Power Rankings: Sony Open in Hawaii

text size

Like neighborhoods in the same city that might as well be on opposite ends of the earth, so goes the transition from Kapalua's Plantation Course to Waialae CC. For 20 of the participants of the SBS Championship on Maui, the 20-minute flight west to Oahu will feel like a step into the fourth dimension.

Related

Ranking every PGA TOUR pro
Top 100 Players to Watch
Send Bolton an e-mail
Audio: Bolton on his rankings

Put the big dogs back in the bag, boys. This is the first of many layouts on the schedule that rewards veteran ball-strikers. Since Paul Stankowski's win at the age of 27 in 1997, no one under 30 has triumphed here. Despite, or because of, its oceanside locale and flat terrain, Waialae can get ugly when the winds blows. Early forecasts call for gusts up to 20 mph from the north on Thursday, and then a shift to the more-seasonal east on Friday and the weekend. This will also be the first true test of how the new grooves will impact scoring and course management, so take some notes.

On board since 1999, title sponsor Sony announced in December that it will bring HD to the telecast in 2011. It will be testing the equipment at this week's edition, but there is no substitute for feeling the breezes in person.

My top 10 for the Aloha Swing capper:

Power Rankings: Sony Open in Hawaii

Rank Player   Comment David TOMS Fits the profile of what works at Waialae - experienced, 4th in fairways hit in 2009, 20th in greens in regulation, 40th in putting. Co-runner-up last year. His last PGA TOUR victory was here in '06. Zach JOHNSON The defending champ is to irons what Rodin was to marble and bronze. ZJ's combo of driving accuracy (10th in 2009), greens in regulation (28th) and putting (34th) is thoroughly rewarded at Waialae. Robert ALLENBY Although he has two top-10s at the Sony in eight starts, he earns his spot here for winning the Nedbank Challenge and Australian PGA to end 2009. Luke DONALD Five top-25s in six starts here, including a T2 in 2007. Quietly surpassed $2 million in earnings last year in the wake of wrist surgery. Remains one of the best putters in the world, finishing 4th on the PGA TOUR in 2009. Marc LEISHMAN Like many Aussies, the 2009 Rookie of the Year is terrific in the wind. Won on '08 Nationwide Tour in Texas in gusts from 20-35 mph. Started '09 with a T12 here. Thrived again in Texas at the Valero in May, finishing T5. Rory SABBATINI Coming out of nowhere with that 63 on Sunday at Kapalua marries quite nicely with his history at Waialae. He finished T12 at last year's Sony and has two runners-up at the event since 2006. Justin LEONARD He hasn't made the trip here since 1995. Waialae should set up wonderfully for his ability to bang balls in the wind, not to mention his prowess on the greens. And remember, he wrapped up the '09 season with a playoff loss at the Children's Miracle Network Classic. Jerry KELLY Well-known for having a thing for islands, where he tends to play his best golf. Since his win at the Sony in 2002, he has six top-25s in seven starts, including three top-5s. Steve STRICKER Merely a coincidence that he trails his Wisconsin pal here. Stricker improved every day at the SBS last week to finish T10. A pair of T4s and a T23 at the Sony in the last three years seal his value this week. George MCNEILL If he needed a good spot to shed any disappointment from the pair of playoff losses in the Fall Series, he can recall three top-20s in as many starts at the Sony.