Sony Open Notes
Chocolate calms Daly's nerves

So great is his trepidation about flying long distances that John Daly travels to most tournament appearances by motor home.

"I drive as much as I can because I’m not crazy about about flying, especially commercially," said Daly, whose 64 gave him a share of the first-round lead in the Sony Open with Brad Faxon and Larry Mize.

But the prospect of flying five hours to Hawai‘i for this week’s Sony Open did not deter him from making the trip. "My fiancee said, ‘We’re going.’ So, I said, ‘OK.’ (Besides) I’ve had some good scores over (here)."

Usually Daly says, when I go on planes on long flights I have to have chocolate. I’ve just got to eat. I don’t drink, so I’m nervous flying still. But, I’m getting better at it. You get on a plane that has three or four engines, I’m a little (better)."

Now that he says he’s given up drinking and is on a diet, Daly was asked what his vices are. "I still smoke the hell out of Marlboro," Daly said.

Grim and bear it

Gary Nicklaus’ new goatee is drawing some comment but his famous clean-shavin’ father, Jack, had his own reaction.

"Dad just loves it," Gary said. "The first three-four weeks every time he’d see me, he’d just laugh."

Asked if it was because his father might not be able to grow one, Gary said, "He can grow one; his is gray."

Nicklaus, who began the goatee "just to do something different," has had it since November.

Ace for Murayama

Shigeki Maruyama had a hole-in-one on the 173-yard par-three seventh hole, using a 7-iron to post the second hole-in-one of the PGA season.

Ins and outs

Tim Clark withdrew before competition yesterday due to a strained right wrist and was replaced by Jeff Julian. Russ Cochran withdrew after shooting an 81 due to an undisclosed injury.

SHORT PUTTS: Defending champion Paul Azinger bogeyed four of the first five holes and shot 2-over-par 72. ... Rory Sabbatini, the runner-up at last week’s Mercedes Champion-ships, is the fourth-youngest player on the Tour. He will be 25 in April. The three younger players are also at Wai‘alae. The fifth-youngest — Tiger Woods — is not. ... This field includes 29 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament graduates, with 23 playing as rookies. ... The Sony field includes 19 of the Top 50 in the World Golf Ranking, including eight of the Top 20. Ernie Els (2), Davis Love III (7), Vijay Singh (9) and Tom Lehman (10) are in the Top 10. ... Kapalua’s Mark Rolfing is the host of CNBC’s new Senior PGA Tour coverage. ...

Makena pro Brian Sasada, who earned an exempt spot as the Aloha Section PGA’s 2000 Player of the Year, shot even-par 70. ... Maui amateur Tommy Kim, Hawai‘i’s long drive champion, qualified for Sony Monday. He played the first nine holes of the tournament in 10-over par, but shot even on the back for an 80. ... Kane‘ohe’s Brandan Kop, the other amateur in the field, also struggled on the front nine. Kop, a four-time Manoa Cup champion, didn’t hit his first fairway until the eighth hole, which he birdied. He shot 41 on the front and finished at 77. ... David Ishii, the 1990 Hawaiian Open champion, shot 73. .... Scott Simpson, who won Tuesday’s Johnny Bellinger Shoot-Out, played the front nine in eight over and shot 80 in his first competitive round in more than a year.

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