Week 2 Power Rankings: Sony Open in Hawaii

text size

EDITOR'S NOTE: PGATOUR.COM recently unveiled several new features this year, including Mike Vitti's weekly Power Rankings. Officially, Vitti is the Director of Research and Development in the TOUR's Marketing Department. Unofficially, he's a stats guru who analyzes all kinds of data from our ShotLink numbers. Vitti will size up the field each week and provide his top 10 players going into the tournament, based on factors such as the player's strengths, the course set-up, recent performances, etc.

Listen to Mike Vitti

Mike Vitti discusses this week's Power Rankings in his weekly Talk of the TOUR segment on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, Sirius 209). Click to listen

In the past three seasons, Waialae Country Club, host of this week's Sony Open in Hawaii, has ranked among the top three in hardest fairways to hit of any course on the PGA TOUR.

Last year, only about half of the tee shots found the fairway from the tee. However, this does not mean that the course in Honolulu is just another bomber's paradise.

There has been a mix of playing styles among the past champions at the Sony Open in Hawaii, but there seems to be one consistent theme among the eventual champions -- being a veteran.

The last 11 consecutive winners of this event represent the stalwarts of the PGA TOUR. Just so you don't have to look it up, here is the list : K.J. Choi, Paul Goydos, David Toms, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els (twice), Jerry Kelly, Brad Faxon, Paul Azinger, Jeff Sluman, and John Huston.

It looks like the key to victory this week may come down to experience.

Power Rankings: Sony Open in Hawaii

Rank Player   Comment Ernie ELS Els has never finished outside the top-5 at Sony -- including victories in 2003 and 2004. He is also coming off a solid week at Kapalua that saw him successfully converting 75 percent of his scrambling opportunities. Geoff OGILVY Ogilvy missed his first four cuts at Waialae CC, but figured out the course in 2007 and finished T8. Ogilvy cruised to victory last week mostly due to his work on the greens, where he converted 45.2 percent of his birdie opportunities. Jerry KELLY Another of those wily veterans and a past champion at the Sony Open, Kelly has recorded five top-10s in 11 starts. Only one of his last 12 rounds at Waialae has been in the 70s. K.J. CHOI Choi tied for 15th last week, but he's the defending champion at the Sony Open and finished T4 in 2007. Choi has hit 75 percent of the greens in regulation combined in his last two starts at Waialae, while the field average has been around 63 percent. Davis LOVE III Love looked healthy last week when he tied for second while also finishing among the leaders in driving distance and greens in regulation. Love has finished in the top-10 in five of his nine career starts at the Sony Open. Steve MARINO Although he's not a grizzled veteran, Marino has had success at the Sony Open, finishing T4 in his second start at the event. Marino ranked 15th in greens in regulation in 2008, and that accuracy with his approach shots could bring him his first TOUR victory. Pat PEREZ Perez has recorded eight consecutive rounds of par or better at Waialae and has finished in the top-10 in each of the last two years. Perez can also score well beyond this venue; he ranked ninth in par breaker percentage in 2008. Rory SABBATINI He's had five straight rounds in the 60s at Sony and placed second in '06 and '08. With 65 percent attempting to reach the par 5s in two, Waialae is among the TOUR's highest in going for it percentages. In '08, he was sixth in going for it birdie or better percentage. Zach JOHNSON Johnson has only three starts at the Sony Open and hasn't finished higher than T32. However, his accuracy from the tee (ranked fifth in 2008) should benefit him at Waialae, and he's putting well -- last week he ranked fifth in one-putt percentage. David TOMS A true veteran and past Sony Open champion, Toms hasn't finished higher than T13 in his last four starts at Waialae. He's returned to playing Cleveland equipment this season -- the company that was in his bag for 11 of his 12 career wins.