HONOLULU — The royal palms on a Waialae course that runs alongside the Pacific Ocean give a peaceable ambiance to the Sony Open, the perfect place for the complete PGA Tour membership to start out the yr.
However a brand new season has introduced a small diploma of stress in paradise.
The Sony Open successfully begins the chase for a PGA Tour card — solely 100 from the FedExCup this yr, down from 125, marking probably the most important change in eligibility in some 40 years.
Camilo Villegas described it as an necessary yr for him, and it’s solely January.
“There’s a sense of urgency,” Villegas stated Wednesday. “You’ve obtained to play once you get in (tournaments) and you must carry out. It’s going to be very compact. It’s going to be a dogfight on the market, which is cool.”
Gamers warming up within the morning darkness — floodlights on the driving vary however not the placing inexperienced — was one other reminder of a few of the modifications. Together with a discount in playing cards, the sector sizes will probably be shrinking beginning in 2026 to ensure anybody with a card will get into a good quantity of tournaments and rounds have a greater probability of ending on time with a smaller variety of gamers on the course.
Optimism, after all, is as nice as ever. Villegas gained in Bermuda towards the top of 2023 to earn a two-year exemption, and final yr was amongst his finest. He is aware of he has to play effectively to maintain his job, and he was unwilling to even tackle the likelihood he gained’t end within the high 100.
“I’m going to maintain my card,” he stated with a smile.
Hideki Matsuyama has no such points because the No. 5 participant on this planet who’s coming off a report scoring efficiency to win final week at Kapalua . Now the Japanese star tries to change into the third participant to brush the Hawaii swing, becoming a member of Justin Thomas (2017) and Ernie Els (2003).
For everybody else, veterans and rookies alike, it’s solely the start.
Tee instances, groupings and learn how to watch the primary spherical of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
“I’d say I’m extra excited this yr as a result of I felt like I obtained lots higher final yr at enjoying golf, and I felt like I improved final yr,” stated Keith Mitchell, who’s beginning his eighth yr. “And yearly you have got a card, you have got a clean slate to show your enchancment.”
Mitchell missed out on the FedExCup playoffs final yr by an estimated three photographs — had he been three photographs higher within the ultimate spherical of the common season, it might have been sufficient. He can also look again at 18 different tournaments the place he might have picked up a shot or two. Each participant can try this.
Even with a seven-month season to maintain the cardboard, Mitchell has been round lengthy sufficient to appreciate that getting off to an excellent begin can ease the true stress that comes later.
“All people is at zero,” Mitchell stated. “Every week doesn’t really feel as monumental because it does the final three or 4 weeks. The start of the season, folks play just a little extra free or relaxed as a result of it doesn’t really feel as pressing.”
Mitchell stated the putts he makes, the scores he posts, are simply as priceless now as they’re within the ultimate regular-season tournaments in the summertime.
“Theoretically it’s,” he stated. “However emotionally it’s not.”
The Sony Open is the beginning of a three-tournament stretch by which the main 5 gamers change into eligible for $20 million signature occasions in California. Getting within the large occasions can go a good distance for somebody making an attempt to maintain his job.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has much more expertise with the optimism and nerves that include a brand new season. He made his debut as a PGA Tour member within the Sony Open in 2011. Bradley went on to win the Byron Nelson and the PGA Championship that yr, however he additionally has sturdy reminiscences of the beginning.
“It’s a scary feeling,” he stated. “I obtained right here my first occasion, Ernie Els was on the placing inexperienced, and that was like a ‘Holy cow’ second for me. Nevertheless it’s an actual daunting feeling since you labored your entire life to get right here, and now you must play the perfect golf of your life with a purpose to preserve your card.
“I take a look at the rookies, and a part of me is so jealous that they’ve all of this in entrance of them,” he stated. “And one other a part of me is like, ‘Man, they’ve obtained lots of stress on them, beginning proper out of the gate.’ I want all of them the perfect. It’s a very robust enterprise to achieve success in.”
