Hate to go all Jim Cantore on you but considering the extended forecast in Honolulu – there is a 90 percent chance of continued showers on Thursday and the outlook for the weekend is not much better – two dozen PGA Tour newcomers may be in for a long fortnight.
Because of the limited number of starts for Tour rookies on the West Coast, most circuit newcomers will be limited to four or five events before heading east, they must play when they can, which means this week’s Sony Open and next week’s Bob Hope Classic are crucial.
If the Sony can’t finish until Monday, however, the logistics of playing the Hope’s first round on Wednesday will be difficult. So much so that some rookies spent a few days in La Quinta, Calif., preparing for the year’s third event before heading to Hawaii.
Rookies Chris Kirk and Ben Martin, along with veterans Boo Weekley and Steve Marino, both managed practice rounds at PGA West and La Quinta before flying to Hawaii last week, and Martin even left his caddie (William Lanier) in the Coachella Valley to prepare for the Hope.
In his place Martin picked up veteran caddie Frank Williams, who works for Stewart Cink but has the week off.
