Local Knowledge: Sony Open and Waialae Country Club (PGA.com)
January 13, 2010
This week's Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu is the first full-field event on the PGA Tour schedule. It's one more week in paradise before the start of the West Coast Swing for the best golfers in the world. Zach Johnson returns as the defending champion, but the fan-favorite is sure to be Hawaii-native Tadd Fujikawa. Before things get crazy at Waialae, we sat down for a quick chat with PGA Head Professional John Harman.
PGA.com: Happy New Year, John. Thanks for joining us for a few minutes. This is always an exciting time of year for Waialae. What's it like to host the first full-field event of the new season? Is there any added pressure to set the bar high?
Harman: I don't think there's any added pressure, to be honest. It's exciting. We try to capture a good field every year and that's made easier by the fact that all the previous year's winners are in Maui one week before our tournament. It's a pretty easy sell to get guys to enjoy two weeks in Hawaii. It's a great start. The feedback I get from most players is this is a very good way to start the season, because we have an easy walking course. On No. 10 they take three steps up and that's about it for elevation changes.
PGA.com: There have been many spectacular finishes in the history of the Sony Open at Waialae. I guess you could attribute some of that to the fact that you have such a great par-5 finishing hole. Would you agree?
Harman: Yes, but I actually think it's our final two holes. It's the par-3 17th with the ocean right there. With the Kona winds it's into the wind. With the Trade wind it's downwind and a possible birdie hole. On No. 18, the have to come around a corner with a dog-leg left. When it's playing downwind, they can get home in two with no problem. I've seen guys hit driver-8-iron into the green there. Depending on the elements, those are two spectacular finishing holes.
PGA.com: We can't really talk about the Sony Open without touching on one of Hawaii's own—recently turned 19-year-old Tadd Fujikawa. In 2007, he was just 16 years old when he became the second youngest player in history to make a cut on the PGA Tour. His story is remarkable. What is it about Waialae and the Sony Open, specifically, that seems to bring out the best in Tadd?
Harman: I think he's comfortable here. He's a local boy. In fact, we went to the same high school—I went there many years before him, of course, but that's something we've always joked about since we met. We try to make him feel comfortable. He's a very, very good young man and this course plays well for him. It goes back to the wind. The wind factor worked out perfectly for Tadd in 2007. He knew the course enough to know what was going on.
PGA.com: The Sony Open has a healthy list of notable past champions, including Lanny Wadkins, Corey Pavin, Hale Irwin, Jim Furyk, Paul Azinger, Ernie Els, David Toms and Vijay Singh—just to name a few. Former Masters champion Zach Johnson added his name to that distinguished list last year. Does that make you step back and take any more pride in the job that you guys do at Waialae?
Harman: We take a lot of pride in that. We look forward to seeing the younger guys do well too though. The major winners step to the plate more often, but I also like seeing the newer faces. They have a lot of excitement in them. The veteran guys are steady and finish in the top 20 no problem. Overall, all our champions have been great guys—Jerry Kelly, Steve Stricker. Steve comes every year with his family and that's the great thing about it. I hope it's more than a tournament for them. It's a vacation too.
PGA.com: Finally, John, what's your favorite aspect about hosting a PGA Tour event?
Harman: I try to relay this message to everyone in Hawaii—this is our state fair. You can stand there and see the guys face to face and eye to eye. I haven't seen a pro turn anyone away for an autograph or a picture. It's a beautiful place. We have people talking about how cold it is in sunny Florida right now, but here it's just perfect. You can't beat it.
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