The Sony Open

Welcome to Waialae C.C. for the Sony Open and the PGA's second stop in Hawaii. The Sony Open previously The Hawaiian Open has been played at Waialae C.C. since it became a PGA stop in 1965. Gay Brewer was the first winner in 1965, in 1983 Isao Aoki became Japans first winner on the PGA when he holed a wedge for an eagle 3 on the par five 18th hole of the final round for a one shot win over Jack Renner. Tournament record is 260 by John Houston and Brad Faxon and the 18 hole record is 60 by Davis Love III in 1994. Factors to look for this week are fairways in reg as Waialae has ranked in the top 3 most difficult four of the last six years. If you're thinking on taking Rookies be careful on who you pick, the last rookie to place in the top ten was Mark Weibring in 2009 and of the 27 last year Chris Kirk was the best at T30. The last to win the Sony and Hyundai Tournament of Champions back to back was Ernie Els in 2003. So who will win this week will it be  a rookie to defy Waialae, will it be a master of driving the ball in the fairway or will Steve Stricker be the first since Els to win back to back and take the Aloha Slam.

Zooming in right behind Dutchis post are the bookies thoughts.


7/1 Steve Stricker 10/1 Webb Simpson 14/1 K.J. Choi     14/1 Zach Johnson 25/1 Charles Howell 28/1 Keegan Bradley     28/1 Jonathan Byrd 28/1 Kevin Na 33/1 Bud Cauley     33/1 Jason Dufner 33/1 Mark Wilson 33/1 Jeff Overton     33/1 Rory Sabbatini 33/1 John Senden 33/1 David Toms     40/1 Chad Campbell 40/1 Brian Gay 40/1 Jerry Kelly     40/1 Ryan Palmer 40/1 Vijay Singh 50/1 Robert Allenby     50/1 Briny Baird 50/1 Chris Kirk 50/1 Steve Marino     50/1 Sean O'Hair 50/1 Carl Pettersson 50/1 John Rollins     66/1 Lucas Glover 66/1 Justin Leonard 66/1 Spencer Levin     66/1 Davis Love 66/1 Seung-yul Noh 66/1 Michael Thompson     80/1 Ricky Barnes 80/1 Kris Blanks 80/1 Stewart Cink     80/1 Harris English 80/1 Harrison Frazar 80/1 David Hearn     80/1 Ryo Ishikawa 80/1 Danny Lee 80/1 Pat Perez     80/1 Scott Piercy 80/1 Heath Slocum 80/1 Kyle Stanley     80/1 Jhonattan Vegas 80/1 Jimmy Walker 100/1 Stephen Ames     100/1 Jason Bohn 100/1 Kevin Chappell 100/1 Brian Davis     100/1 Brendon De Jonge 100/1 Tommy Gainey 100/1 Jason Kokrak     100/1 Shigeki Maruyama 100/1 Troy Matteson 100/1 George McNeill     100/1 D.A. Points 100/1 Cameron Tringale 100/1 Johnson Wagner     125/1 Sang-Moon Bae 125/1 Paul Goydos 125/1 Billy Mayfair     125/1 John Merrick 125/1 Toshinori Muto 125/1 Tom Pernice     125/1 Scott Stallings 125/1 Chris Stroud 150/1 Arjun Atwal     150/1 Jonas Blixt 150/1 Michael Bradley 150/1 Daniel Chopra     150/1 Matt Every 150/1 Nathan Green 150/1 Hunter Haas     150/1 Tim Herron 150/1 Billy Hurley 150/1 Ryuji Imada     150/1 Sung-Hoon Kang 150/1 Kevin Kisner 150/1 Blake Adams     150/1 Wen-Chong Liang 150/1 Jarrod Lyle 150/1 John Mallinger     150/1 William McGirt 150/1 Koumei Oda 150/1 Ted Potter     150/1 Josh Teater 200/1 Mark Anderson 200/1 Cameron Beckman     200/1 Shane Bertsch 200/1 Matt Bettencourt 200/1 Scott Brown     200/1 Miguel Angel Carballo 200/1 Gavin Coles 200/1 Chad Collins     200/1 Marco Dawson 200/1 Graham DeLaet 200/1 Chris DiMarco     200/1 Ken Duke 200/1 Bobby Gates 200/1 J.J. Killeen     200/1 Colt Knost 200/1 Russell Knox 200/1 Derek Lamely     200/1 David Mathis 200/1 Joe Ogilvie 200/1 Corey Pavin     200/1 Kyle Reifers 200/1 Alexandre Rocha 200/1 Patrick Sheehan     200/1 Kyle Thompson 200/1 Steve Wheatcroft 250/1 Tommy Biershenk     250/1 Roberto Castro 250/1 Gary Christian 250/1 Will Claxton     250/1 Erik Compton 250/1 Martin Flores 250/1 Stephen Gangluff     250/1 Brian Harman 250/1 Troy Kelly 250/1 Edward Loar     250/1 Jeff Maggert 250/1 Hideki Matsuyama 250/1 Rocco Mediate     250/1 Greg Owen 250/1 Jesper Parnevik 250/1 Daniel Summerhays     250/1 Miguel Tabuena 250/1 Tadahiro Takayama 250/1 Brendon Todd     250/1 Duffy Waldorf 300/1 Charlie Beljan 300/1 Eric Dugas     300/1 Scott Dunlap 300/1 John Huh 300/1 Richard H. Lee     300/1 John Oda

GREAT posting by Dutch and Noko.......thank you both.


