Different horses for different courses

As central Ohio starts to thaw from the recent cold snap, the PGA Tour will begin the second leg of its swing through Hawaii today when the Sony Open unfolds in Honolulu. The tournament will be telecast by the Golf Channel.

Waialae Country Club will provide a different test than last week's winner's-only event at Kapalua. The tour's first full-fledged field will tee off knowing that Waialae's more classic design of narrow fairways and numerous doglegs rewards shot-making over distance. Defending champion Zach Johnson finished tied for third in driving last year, and he hit his last seven fairways on his way to a back-nine 31 and a one-shot victory over David Toms.

Waialae, with its ocean-side location and flat terrain, has traditionally been one of the most difficult courses in terms of driving accuracy. In 2006, the fairways of the Sony Open were the hardest to hit of any PGA Tour event for the entire year. Waialae can become a long-ball hitter's nightmare when the winds pick up. Early forecasts call for gusts up to 20 mph from the north when play begins today.

This might make things difficult for John Daly, who received a sponsor's exemption and has lost about 100 pounds in the last nine months through lap-band surgery. Daly only played in seven tour events last year after serving a six-month suspension for conduct unbecoming a professional. He has missed the cut or withdrawn in 30 of his last 47 PGA Tour starts.

The smart money will be betting that a veteran ball-striker such as Johnson, Toms, Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Robert Allenby or Ernie Els will emerge as the winner. Since Paul Stankowski won at age 27 in 1997, no one under 30 has won the Sony Open.

That won't stop Hawaiian teenager Tadd Fujikawa from trying. He will have the support of a home crowd as he plays in his fourth Sony Open. The 19-year-old made waves last year with a third-round 62, but he faded to a final-day 73 and finished tied for 32nd.

Ohio's Golf, one of Oldgolfdawg's favorite links, is sending John Stampe to report live from the Sony Open. He will be blogging and paying extra attention to Ohioans in the field such as Ben Curtis, Chris Wilson and Jason Dufner.