't enamored with the greens. Appleby's wife will have a C-section next week, leaving Appleby in limbo for several tournaments. He is also battling a back and hip injury.

Kaye finds putting stroke: Jonathan Kaye was paired with Woods yesterday, but didn't let Woods' putting woes distract him. While Woods needed 32 putts for his round, Kaye made nearly everything in sight to find himself currently No. 1 in putting at 1.6 a hole. He finished tied for 167th last year.

"We don't putt on greens like this anywhere else on tour," said Kaye, who is currently tied for fourth with Garcia, four strokes off the pace. "The thing you don't want to do is find yourself putting uphill into the grain. If you have that putt, you need a driver to get there."

Woods couldn't learn much from Kaye on the putting green, but still managed to birdie three of the final five holes to remain in contention.

"It's interesting, because I have really never putted well here," Woods said. "Last year, same thing, I averaged 32 putts a day and consequently, I didn't win. If I average my normal putts (28) a round, like the rest of the year, I've got a shot at it. But I just need to make more putts. I'm hitting great. I'm hitting close. I just need to make those putts."

Singh makes donation: Singh and his wife decided yesterday to auction a 2005 Buick Rainier/golf package through UNICEF to help with the youngest survivors of the tsunami in South Asia.

"My wife thought it was a great idea to do that and I didn't really need a car at this moment," Singh said. "But it's for a very good cause. There are a lot of people over there who need help. I believe a lot in helping out and I believe the tour is giving tickets for all of the events I've won. I just hope you guys are looking for a car on eBay."

Judging the holes: Through two rounds, the most difficult hole on the course is the par-4 first that plays an imposing 473 yards. The scoring average of 4.032 is the result of only six birdies and eight bogeys. The par-5 fifth hole is the easiest with a scoring average of 4.403. In two rounds, it has yielded two eagles, 37 birdies and only four bogeys.