Mark Wilson didn’t get a bonus for leading the most weeks in the FedEx Cup race with 12 or pocket some extra coins as one of seven golfers with the most wins on the 2011 PGA Tour with two.
His fast start to the quarter-pole — those two victories occurred the opening five weeks of the season — led to more media requests and time spent away from the practice green. As the FedEx Cup points leader for the better part of three months, Wilson suddenly found himself as the golfer of choice at each stop along the way.
"(There were) more press conferences last year, especially early in the year when I was leading the FedEx Cup," Wilson said Wednesday as he prepared to defend his Sony Open in Hawaii title at the Waialae Country Club.
"Everyone wanted to talk to me and hear my thoughts about, not only my own game, but everyone else’s game and the state of golf and all this kind of stuff. All of a sudden, I was expected to have all these opinions on all these different subjects I hadn’t thought about."
With that came higher, and eventually, unmet expectations from himself; perhaps the only real disappointment in an otherwise stellar season in which he finished No. 22 in the FedEx Cup chase and No. 19 on the money list with a handsome $3.16 million in on-the-course-earnings.
There were a couple of chances at the Colonial and the BMW, where pressing became an issue, something the man from Menomonee Falls, Wis., plans to leave out of his bag in the coming campaign
"There were some expectations," Wilson said. "It kind of pushed me to what can I do next? Colonial, I was playing so well there. David Toms looked like he was going to run away with the tournament. I just had a flat weekend. I shot a 5 over on Sunday. That was really all because I put too much pressure on myself. I got off to a rough start in that final round and I started to push. Which is something I didn’t do the two tournaments that I won.
"Maybe trying too hard the rest of the year, instead of just letting it happen, which I did the first two months of the year. I just let it happen. I let the golf come to me. It’s easier said than done. We all want success and we want to get it done, but like I said earlier, you can’t control the bounces.You can only control so much."
With that said, Wilson didn’t have any expectations en route to winning by two shots here last year in a 36-hole Sunday because of rain. He doesn’t have any this week, either. The victory here a year ago blew apart his schedule after adding all the majors and the world golf events, including the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
The 37-year-old had a caravan of 17 with him at last week’s season-opening event on Maui. Missing some pool time and trying to make reservations with a party of 17 were the most challenging things Wilson faced en route to a tie for 18th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
"It’s definitely a little quieter," said Wilson, who has stayed at the Kahala since his arrival. "A little more manageable. The hardest part was getting reservations. When you call and say we need 17, including three high chairs … but Maui had tables big enough to hold that, believe it or not."
Wilson will be paired with fellow Sony Open champions Toms and Zach Johnson today and Friday. All three have similar styles of play, something Wilson is looking forward to. Obviously, all three have played well here in the past.
"Zach was excited because he played with Toms in the final round the year that he won in ’09," Wilson said. "I like all those guys. We have similar games. We don’t bomb it. We usually hole a lot of putts, so I think it’s going to be a very fun group.
"This is one of my favorite courses of the year, even before I won. You’ve got to drive the ball straight. You have to be really precise with your irons. And you’ve got to putt well. It’s a really good test and it brings in all the different kinds of players because length isn’t an advantage. You have to hit straight. You’ve got to think your way around."
