You have to figure whoever braved the tradewinds at last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions is prepared for whatever elements await the 144 golfers teeing it up in similar conditions come Thursday at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Not only did those 22 golfers, who took part in the winners-only walk-a-thon of the Plantation Course, swing for the greens in near gale-force wind, they dealt with rain similar to Carl Spackler and the Bishop in the movie “Caddyshack.” Those Maui guys are ready for what is expected to be a typical tradewind day in paradise. The new kids in the first full-field PGA Tour event of 2020? Not so much.
Count defending champion Matt Kuchar among those who braved the expanse of the renovated Plantation Course and now must adjust their games to an entirely different layout. Around here, the Waialae Country Club is considered old-school golf. You have to keep your drives inside a tight window or pay a huge price of flier lies and obstructed shots to the green.
Up on the volcano, you won’t find too many trees getting in the way. Down here in the flat lands of Kahala, trees are something you want to avoid. Kuchar did a wonderful job of that last year en route to a 22-under 258. Granted, he fell five shots shy of the 27-under record set by Justin Thomas in 2017, but his back-to-back 63s to open the 2019 tournament set a blistering pace no one could match.
Kuchar loves it here in the island chain. He said as much last week. He and his family came straight from the Presidents Cup in Australia to spend a couple of weeks on the Big Island enjoying what Hawaii has to offer. You name it, they did it.
“The whole aloha life is a good thing and we’ve enjoyed it,” Kuchar said. “So felt like it was an easy transition for us. Come here, enjoy the holidays, do a bunch of fun things. Every activity on land and every activity on water you can think of we were out doing and just having a great time.”
Kuchar didn’t have as great a tour of the TOC last week, finishing tied for 14th at 4 under par, 10 strokes off the winning pace of Thomas. But Waialae is more to Kuchar’s liking — expect him to be among the early favorites to hoist the trophy come Sunday night.
As you might expect, world No. 4 Thomas is the choice of the oddsmakers at 6-1. His love for Hawaii golf courses rivals that of Ernie Els and Hale Irwin, who practically broke the bank here back in the day. Thomas stands at $4.6 million in career earnings here and on Maui, and has already qualified for the TOC by winning it last week. You’d think he might lap the field this time around, but if you had seen how drained he was in the Sunday media room it might give you pause to plop down a bet on him.
Other golfers in the field expected to make some noise are Patrick Reed (12-1), Webb Simpson (12-1), Hideki Matsuyama (18-1) and rising star Collin Morikawa (18-1). If you’re looking for a long shot that might pay off in a big way, 21-year-old Joaquin Niemann of Chile is worth a look at 30-1. The 21-year-old was the first-round leader at last week’s TOC en route to a tie for fifth at 10 under for the tournament.
His name might not roll off your tongue as easily as Thomas’, but this young man has a quality swing and a good disposition. He said last week that he gained a lot of confidence playing on the International team at the Presidents Cup. He gave much credit to team captain Els for making him feel like he can compete on the big stage.
One disappointment for local golf fans was Saturday’s withdrawal of Jordan Spieth, citing illness. Perhaps it was the chill from that snowman he carded at the par-4 eighth two years ago that sent a shiver down his spine. If the wind blows across this par-70 layout as expected, scores should be higher than normal. Not all of these young guns have played Waialae in the wind.
It’s unlikely anyone will shoot 59 as Thomas did en route to winning here three years ago. But when this man gets on a roll, anything is possible. He is paired with Kuchar and two-time winner Brendon Todd, who was the early FedEx Cup leader before being replaced by Thomas this weekend. It’s a little early to talk about those kind of points, but they all count equally come August.
There are nine former champions in the field dating all the way back to Jerry Kelly in 2002. Joining him from the senior circuit is soon-to-be 58-year-old Vijay Singh. He continues to go back and forth between both tours. His exemption status on the regular tour ends this August.
