NEWS

Sony Open in Hawaii: First-round notes
 
Jan. 12, 2007
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By Joel Schuchmann
PGA Tour Media Official
Luke Donald
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Sony Open in Hawaii 2004-2007 Field Averages
Year FIR GIR Putts Driving Dist.
2007* 49.3% 65.1% 1.820 292.7 yds
2006 43.9% 64.4% 1.811 293.3 yds
2005 54.3% 60.0% 1.808 280.2 yds
2004 53.9% 65.5% 1.771 281.6 yds
*2007 based on first-round results

HONOLULU -- The 18-hole leader Luke Donald, fresh off a solo seventh at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, is making his fifth start at the Sony Open in Hawaii. In four previous starts, he has finished T13 in both 2002 and 2005, T20 in 2004 and missed the cut in 2003.

  • • The first-round 7-under-par 63 by Luke Donald is the lowest first-round score at the Sony Open in Hawaii since Carlos Franco posted a 63 in 2004 to lead Jesper Parnevik by two strokes.

  • • The 63 by Luke Donald is one off his career low 18-hole total on the PGA TOUR, a first-round 62 at Spyglass Hill GC during the 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

  • • J.B. Holmes, who finished T10 at the 2006 Sony Open in his first start as a PGA TOUR member, posted nine-hole scores of 40-30 on Thursday. His back nine included five birdies and he birdied six of his final 10 holes.

  • • Chad Campbell (T5) posted four consecutive birdies (Nos. 15-18) on his first nine holes en route to a 4-under-par 66.

  • • Three players that finished among the top-10 last week at the Mercedes-Benz Championship rank among the top-10 through 18 holes. Luke Donald (7th at MBC) leads the Sony Open, while K.J. Choi (8th at MBC) is alone in second place, and Will MacKenzie (T4) is tied for third.

  • • After posting just two top-10s in his first two full seasons on TOUR (54 starts), Will MacKenzie (T3) is looking to match that total in his first two starts of the 2007 campaign, having finished T4 last week.

  • • The 2005 Sony Open in Hawaii champion Vijay Singh posted his 12th (out of 18 starts) top-10 in Hawaii last week with his win at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, eight top-10s at the Mercedes Championships and four at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Singh's 1-over-par 71 on Thursday was just his second over-par round in his last 22 at Waialea Country Club.

  • • Sony Open in Hawaii defending champion David Toms is off to a strong start in 2007, having posted the low round of the week (67) in the final round of last week's Mercedes-Benz Championship en route to a T8 finish.

  • • Twenty-one of the 28 rookies on the PGA TOUR are in this week's field at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Those playing in the first PGA TOUR event of their career this week are Ryan Armour, Brendon De Jonge and Tom Johnson. Brendon De Jonge earned entry into the event on Wednesday morning when Arron Oberholser withdrew due to a back injury, and flew from Charlotte to Honolulu, arriving at approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday for his 8 a.m. tee time. He shot a 1-under-par 69.

  • • Tom Johnson, playing in his first career PGA TOUR event this week, leads all rookies through 18-holes (-3/T13).

  • • Last year's PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year Steve Stricker (T13) is off to a strong start in 2007, having posted a 3-under-par 67. Stricker, playing with past champion status last year, posted seven top-10s in 17 starts last year after totaling just four in the previous four years (2002-05) in 91 starts.

  • • There were five bogey-free rounds on Thursday: K.J. Choi, Jim Furyk, Heath Slocum, Ryan Palmer and Geoff Ogilvy.

  • • The Sony Open in Hawaii is the second event of the inaugural FedExCup, a season-long points competition that culminates with the TOUR's first-ever playoff system. The annual FedExCup Champion will be determined by points accumulated through the PGA TOUR Regular Season of 33 weeks and, following a points reset based on final player standings, performance in the four tournaments that will comprise the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. The Playoff events, which will feature a progressive cut, are The Barclays in New York (144 players), Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston (120), BMW Championship in Chicago (70) and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola in Atlanta (30).

  • • In addition to the title of FedExCup Champion, the winner will receive $10 million, the largest single bonus awarded in professional sports.

  • • As the concluding event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola moves from its traditional late October-early November timeframe to mid-September. A new seven-tournament PGA TOUR Fall Series follows and will determine the remainder of the 125 qualifiers for the following season's FedExCup competition.

  • • The FedExCup will offer $35 million in total bonus money, one of the highest totals in sports. Following the winner's share of $10 million, second through fifth place will receive $3 million, $2 million, $1.5 million and $1 million, respectively.

  • • The PGA TOUR Regular Season began with the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii (week of Jan. 1-7 in 2007) and continue through the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC (Aug. 13-19, 2007). Most PGA TOUR events will offer 25,000 FedExCup points. The Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship -- which moves from March to May as part of the restructured schedule -- will offer 27,500 points. The three World Golf Championships events will award 26,250, while the three Additional events, i.e., events played the same week as the World Golf Championship events and the British Open, will award half at 12,500 points.

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