HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
» What: Season-opening PGA Tour event featuring 28 of 39 2011 champions
» Where: Kapalua Plantation Course (par 36-37—73, 7,411 yards)
» When: 10:30 a.m. Friday; 9:30 a.m.
Saturday through Monday
» Purse: $5.6 million ($1,120,000 first prize)
» Defending champion: Jonathan Byrd (24-under 268)
» Admission: Beginning Friday, $20 daily or $50 for tournament (weeklong) pass. Military with ID and spectators 18 and under, with ticketed adult, are free.
» Pro-am: 8:30 a.m. today (free)
» TV (times tentative): The Golf Channel, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday.
» Parking: Honua Kai Resort with free shuttles to Plantation Course beginning 15 minutes prior to gates opening
» Kaanapali shuttle: Free from Whalers Village Sunday and Monday. Departs every half hour, from 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Sunday and 7:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Monday. Pick-up location between Whalers Village and Westin, by benches.
SONY OPEN IN HAWAII
» What: First full-field PGA Tour event of 2012
» Where: Waialae Country Club (par 35-35—70, 7,068 yards)
» When: Next Thursday through Sunday, approximately 7 a.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday
» Purse: $5.5 million ($990,000 first prize)
» Defending champion: Mark Wilson (16-under 264)
» Admission: $20 daily Wednesday through Sunday, or $50 for season (all week) badge. Children
12 and under free with paid adult.
» Pro-am: Wednesday, 6:50 a.m.
» King Auto Group Pro-Junior Challenge: 2:45 p.m. Tuesday at 18th hole
» TV (times tentative): Golf Channel, 2 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
» Parking: Free at Hunakai Park starting Monday, and Kahala Community Park (Pueo Street) starting Thursday, with shuttle to course.
» Waikiki shuttle: E NOA shuttle is $2 each way with pickup points at Hilton Hawaiian Village (Tapa Tower parking lot), Hard Rock Cafe, Duke
Kahanamoku Statue (Kuhio Beach), Waikiki Beach (across from zoo) and Waikiki Aquarium. Runs every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. starting Jan. 9.
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This week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions will be the first time Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo will work as co-analysts for an entire golf tournament. With 25 percent of last year’s winners passing on the PGA Tour season-opening event at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, they should have a lot to talk about.
A year ago, Jonathan Byrd became the first American to win the TOC since 2001, beating Robert Garrigus on the first playoff hole. The 2011 event had its highest TV ratings since 2008, with more than 10 million viewers over the four days. That was a 38 percent increase from the previous year.
This year, with the world’s top-five golfers not showing — along with six others — that could be tough to beat. Tiger Woods is not eligible because he did not win an official event. Phil Mickelson has not played at Kapalua in a decade. Keegan Bradley is the only 2011 major champion on Maui and three of the four World Golf Championship winners are also missing.
The tour has also brought back an admission charge.
The golfer who finishes last on Monday gets $62,000 because this ties for the smallest TOC field since the event moved to Maui in 1999.
That will be the story until the golfers tee off Friday.
Then, the Golf Channel and tour hope Steve Stricker, in his sixth visit here, or Webb Simpson, in his first, will create some buzz. They are the only two here in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings. Or maybe it will be FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas, or one of the five rookies.
Former basketball player Gary Woodland is long enough to tame the Plantation, while David Toms’ precision has been good for four top-10 finishes in six starts at Kapalua. Rory Sabbatini has been second here twice.
Twenty of these players will head to Oahu next week for the Sony Open in Hawaii (Jan. 12-15). The tour’s first full-field event of the year is at Waialae Country Club for the 47th time. Mark Wilson will defend his title.
The sixth annual King Auto Group Pro-Junior Skills Challenge is Tuesday afternoon on the 18th hole. Hawaii juniors Zachary Braunthal, Alex Chiarella, Richard Hattori, Lisa Kang and Eimi Koga will play with five pros. Chiarella won last year with Matt Kuchar.
The Champions Tour opens its season Jan. 20-22 at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. John Cook is defending champion.
