If you want to win multiple times on tour, choose your golf course wisely.
Tiger Woods made a career out of this strategy and it paid big dividends for him, particularly at the Bay Hill Invitational and the Buick Invitational where he won each of those events four consecutive times.
As you might have guessed, that’s a PGA Tour record that he shares with Young Tom Morris, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen, all from another era. There have been 21 other streaks of winning the same tournament three consecutive times and that’s where Jimmy Walker comes into view at this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii that begins today.
If the two-time defending champion wants some advice on how to turn that trick, he need look no further than at this week’s field where Steve Stricker and his wife plan a four-day walkabout at Waialae Country Club.
Granted, Stricker hasn’t won here yet, despite some steady rounds, but he is the last golfer on tour to have captured the same tournament three straight years in 2009, 2010 and 2011 at the John Deere Classic.
Back in 2012, Woods encouraged Stricker to become only the second golfer of the 21st century to win four straight, but it wasn’t meant to be. Zach Johnson stepped in to stop the silliness and keep Woods in rare territory. Not that Walker is spending too much of his time thinking about any of this.
When he took first here in 2014 Walker was the hottest thing going. He won early and often, and built a huge FedEx Cup advantage as a result. In 2015, he all but had the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in his golf bag before Patrick Reed made up a four-shot deficit with four to play to eventually win in a playoff.
Walker felt he gave that one away, no offense to Reed, and came in here last year with a chip shot on his shoulder that helped produce a nine-stroke win over runner-up Scott Piercy. These days, Walker isn’t playing quite at the same level of efficiency. He had only one round in the 60s last week on Maui where a 69 was basically par.
And even that blistering 64 on Saturday was tainted a bit when considering he parred the final four holes, including two inviting par 5s. That hangover hung tough in the final round as well. Over his closing 22 holes, Walker was a meager 1 under par. And that’s some cause for concern entering the first full-field event of 2016.
“To win it at Waialae, you have to hit quality iron shots and make a lot of putts,” Walker said. “It’s a tough place to drive the ball because the fairways are narrow and firm, but if you do, hit good shots into the green and are putting well, those are some of the keys for success on this course.”
Joining Walker from the Plantation Course are 21 other touring pros who already have 72 holes of tournament golf behind them in 2016. Chief among them is Brandt Snedeker, who tied for third on Sunday at Maui and is full of confidence.
“I am very excited where my game is right now,” Snedeker said. “I’m healthy and plan to stay that way. I’m looking forward to playing at Waialae. The course sets up well for me.”
It sets up well for Stricker and Matt Kuchar, too. Like Stricker, Kuchar has done everything but cash the first-place check with four consecutive top 10s. World No. 11 Adam Scott, No. 12 Zach Johnson and No. 16 and current FedEx Cup leader Kevin Kisner are also taking their swings.
In all, six of the world’s top 25 golfers and nine past Sony Open champions are in the field, including the last six. Count Johnson among them, who won here in 2009 and is coming off an incredible year that included his second major, this time at the British Open.
“I like the design of the course because it rewards good shots and punishes bad ones,” Johnson said. “It’s old school. You have to work it around the course to shoot well. If you get out of position, you’re in trouble.”
Nobody knows that any better than Walker, who feels this course is underrated. Ernie Els once called Waialae a gem in the middle of the Pacific. You won’t get any argument from Walker, who can make a statement here by hoisting the trophy in one hand on Sunday and giving the shaka sign with the other for the third time running.
“This is the first time I’ve ever experienced or prepared for something like this,” Walker said of trying to defend three straight. “I’m excited about the opportunity. Everybody is like ‘We want to see the three-peat. We want to see the three-peat.’ It doesn’t happen very often. It would be cool. It would be fun to do.”
