Checking in from Los Angeles

I'm wrapping up a three-week tour in California at the Northern Trust Open. I'm excited to play at Riviera Country Club. It's widely regarded by Tour players as one of the best courses on the PGA Tour.



This will be the last event in my "Birdies for Juniors" campaign. Through the first five events, I've racked up 65 birdies. With the help of Waikoloa Beach Resort, that translates into $6,500 for the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association. I'd like to say a very big mahalo to everyone else who has signed up to donate to such a great cause as well. Hopefully, this is a great foundation for next year's "Birdies for Juniors" program, as well as our community efforts for years to come.



Last week, at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, it was a nice change to be paired with another pro and two amateurs. It's something that always makes Pebble Beach such a fun event. Plus, it's exciting to have golf as a medium to connect with CEOs, celebrities and other professional athletes.



As I mentioned last week, I was paired with Doug Mackenzie, a venture capitalist and one of the founders of Radar Partners. It was incredible to talk to him about his role in the development of things like Google and Netscape.



The other players in my pairing were Phil Mickelson and Charles Schwab. Charles is of one of the most down-to-earth individuals I've met, especially considering his success.



This was the first time I had been paired with Phil in tournament play, aside from a practice round at the U.S. Open in 2004. It is interesting playing with a guy like him. You just want to watch and learn. It's amazing what that guy can do with a golf ball.



Any time you're paired with a player like Phil, you want to try to take things they do well in their game and implement it into yours. So it's a delicate balance between watching and learning, and remembering to stick with your own game.



The past few weeks, I've been struggling with my swing and have been working to find it. On Friday and Saturday, I started to find it. I shot the low round of the day, a 68, on Saturday, which was a huge confidence booster for me. It's those tiny morale victories that help you get back on track.

2 Comments

FBR Open

Cheking in from San Diego -

I just played in the FBR Open last week in Scottsdale, which is one of the most energetic tournaments on the Tour. There were about 200,000 fans in attendance! It is one of those rare events on the PGA Tour where the social aspect is more important than the actual tournament, from the fan perspective. In fact, they sold a shirt in the merchandise tent that said, "I showed up for the party and a golf tournament broke out!"

It also was great to be in Scottsdale and sleep in my own bed, cook my own food and have the home feeling that you don't have in a hotel. There were so many great people out at the course, but I was able to stay focused. I got in a different zone, blocked out the distractions, and was able to perform at my best. It felt like the more people that showed up, the more I was able to focus.

I had a solid week. After three tournaments this year, I'm feeling sharper with my game. I continue to learn from each passing week, and have been able to maximize on my rounds and not let the easy shots escape me.

Another unique aspect of the FBR Open was the 16th hole. It was fully enclosed with grandstands, with about 20,000 fans on that hole. It has been compared to the Roman Coliseum. It's quite a rush to stand on the tee and know that if you hit a great shot, you will be praised with cheers. But if you hit a bad shot, they will boo you all the way through. It can be intimidating, but I ended up making three pars and a birdie.

Aside from golf, my wife Kristy and I hosted a wine tasting event the Monday prior to the tournament in partnership with Destination Cellars. We invited about 15 Tour players and their wives, as well as several of our friends from Scottsdale. The wine was provided by an incredible vineyard in Napa, Calif., called Duck Horn Vineyard. It was a really exciting event, the first of several we'll be having this year. I have really started to enjoy and appreciate learning about wine and food pairings, as well as the art of wine-making. It has been fun to bring some of that to the Tour.

Now we're here in San Diego and I'm getting ready for this week's Buick Invitational. The South Course hosted the U.S. Open last year, so it will be interesting to see how the course plays. I'm looking forward to another good week and working hard to stay on top of my game.

Parker

3 Comments

Kicking off the season in Hawaii

Aloha from Arizona!

I'm back at our house in Scottsdale. Kristy and I got back from Hawai'i late Tuesday after spending three great weeks at home in Hawai'i. It was pretty special to start the year with two events in Hawai'i instead of just one.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship was an incredible experience. Just being invited was pretty special. The way we were all treated makes me want to work really hard to get back again next year.

After the Mercedes, we took the short flight to Honolulu for the Sony Open, which is always very special. The local support seems to continue to grow each year. That's an experience that I've always dreamed of, having grown up at Waialae and daydreamed about playing there. Getting to do that each year is just an un-matched experience. It's such an awesome feeling.

