No one will feel more at home at Waialae Country Club in this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii than Kevin Carll. And probably no one will feel more out of place at the PGA Tour’s first full-field event of the year.
Carll has been Waialae’s head pro for more than two years. When he won his second Aloha Section PGA Championship a few months ago, his paycheck included an exemption into the Sony.
It will be Carll’s second tour start. The first was also at Waialae, in 2005. It went … "not so good."
"The best way to explain it is, if you ever played sports, that first game you had, everything was just overwhelming," Carll recalls. "Even if you’ve played hundreds of different golf tournaments, it’s just different getting to play a tour event. It’s all you ever wanted and all of a sudden it’s here and you have a lot of expectations."
At 37, Carll’s expectations will be much different when he tees off in Sony’s first round Thursday.
"It will be a fun opportunity for me to go out and see where my game is and test myself against the best players in the world," Carll says. "But I don’t do it for a living. I’m trying not to put pressure on myself. I run the operation here. This is a nice little experience."
He grew up playing baseball in Southern California. When that passion began to fade, he discovered golf, found success almost immediately and rekindled a fire.
Degrees from New Mexico State in business administration and professional golf management allowed him to stay in the game. He came to Hawaii 15 years ago, taking a position at Ko Olina primarily — he admits now — so he could surf.
"Maili Point to Makaha," Carll says with pride. "If I worked 11 to 7, I’d surf in the morning. If I worked 6 to 2, I’d go in the afternoon."
Between sets, he also worked at Pearl and Turtle Bay, won a slew of Aloha Section PGA titles and was named 2012 Aloha Section Pro of the Year. He volunteers on the Board of Directors for the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association and Aloha Section.
And he golfs, playing at least twice a week with members and practicing as many afternoons as possible.
"It’s a great way to get to know the members," he says. "The biggest change for me here is my working place has a culture of golf where everyone encourages you to play. Resorts are a bit different than private clubs. This place is first and foremost golf."
Carll will be the only guy at Waialae this week with "1,200 bosses potentially watching." He cannot wait.
There are other advantages he holds over the other 140-plus who play here just once a year.
Carll knows the rough will be shorter this year to encourage pros to go for the green. He is familiar with what greens are quicker than others and what "certain misses you can’t make." He knows the radical changes that can come with the slightest wind change.
He hopes this time he gets over his nerves and, "can get out of my own way" and find a comfort zone. He is now older and wiser and has no aspirations of playing on the tour.
Those disappeared a while ago. After a top-10 finish at the national assistants’ championship put him into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School, Carll came home and played three events on Pro Tour Hawaii "before we realized the guy ran away with all the money."
"At that time I had a brand-new wife and I thought there is no way I can do this on my own," Carll said. "I can only imagine being some strange place at a laundromat somewhere … the travel and loneliness. I was not looking forward to that. I knew if I really grinded it out, I might have a chance, but it was a slim chance, so I decided to go to something more secure."
Carll has no illusions of playing the back nine in 14 under this week, as Johnson Wagner did last year on his way to winning the Sony. His goal is to make the cut — "In my mind that’s a very realistic goal. I’ve played the course enough."
His ultimate goal would be to finish in the top 20 — in front of his 1,200 bosses — then go home and toss all his Waialae-logo clothes into his own washing machine.
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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII
What: First full-field PGA Tour event of 2013
When: Thursday to Sunday, starting at approximately 7 a.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. Sunday
Where: Waialae Country Club (par 35-35—70, 7,068 yards)
Purse: $5.6 million ($1,008,000 first prize)
Defending champion: Johnson Wagner (13-under-par 267)
Pro-am: Today, 6:50 a.m.
Tickets: $20 daily Wednesday to Sunday, or $50 for all-week badge. Children 12 and under free with paid adult.
TV (times tentative): Golf Channel, 2 to 5:30 p.m. each day, with repeats
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, Sheraton Waikiki, Duke Kahanamoku Statue (Kuhio Beach), Waikiki Beach (across from zoo) and Waikiki Aquarium. Runs every 30 minutes starting at 7 a.m. Monday.
