StarBulletin.com

Waialae hosts the world


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POSTED: Monday, January 18, 2010

Hawaii has long been known as the “;Crossroads of the Pacific.”;

In the golf world, that intersection was at Waialae Country Club with this week's Sony Open in Hawaii. More than a dozen flags flew above the pro shop, a mini-United Nations parade that rustled with the light trades during yesterday's final round.

It was well worth the trip, whether it took 10 hours from Australia or 26 from South Africa. Whether it ended with a tie for 12th—as it did for former two-time champ Ernie Els—or the heartbreak of finishing second as happened with Robert Allenby.

“;It's worth the travel,”; said South African Retief Goosen, who flirted with the lead through 17 but finished fourth, three shots behind winner Ryan Palmer. “;It's nice to be back in Hawaii, obviously, especially after last week (tied for sixth at the SBS Open in Kapalua).

“;I haven't played well here the last few times, but I'm actually happy with the way I played. The story was one bad round last week (first-round 70) and one bad round this week (70 on Saturday). I'll be back next year.”;

Goosen sent his family back to their current London residence after the SBS Open and will join them later this week before heading back out on tour. He had brief hopes of taking the Sony trophy back on the plane after nine birdies in his final round, including five on the back nine.

“;The second through the 17th was good today, maybe thought about it after 14th,”; Goosen said.

After 17, he was 12-under, tied with Palmer, who had finished six holes. But Goosen's try for a third consecutive birdie on 18 fell short—rather long—when he ran his 7-foot attempt from the fringe to about 2 feet past the hole.

Instead, the “;international title”; went to the Australian Allenby, whose sprained ankle didn't prevent him from finishing 15 under.

“;If I could live here, I would; the family loves it here,”; said Allenby, currently living in Florida. “;It's such a beautiful place, one of my favorites on the tour.

“;If I had a G5 (Gulfstream jet) maybe. The funny thing is it took me longer to get here from Florida than it did for my three friends to come from Sydney.”;

For Australian Nathan Green, the trip was 10 hours.

“;It's not bad, a straight shot,”; said Green, who made his PGA Tour debut at this event in 2006. “;I love being here, love the golf course. And the field keeps getting better.

“;It's a good way to kick off the season. For the international guys like myself, the course plays like a lot of courses (outside the U.S.). As long as I'm on tour, I want to come back.”;

Green finished tied for eighth (271), his best finish since placing fifth in 2006. Fellow Australian Nick O'Hern shared 25th with 13 others after a 275 in his first Sony appearance.

“;Being from Australia, I'm used to the travel,”; said O'Hern, now based out of Atlanta. “;It wasn't that big of a deal to get here.

“;I absolutely loved my first time here. The weather for one thing, the people for another. It very much has that holiday (vacation) feeling. Everyone brought their families. Next year, I'll bring mine.”;

Els took 26 hours to get to Hawaii and spent even more time with the fans after yesterday's final round. He headed straight from the scoring trailer to the ropes, accommodating as many followers as he could with autographs, a few golf balls, and his glove.

“;It's just a wonderful tournament,”; he said. “;It's a wonderful place and we're lucky to be able to play golf here. It's a 15,000-mile trip for us, but as long as I'm playing, I plan to come back.”;

Besides the U.S., South Africa and Australia, the countries represented this week were Argentina, Canada, China, Fiji, Great Britain, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden and Zimbabwe.