I would have liked to play better, but I learned that sometimes in those situations where I am trying so hard to play well for the hometown fans, I end up putting too much pressure on myself. I learned from this experience and will work on channeling that internal pressure better in the future. Hopefully, I'll be able to really keep my focus on the game and play well next year on this course I know so well. And even though I had a tough couple of rounds, I was so excited to see Tadd Fujikawa have a successful week and represent the Hawai'i contingent.

It's always a bummer to miss a cut, but it turned out to make for a nice, relaxing weekend. I had family in town and we were able to go out, hang out on the beach, play some volleyball and do some canoe surfing. That helped me release all the stress that comes with the "work side" of playing golf on the PGA Tour. There was perfect weather, and relaxing on the beach was a perfect ending to the week.

After a fun weekend, I did an event with Audi of Hawai'i and the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association on Monday. I got to play a few holes with five outstanding juniors from the HSJGA who were from O'ahu. Playing with these outstanding juniors reminded me of how great our junior program is in the state of Hawai'i. These kids blew me away - they were not only talented, but they were respectful, well-mannered, and just tremendous kids overall. It made me so proud to be able to donate to the development of youth golf in our state.

Like I said, I've been on the road for almost a month, so it's nice to be back in Arizona living out of our closet instead of suitcases. I'll be spending my week off practicing at TPC, getting geared up for a tournament next week at the FBR Open here in Scottsdale.

I want to say thank you again to everybody who came out over the weekend to support us and cheer us on at the Sony Open. It truly is the fans that make it such a special event.

Mahalo,

Pmac

1 Comment

Sony Open

Aloha from my hometown of Honolulu!




We're here for our second week in Hawaii, at the Sony Open. Last week was my first-ever Mercedes-Benz Championship, and it was everything I imagined it would be. It was a special moment to play in a prestigious event in front of so many local fans.





This week has been even more special for me. I feel like the fans support has been through the roof. With this being my third year on the PGA Tour, I continue to feel a responsibility to do everything I can to represent all of you from Hawaii on a national level, and when I'm here in Honolulu I take that responsibility even closer to heart. This is one week where I've always felt a special connection to the fans.





This year, I feel that my responsibility is to further the progress of junior golf in Hawaii. Without junior golf in Hawaii where would I be? Thus, Waikoloa Beach Resort and I have decided to team up and create a program called "Birdies for Juniors." For each birdie I make during the 'west coast swing' (yes, this week is included) we are going to team up together to donate $100 to Hawaii junior golf. Last week, I made 17 birdies through four rounds at the Mercedes, which is great for the benefiting the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association as $1,700 went to the cause. If you fans out there would like to track my birdie count or join me in pledging to "Birdies for Juniors," please visit www.hsjga.org.





Many of you junior golfers in Hawaii have watched and supported me over the past few years grow into a PGA Tour player, and then into a PGA Tour winner. Now I feel that this is my first attempt to try to give back to all of you who have supported me unconditionally over the past few years.





This week has been a bit crazy, and I'm sure it will get even crazier over the next few days, but I'm always a little bit extra motivated for this week. Tomorrow (Friday), I'm going to be a guest of "The Jim Rome Show" on ESPN, my first live national television interview. I'm very excited to film that right here at The Sony Open.





Normally, The Sony Open is my first event of the year and I come out a bit rusty. Thankfully, with the Mercedes Championship last week, I feel like a lot of the kinks have been worked out of my swing, and I'm ready to go this week. I opened last week with a 77, so hopefully my poor round is already out of the way. The golf course looks great, as it always does. The rain over the winter has put a premiun on driving the ball straight, and the greens have been very quick, but not too firm.





After The Sony on Monday, I'm excited to participate in a program for some junior golfers at Ko Olina put on by Audi. I'm thrilled to do my small part to help junior golf in this state.





The HSJGC is going to be the major benefactor of the Audi event on Monday at Ko Olina. There will be a hole in one contest and putting contest with ALL the revenues going to the HSJGA.





I hope to see everyone in Honolulu out there this week at the Sony and let's do what we can to donate to the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association!





Mahalo,


Parker

0 Comments

Pre Mercedes-Benz Championship

Hey Everyone - Aloha from Hawaii. I just wanted to check in and say thanks for inviting me into the Yardbarker community. I am looking forward to keeping you posted on the adventures of the PGA TOUR. Right now I am in in Hawaii hanging out with my family and getting ready to head to Maui for the Mercedes- Benz Championship. This is an exciting hometown event for me. I grew up with the dream that I would one day be back on this course playing as a PGA TOUR Champion.

Happy New Year and best wishes for a great 2009!

Parker

1 Comment