KAPALUA, Maui » With much of the country stuck in a deep freeze, taking the golf clubs out for a swing or two is still months away.
>> Where: Kapalua Resort
>> When: Friday-Monday
>> Purse: $5.7 million (winner’s share is $1.14 million)
>> TV: Golf Channel |
Fortunately for those folks, they can live vicariously through 34 members of the PGA Tour lucky enough to be on Maui for the winners-only Hyundai Tournament of Champions that begins Friday at the Plantation Course with temperatures expected to be in the high 70s.
There were 38 golfers eligible for this elite field with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, No. 3 Adam Scott, No. 6 Justin Rose and No. 12 Martin Kaymer opting not to make the journey from halfway around the globe.
With the European event at Abu Dhabi teeing up next week, it’s understandable why Kaymer, who is the defending champ, McIlroy and Rose aren’t climbing the Plantation’s steep hills and navigating its expansive greens. It would take the better part of a day to fly from Kapalua to the United Arab Emirates. Scott, who teed it up in both Hawaii events in 2014, is taking some time off. His wife is due to have a baby next month.
That leaves two top-10 players in the field this week with world No. 4 Bubba Watson and No. 8 Jason Day as the headline acts as the tour resumes its wrap-around season after taking seven weeks off.
Watson, who won the Masters last year, would seem perfectly suited for this par-73 course that plays 7,452 yards from the tips. This is his fourth straight tour of duty here with last year’s tie for fourth his best finish.
This is Day’s second appearance on Maui. He tied for ninth in 2011. The 27-year-old Aussie has his sights set on becoming the world’s best after an injury-plagued 2014 campaign that saw his back and thumb flare up too often for his taste.
"Obviously a good way to start the year for me," Day said after Thursday’s Pro-Am round. "I didn’t play any in the fall due to the injuries I had to take care of, but excited to be back here. It means you’re doing something extremely well if you’re in the field here."
Being sidelined kept Day on edge. Like most professional athletes, competition is the key. Being on the sidelines is difficult, especially on family members.
"My wife certainly feels it when I’m sitting there being grumpy on the couch and wanting to be out and playing," Day said. "It’s tough, because you know, this is what I like to do, this is what I love to do. I want to be out here competing.
"It’s going to be a tough, tough test because these guys are past winners. There’s a lot of good golfers in the field this week."
Including defending champion Zach Johnson, who remembers being intimidated by this course the first time he played it. Diminutive in stature, Johnson isn’t Dali-Lama long off the tee, but overcame a third-round 74 to finish at 19-under 273 to hold off Jordan Spieth by a single shot.
It was the first of three consecutive top 10s for Johnson, who played particularly well the first part of last year. After a tie for third at the Humana Challenge in February, Johnson had two more top-10 finishes in what turned out to be a solid season.
"Well, here comes the broken record, but it’s great to be back in Maui," Johnson said. "This is a pretty special place to start, and it’s one that certainly me and my family relish because it’s not easy getting back here.
"I used to think this golf course wasn’t in my favor, but the more I play it, the better I feel like it is suited for me, depending on the wind situation and that kind of thing. But I’ve grown to at least enjoy it for sure."
Count Matt Kuchar among those who enjoy this difficult-to-walk course. He and his family have an affinity for the island chain. It matches his easy-going approach to life on and off the course. He has played in this event four of the past five years and has never finished lower than a tie for sixth.
It’s hard to say who enjoys Maui the most among the professional golfers who have played this course. But Kuchar is in the top five.
"I do love it here," Kuchar said. "It’s a magical place, and coming back to Kapalua, there’s something really special about playing those holes where you’re looking down at Molokai in the distance.
"It’s a special, unique place. Love coming here. I love all the islands I’ve been to. I really had a great experience. Hoping to put my name on this title one of these years and earn that way back really quickly. It would be nice to knock that out as soon as possible."
