Part 1: Mercedes-Benz Championship Field Study

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Jan. 2, 2009
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

After a brief hibernation, the PGA TOUR returns this week for a new season at arguably the greatest spot in the world -- breathtakingly beautiful Maui and the Kapalua Resort for the season-opening winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship. What follows is a quick look at the players who earned their way to Hawaii.

• PART 2: A look at the rest of the field

Player	2008 wins	Analysis
Cameron Beckman	Frys.com Open	Beckman, who ranked 176th on the money list and 447th in the Official World Golf Ranking, had already filled out his application for q-school when he came to Scottsdale. He started the final round three shots off the pace and was four back when he made the turn. But Beckman birdied five of his next seven holes to get into a playoff that he won with a par on the second extra hole. The 38-year-old didn't make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup but was 82nd on the money list and earned a two-year exemption for his win.
K.J. Choi	Sony Open in Hawaii	Choi won his seventh PGA TOUR event despite a 1-over 71 in blustery conditions. He led by four entering the final round and beat Rory Sabbatini by three. Choi, who had five top-10s, went on to finish 10th in the FedExCup.
Daniel Chopra	Mercedes-Benz Championship	Chopra closed with a 66 and beat Steve Stricker with a 25-foot birdie putt on the fourth extra hole at Kapalua. The victory was the only top-10 of the season for Chopra, who went on to finish 102nd in the FedExCup.
Stewart Cink	Travelers Championship	Only Tiger Woods was hotter than Cink early in the year as he posted six top-10s in his first nine starts. One of those was a lopsided loss to Woods in the finale of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, though, while Cink was his own worst enemy in closing with a 74 at the PODS Championship to tie for second. Cink got the job done at TPC River Highlands, though, with a final-round 67 that enabled him to hold off Tommy Armour III and Hunter Mahan by a stroke. Cinks win broke a four-year victory drought and he went on to finish 20th in the FedExCup.
Ernie Els	The Honda Classic	The Big Easy ended a PGA TOUR victory drought of nearly four years as he shot a final-round 67 to come from three strokes off the pace and beat Luke Donald by one shot. The win was one of five top-10s for Els, who was 13th in the FedExCup despite playing just 16 events.
Brian Gay	Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun	It took 293 starts only 12 champions have needed more as Brian Gay finally picked up his first PGA TOUR win. Gay led by five entering the final round and shot 69 to beat Steve Marino by two. Gay won a career-best $2.2 million and finished 46th in the FedExCup.
J.B. Holmes	FBR Open	Holmes birdied the 18th hole twice on Sunday --once to force a playoff and secondly to beat Phil Mickelson with an 8-foot putt after a massive 359-yard drive. The victory was the second for Holmes, who was a Captain's Pick for the Ryder Cup and finished 38th in the FedExCup.
Trevor Immelman	The Masters	Four months earlier, the young South African was having surgery to remove a benign tumor from his ribcage. Immelman played in the final group and persevered, despite a closing 75, to hold off Tiger Woods by three strokes. Immelman nearly picked up another win at the Stanford St. Jude Classic, losing in a playoff, and finished 16th in the FedExCup.
Ryuji Imada	AT&T Classic	It was payback time for Imada at the AT&T Classic. In 2007 he had put his approach on the first playoff hole in the water and lost to Zach Johnson. Imada made the most of his second chance in 2008, beating Kenny Perry on the first extra hole as Perrys approach ricocheted off a tree and into the water. Imada finished 25th in the FedExCup and his $3 million nearly equaled his three previous years combined.
Dustin Johnson	Turning Stone Resort Championship	Johnson couldn't get any traction after starting his rookie year with three top-12s in his first four starts. So prior to the start of the Fall Series he sat down with his coach, and the work paid off quickly when Johnson sank an 8-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole to beat Robert Allenby and win for the first time on TOUR. He finished 117th in the FedExCup and 42nd on the money list.
Zach Johnson	Valero Texas Open	Johnson won the Masters in 2007, but he didnt make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup last year. He used the time wisely, though, rededicating himself to the game and Johnson was rewarded with a two-stroke victory over Charlie Wi, Mark Wilson and Tim Wilkinson. The win, the fourth of his career, was his first on TOUR outside of Georgia. Johnson finished 131st in the FedExCup and 53rd on the money list.
Richard S. Johnson	U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee	The slender Swede made birdie on three of his last four holes to shoot 64 on Sunday and win his first PGA TOUR event by a shot over Ken Duke. Johnson, who had started the final round one shot off the pace, entered the tournament ranked 221st in the FedExCup but went on to finish 77th.
Anthony Kim	Wachovia Championship, AT&T Championship	Kim's first two PGA TOUR victories came in decidedly different fashion. He shot a 69 on Sunday and cruised to a five-stroke victory at the Wachovia Championship, breaking Tiger Woods 72-hole scoring record in the process. Kim trailed by three entering the final round at Congressional Country Club but made up the deficit -- and then some -- with a final-round 65 that gave him a two-shot win over Fredrik Jacobson. Kim, who is the first American since Woods to win twice before turning 25, went on to play in his first Ryder Cup and finished fourth in the FedExCup.
Greg Kraft	Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular	The inaugural tournament in Puerto Rico marked Kraft's first official TOUR victory in 379 starts. (He won the 1993 Deposit Guaranty Classic played opposite the Masters). Kraft, who beat Bo Van Pelt and Jerry Kelly by one, had two other top-10s and finished 125th in the FedExCup.
Justin Leonard	Stanford St. Jude Championship	Elvis may have left the building, but Leonard has certainly found Memphis to his liking. The Texan closed with a 68 and then make a 19-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to beat Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby. The victory was Leonard's second at the TPC Southwind in three years and helped him finish eighth in the FedExCup.
Davis Love III	Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart	Love earned a lifetime exemption on the PGA TOUR when he picked up his 20th TOUR victory. He scrambled for clutch pars on the last two holes to close with an 8-under 64 and hold off Tommy Gainey by a stroke. Love, who made 14 birdies and an eagle over his final 36 holes, had started the final round two strokes behind the leaders. Love, who did not qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, had four finishes among the top 11 during the Fall Series. He finished 48th on the money list.
Steve Lowery	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	Lowery came from three strokes off the pace with a 70 to force a playoff with Vijay Singh that he won with a birdie on the first extra hole. Lowery, whose three TOUR wins all have necessitated extra holes, lasted two Playoff events and finished 102nd in the FedExCup.