TOUR Insider: How do the rookies find their place?

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TOUR veteran Harrison Frazar knows a thing or two about the struggles of staying on TOUR; he went through q-school last year to get back here.

HONOLULU -- Harrison Frazar played a practice round with Colt Knost and Gary Woodland on Tuesday at Waialae Country Club.

Woodland is one of 10 rookies competing in this week's Sony Open in Hawaii who has never played in a PGA TOUR event. On the other hand, Knost has a year of Nationwide Tour experience under his belt, as well as seven PGA TOUR events.

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The first full-field event of the season is the beginning of the rest of their lives. Knost and Woodland want to live large on the PGA TOUR just like Frazar did for more than a decade before having to return to q-school, which he won, in December.

The introspective Texan, who has a runner-up finish and seven other appearances at the Sony Open, helped the two rookies learn the ins-and-outs of Waialae Country Club. At the same time, they were making birdies and bogeys, though, he talked big picture.

His No. 1 piece of advice to the two rookies? Don't be afraid to ask questions.

"You can walk up to somebody like a Vijay Singh or an Adam Scott or a Jim Furyk or David Toms, and don't be afraid to ask for a practice round," Frazar said. "Don't be afraid to sit down and have lunch with them, because you never know.

"Some guy might have a reputation of being tough or being a hard guy. But you may connect, and you may find somebody that's got a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of information that you can ask and you can talk to them about these things to help you.

"But at the same time, go back and play golf with those guys in the q-school category to remember where you are."

Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen helped Frazar make the transition after he graduated from the University of Texas in 1996 with a degree in psychology and business foundations. So did his former Longhorn teammate, Justin Leonard as well as Fred Couples and the late Payne Stewart.

Frazar remembers vividly making his first cut at the 1998 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He was paired with Nick Faldo and was in so much "shock and awe" that he could not bring himself to talk to the six-time major champion.

"But Justin kind of pushed me into a couple of groups after I started playing well, pushed me into social situations with them, to start getting comfortable," Frazar said. "And then after I started playing a little bit better ... guys came up and started shaking your hand and saying, good playing, and next thing you know, you're not afraid to be around them.

"You can jump in a bunker with Tom Watson, and ask, how do you do that; do you mind if I ask you how do you do that? Hal Sutton was another one that was open to help. You've got to get over the fear and the intimidation of these guys, is my point, and don't be afraid, because they would like to impart that knowledge."

Frazar's introduction to the PGA TOUR was a little different than that of Davis Love III. When he turned pro, Love already had the counsel of the Tom Kites and Ben Crenshaws of the world thanks to his father's association with legendary teacher Harvey Penick.

The 44-year-old Love earned a lifetime exemption on TOUR last fall when he won for the 20th time. As one of the game's elder statesmen, he'd tell the 25 rookies in the Sony Open field to be patient. Scheduling is key.

"One thing Paul Azinger told me early on was find what's right for you -- whether it's two or three or four in a row -- it's not going to be the same for everybody," Love said. "And then go home and take a break and try to figure out how long a break you need, whether 2-3 days is enough or you need a whole week off.

"It's hard to find a rhythm. There's so much going on, and there's so much money, it's hard to be patient and just let it happen."

INSIDER NOTES

Ogilvy

Geoff Ogilvy found a razor when he got to Honolulu. The beard the Aussie sported as he won the Mercedes-Benz Championship last week was gone on Tuesday. Of course, another hot start at the Sony Open could bring the stubble back...

Harrison Frazar has a new equipment deal with Srixon, which recently bought Cleveland Golf, his sponsor for the first eight years of his career.

A downsizing trend at Cleveland several years ago left Frazar out in the cold. So he began carrying a TaylorMade bag, hat and driver, and clubs from a variety of manufacturers. He appreciated the relationships but wanted to be part of a team again.

That's why Frazar was so happy when Srixon contacted him. He will play the Srixon ball and either Srixon or Cleveland irons while keeping his TaylorMade driver.

Donald

"They are still the same guys that put together all my equipment eight years ago," Frazar said. "They still have all my specs, and they know what I like and the personal touch." ...

Luke Donald will be making his first start on the PGA TOUR since he withdrew from the U.S. Open last summer and had surgery on his left wrist in August. He started putting in October and hit his first full wedge on Nov. 3, then moved up a club every day.

"It was fun seeing the ball fly," Donald said. "It was hard (to take that much time away). But it was a good way to build up your swing, kind of from the ground up, and work on a few things I needed to change in my swing. ... Touch wood, my wrist is perfect. No soreness, no nothing." ...