GOLF REPORT
Looking forward to Arizona after ace, solid Buick finish
| Kim's new role model: Tadd |
By Parker McLachlin
Special to The Advertiser
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Join us as we take a tour on the PGA Tour with Parker McLachlin, a Punahou School graduate. McLachlin is in his first year on the PGA Tour. He joins Castle alum Dean Wilson as the only Hawai'i golfers on the PGA Tour. McLachlin will write his impressions on events that he's just completed and tournaments that are upcoming on his calendar.
Greetings from Scottsdale, Ariz., where I'm preparing for the FBR Open after an exciting week at The Buick Invitational in San Diego.
It was nice to get back on the golf course last week, my first event since the Sony Open.
From the minute I got to Torrey Pines I realized that this was a golf course on steroids. The South Course, which I played Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, will host the U.S. Open in 2008, and it played to over 7,500 yards, the longest I had ever played in competition.
I started Thursday knowing that anything under par would be a solid score. The round turned on the third hole (my 12th of the day) when the fans witnessed my first-ever competitive hole-in-one.
I hit a 6-iron from 186 yards that rolled right into the hole. I was 1-over par heading into the hole, and 1-under after I left. That was a big lift, especially considering how tough it was to be under par on the course.
Friday was special because we announced my partnership with the Waikoloa Beach Resort. I've always been proud to represent Hawai'i, and it means a lot to me to partner up with Waikoloa. Also on Friday, I shot a 67 and moved into the third-to-last group on Saturday.
It was a thrill to be in the hunt on the weekend, and it was calming to see some familiar faces from the Nationwide Tour in contention as well. Tiger Woods went off a few groups ahead of me. With the way the golf course was routed, our paths crossed routinely on Saturday. His crowds were enormous, and you could feel the electricity.
Although the golf course showed its teeth on Saturday, the day wasn't totally disappointing because I found out when I finished that I had received a sponsor's invite to play in Arizona in the FBR Open this week. It is a thrill, because I've played here so many times.
I went out Sunday determined to post a good number and end the week on a positive note. I really played well and was able to move up into the top 25 and have some momentum going into this week.