TEE TIMES
Thursday
First tee
7:10 a.m.—Ken Duke, Ricky Barnes, Matt Jones. 7:20 a.m.—Ryan Palmer, Dean Wilson, Roberto Castro. 7:30 a.m.—John Mallinger, Tag Ridings, Darron Stiles. 7:40 a.m.—Y.E. Yang, Davis Love III, Mike Weir. 7:50 a.m.—Scott Piercy, Scott Stallings, Carl Pettersson. 8 a.m.—J.J. Henry, Marc Leishman, Kevin Na. 8:10 a.m.—Tim Herron, Brian Davis, Daniel Summerhays. 8:20 a.m.—Greg Owen, Chris Stroud, Will Claxton. 8:30 a.m.—Brian Stuard, Brad Fritsch, David Lingmerth. 8:40 a.m.—Andrew Svoboda, Cameron Percy, Morgan Hoffmann. 8:50 a.m.—Steve LeBrun, Robert Streb, Yuta Ikeda. 9 a.m.—Steven Bowditch, Justin Bolli, Steven Alker. 11:40 a.m.—Josh Teater, Matt Every, Nicholas Thompson. 11:50 a.m.—Boo Weekley, Graham DeLaet, Jason Kokrak. Noon—Steve Marino, Sang-Moon Bae, Bud Cauley. 12:10 p.m.—George McNeill, Stewart Cink, Wes Short, Jr. 12:20 p.m.—Webb Simpson, K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh. 12:30 p.m.—Tommy Gainey, Jonas Blixt, John Huh. 12:40 p.m.—Chez Reavie, Russ Cochran, Martin Flores. 12:50 p.m.—John Daly, Dicky Pride, Casey Wittenberg. 1 p.m.—Luke Guthrie, Scott Langley, Russell Henley. 1:10 p.m.—Erik Compton, Fabian Gomez, Hideto Tanihara. 1:20 p.m.—Andres Gonzales, D.H. Lee, Danny Lee. 1:30 p.m.—Peter Tomasulo, Lee Williams, Kevin Carll.
10th tee
7:10 a.m.—David Hearn, Brian Harman, Shane Bertsch. 7:20 a.m.—Charles Howell III, John Senden, Kevin Streelman. 7:30 a.m.—Brendon de Jonge, Jeff Overton, Harris English. 7:40 a.m.—Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly, Justin Leonard. 7:50 a.m.—Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson, Johnson Wagner. 8 a.m.—Matt Kuchar, Mark Wilson, Keegan Bradley. 8:10 a.m.—Fred Funk, Tom Gillis, Cameron Tringale. 8:20 a.m.—Jason Bohn, Jeff Maggert, Jeff Gove. 8:30 a.m.—Eric Meierdierks, Luke List, Patrick Reed. 8:40 a.m.—Billy Horschel, Derek Ernst, Mark Anderson. 8:50 a.m.—Shawn Stefani, Justin Hicks, Josh Persons. 9 a.m.—Ben Kohles, Paul Haley II, Hideki Matsuyama. 11:40 a.m.—Brian Gay, Chad Campbell, Charlie Wi. 11:50 a.m.—Bart Bryant, Michael Thompson, Colt Knost. Noon—John Rollins, Jimmy Walker, Michael Letzig. 12:10 p.m.—Ted Potter, Jr., Stephen Ames, Robert Allenby. 12:20 p.m.—Ryan Moore, Michael Bradley, Chris Kirk. 12:30 p.m.—Ben Curtis, Kyle Stanley, Tim Clark. 12:40 p.m.—Pat Perez, Joe Ogilvie, Kevin Stadler. 12:50 p.m.—Ryuji Imada, David Mathis, Richard H. Lee. 1 p.m.—Bobby Gates, Jim Herman, Donald Constable. 1:10 p.m.—Russell Knox, Alistair Presnell, Henrik Norlander. 1:20 p.m.—Jin Park, Aaron Watkins, Doug LaBelle II. 1:30 p.m.—Scott Gardiner, James Hahn, Richard Hattori.
