Sound sleeper Wilkinson faces a huge wake-up call

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HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Tim Wilkinson sleeps so soundly he almost looks like he's dead. At least, that's what his caddy, who has occasionally roommed with his boss, says.

In just his third PGA TOUR start, Tim Wilkinson will play in Sunday's final group. (Ferrey/WireImage)

Inside the Numbers

Wilkinson thru 54 Holes

Category Total Rank Eagles 0 N/A Birdies 15 T4 Pars 35 T33 Bogeys 4 T58 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 66.7% T6 Driving Distance 290.8 yds. 47 Greens in Regulation 61.1% T57 Putts per Round 25.0 1 Putts per GIR 1.606 2 Sand Saves 83.3% T8

The 29-year-old from New Zealand may find himself tossing and turning a little bit Saturday night, though. It's not every day he starts the final round with a chance to win a PGA TOUR event like the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Wilkinson is making just his third TOUR start -- and his first since earning his card at q-school last month. This rookie who cut his teeth on the Nationwide Tour played like a veteran, though, firing a 62 Saturday that left him in sole possession of second place entering the final round.

"I'll think about it tonight, I'm sure," said the understated Kiwi who trails K.J. Choi by four strokes. "I'll just read a book before I go to bed, and that puts me to sleep."

Wilkinson's wake-up call came early on Saturday as he birdied his first two holes, making putts of 4 and 6 feet to set the tone for the afternoon. By the time he finished No. 11, where he nearly holed a 4-iron, he was an eye-catching 7 under par for the day.

Wilkinson's momentum would stall on the back nine before thoughts of the magic 59 could enter the Kiwi's head. Not that he was complaining about that 62, though.

"Actually, it didn't come into my mind at all, funnily enough," he said. "But on 12, 13, 14, I left them right in the middle short, so had those gone in, I probably would have thought about it."

Wilkinson says his short game, putting and driving accuracy are his strengths -- which means Waialae is a course right down his alley. He also likes to work the ball in both directions, and he says the many doglegs help him visualize shots.

"When I was playing amateur golf I used to shoot really low scores a lot of the time," Wilkinson said. "I think I've started to play a lot more conservatively since I've turned pro. I would say I don't fire at as many pins. That would be the biggest difference.

"I played to the safe side most of the time (today). I just made some good putts. I made putts that you feel you should make and made a good bunker shot. That made a big difference. "

The left-hander grew up idolizing Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Nick Price -- before Tiger Woods turned pro, that is. Wilkinson plays out of the same course in New Zealand as TOUR veteran Grant Waite and Craig Perks, who won the 2002 PLAYERS Championship.

The slender Wilkinson began playing golf when he was 13 after his uncle took his brother out for a round. His father bought both sons 7-irons and the two were hooked. They learned the fundamentals by taking free lessons on Sunday at a nearby club.

"We used to go to a school right near us and hit balls on the playground -- probably weren't supposed to, but we did," Wilkinson said. "And it sort of went from there."

By the time Wilkinson was a senior in high school, he knew he wanted to play professionally. He needed more seasoning, though, and the Kiwi didn't get his TOUR card until his third trip to the finals of q-school.

"It's what I always wanted to do, but it's been a lot of hard work to get here," said Wilkinson, who only missed two cuts and won more than $133,000 last year on the Nationwide Tour.

"The night before the final round at q-school I slept nine hours straight. I wasn't even worried about it. I was right on the number. And that night, I couldn't sleep that night after I qualified. It meant a lot, yeah."

Wilkinson played his first two rounds this week in the spotlight -- paired with the precocious Hawaiian teen, Tadd Fujikawa. The experience could serve him well on Sunday when the Kiwi finds himself in the day's final group with Choi.

"It's a lot of fun playing in front of people, and you hit a good shot, you actually get applause," Wilkinson said with a shy smile. " ... He's a nice kid, and it was good. He's a really good player, too. He had a lot of pressure on him this week."

Now, Wilkinson will have some pressure of his own on Sunday. He's trying to manage his expectations, though.

"I'm not a flashy player by any means and not many people have heard of me," he said. "But I just try to improve every year. That's my biggest goal, just to improve every part of my game. I think if I do that results will come. But obviously to keep my card is the first priority."

He could take care of that -- and then some -- on Sunday.