I'm thinking "Gilligans Island" (Charles Howell 111) might have a good Tournament ???


...... and Happy New Year guys.

This weeks picks

Stricker/Choi

Marino / Palmer     Hey Woods Revenge how do you like Steves last name. It does not get any better than MARINO.
Wilson / Goydos

My home town guy / Davis Love

  A  L  O  H  A      .    .    .    I'm not missing-out like I did last week.  Boy!  THAT was embarrassing.

Maybe this could be the year that Stricker emulates the great VJ Singh; and makes everyone perk-up and take notice  .... turning 45 and maybe buring-up the courses this year.  You never know; but he's off to a good start.  Then you have the young sailor, Bobby Hurley  - - er, oops that was the basketball player.   Frankly I think he should have stayed closer to the ship.  You gotta "love" DL-III.... he's got visions of grandeur of making the cup team [ ha - ha ].  But if you look close, you'll see my pick "Briny the Hat"... anyone who's NOT afraid to where a hat like that deserves to be on the team.



*  Howell-III /  Simpson

*  Allenby / The Hat
* Campbell / Frazer

* Senden / DL-III


Now, remember  -  if I was good, I wouldn't have missed last week... so don't forget to pick all the opposites..!!

DGM,  That miss last week was just a decoy, trying to make us think you're not good, most of us know differently.  LOL 

Good to see you back!  

Steve Stricker  B2B

Webb Simpson

Rory Sabbatini

Jonathan Byrd 

Charles Howell III  tragic tale about his grandfather, Thurston Howell III lost at sea during what was supposed to be a 3 hr. tour!

 

Here we go!

Who wants to cash in big over in Hawaii, and put a little bounce in their step before heading stateside?

This week picks include the following golfers.

“A” Team -

K.J. Choi / J.Vegas

“B” Team -

S. Marino / Stewart Cink

B. deJonge / Tommy Gainey

“C” Team -

R. Barnes / J. Senden

Good luck!

Fairways and greens!

DGM...I didn't miss "the great VJ Singh", just missed posting my comment.  He is the greatest, so far and probably ever, winning 19 after 40 and really between 40 and 44.  I guess everyone has heard,  I have his game ball 19,  got it at the Nelson last May along with my 6th autograph. 

Taking the guys who can hit the short and straight driver and not get into trouble on this course.

Zach Johnson/Kevin Na

Mark Wilson/D.A. Points
Chris Kirk/Briny Baird

Jerry Kelly/Brian Gay

Go Packers and Go Wisconsin Players!


 I guess the kids from Tennessee and Iowa can do well too!  

Forcast for the Sony Open 78 and Sunny

Forcast for Evansville tomorrow Snow with 30 mph winds temp in the low 30's. Windchill in the teens.

If I only had Dorthy's Ruby Red Slippers and could click the heels three times.


Come on Jeff and do me some good for that first PGA win.

If I only had Dorthy's Ruby Red Slippers and could click the heels three times

Sorry UK those won't get you to Hawaii just to Kansas

Going this week with
Simpsom/Stricker
Campbell/Wilson
Marino/Toms 
LoveIII/Kelly

Good Luck all

Sorry UK those won't get you to Hawaii just to Kansas

Damn these slippers. I keep ending up in Jayhawk country. Anyone know where the Wizard is.

I guess I just need to pull out the video of our trip down to Disney World to watch our son's AAU baseball team play for a National Championship several years ago in August. It was sunny and HOOOOT. Better than the single digits they are now predicting for us today.

Larry   Johnaton Byrd Graham Delaet Me thinks you should have played your fellow Canadian in the first round. EH

My guys all have the yips today.  I'll be lucky if I have 2 or 3 guys make the cut at this pace.


As much as I enjoy watching Hawaiian Golf while I'm stuck in a Blizzard I may have to watch Nascar for awhile before I get too angry at my picks.  Aaarrrghh.


 

Arasmis,  never despair, there's always tomorrow, or next week, or next year!  LOL  Really, tomorrow is another chance for your picks and some of the rest of ours to stage a comeback. 

As to blizzards, winter has shown its ugly face here, snowy, extremely cold, wind chill to reach 0 to 5 above tonight.   

I have been gone since early morning didn't get my picks down, a little late, but for those who haven't noticed..


Stricker/Z Johnson

Marino/Goydos
Frazar/Kirk

Kelly/Senden

And we're all after, now what's that guy's name?  LOL      Ahead by 28 lenghts!!      

I think Bud Cauley showed us there's no reason he can't win this thing.  Made 7 of 8 cuts last year, playing on exemptions.  Solid player, and he put in a solid first round and is sitting at T5.

Anyone know where the Wizard is.

Behind the curtain?

There’s no place like home!

Speaking of where is- where is what's his name the funny Irsih TV golf commentator? He was everywhere on golf TV and now he is not to be seen and I can't even remember his name hence my screen name