FRIDAY
First tee
7:10 a.m.—Brian Gay, Chad Campbell, Charlie Wi. 7:20 a.m.—Bart Bryant, Michael Thompson, Colt Knost. 7:30 a.m.—John Rollins, Jimmy Walker, Michael Letzig. 7:40 a.m.—Ted Potter, Jr., Stephen Ames, Robert Allenby. 7:50 a.m.—Ryan Moore, Michael Bradley, Chris Kirk. 8 a.m.—Ben Curtis, Kyle Stanley, Tim Clark. 8:10 a.m.—Pat Perez, Joe Ogilvie, Kevin Stadler. 8:20 a.m.—Ryuji Imada, David Mathis, Richard H. Lee. 8:30 a.m.—Bobby Gates, Jim Herman, Donald Constable. 8:40 a.m.—Russell Knox, Alistair Presnell, Henrik Norlander. 8:50 a.m.—Jin Park, Aaron Watkins, Doug LaBelle II. 9 a.m.—Scott Gardiner, James Hahn, Richard Hattori. 11:40 a.m.—David Hearn, Brian Harman, Shane Bertsch. 11:50 a.m.—Charles Howell III, John Senden, Kevin Streelman. Noon—Brendon de Jonge, Jeff Overton, Harris English. 12:10 p.m.—Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly, Justin Leonard. 12:20 p.m.—Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson, Johnson Wagner. 12:30 p.m.—Matt Kuchar, Mark Wilson, Keegan Bradley. 12:40 p.m.—Fred Funk, Tom Gillis, Cameron Tringale. 12:50 p.m.—Jason Bohn, Jeff Maggert, Jeff Gove. 1 p.m.—Eric Meierdierks, Luke List, Patrick Reed. 1:10 p.m.—Billy Horschel, Derek Ernst, Mark Anderson. 1:20 p.m.—Shawn Stefani, Justin Hicks, Josh Persons. 1:30 p.m.—Ben Kohles, Paul Haley II, Hideki Matsuyama.
10th tee
7:10 a.m.—Josh Teater, Matt Every, Nicholas Thompson. 7:20 a.m.—Boo Weekley, Graham DeLaet, Jason Kokrak. 7:30 a.m.—Steve Marino, Sang-Moon Bae, Bud Cauley. 7:40 a.m.—George McNeill, Stewart Cink, Wes Short, Jr. 7:50 a.m.—Webb Simpson, K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh. 8 a.m.—Tommy Gainey, Jonas Blixt, John Huh. 8:10 a.m.—Chez Reavie, Russ Cochran, Martin Flores. 8:20 a.m.—John Daly, Dicky Pride, Casey Wittenberg. 8:30 a.m.—Luke Guthrie, Scott Langley, Russell Henley. 8:40 a.m.—Erik Compton, Fabian Gomez, Hideto Tanihara. 8:50 a.m.—Andres Gonzales, D.H. Lee, Danny Lee. 9 a.m.—Peter Tomasulo, Lee Williams, Kevin Carll. 11:40 a.m.—Ken Duke, Ricky Barnes, Matt Jones. 11:50 a.m.—Ryan Palmer, Dean Wilson, Roberto Castro. Noon—John Mallinger, Tag Ridings, Darron Stiles. 12:10 p.m.—Y.E. Yang, Davis Love III, Mike Weir. 12:20 p.m.—Scott Piercy, Scott Stallings, Carl Pettersson. 12:30 p.m.—J.J. Henry, Marc Leishman, Kevin Na. 12:40 p.m.—Tim Herron, Brian Davis, Daniel Summerhays. 12:50 p.m.—Greg Owen, Chris Stroud, Will Claxton. 1 p.m.—Brian Stuard, Brad Fritsch, David Lingmerth. 1:10 p.m.—Andrew Svoboda, Cameron Percy, Morgan Hoffmann. 1:20 p.m.—Steve LeBrun, Robert Streb, Yuta Ikeda. 1:30 p.m.—Steven Bowditch, Justin Bolli, Steven Alker.
