Pretty heady company for the Kane'ohe native, who tried three different ways to get into the 144-player field.

He asked Sony for a sponsor's exemption. That didn't work. He tried to qualify on Monday. That didn't work either. Finally, after hanging around from 7 in the morning at the Waialae Country Club with his caddy, Mark Chun, he got the call that said he was in.

"Being the first tournament of the year, I didn't think there was much of a chance to tell you the truth," said Wilson, very surprised that four alternates — he was No. 4 — got in.

"I was so excited to play I got off to a good start," said Wilson, who was 3-under after the first 10 holes, starting with a birdie at his first hole, the par-4 10th.

"I made a mess of it on the back but hung in there," said Wilson, who double-bogeyed the third hole after hitting into trees on the right and three-putting. He bogeyed No. 5, but stiffed an 8-iron to 7 feet at the par-3 seventh to get into the red numbers.

Wilson lost his tour card after finishing 131st on the 2004 money list, but regained it at the PGA Tour qualifying school. Still, it didn't ensure him of getting into a lot of tournaments.

One he thought was a lock — the Sony Open in his home state.

He was disappointed that he didn't get a sponsor's exemption.

"Extremely disappointed but they (Sony officials) have proven over the years they don't support the local players in terms of getting them in the tournament," Wilson said.

"I was disappointed when they didn't get David (Ishii) in. He's what professional golf in Hawai'i is all about. He does more for high school golf, junior golf, than anyone else here. When they kinda push him away, well, we don't have a chance."

Wilson thinks that as the only player on tour from Hawai'i, his not getting an exemption was particularly disappointing.

"I feel like I'm the highest qualified to get an exemption. If I was any higher I wouldn't need it," said Wilson, who had to qualify on a Monday in 2002 despite being one of the world's top 50 golfers and having qualified to play in three majors.

"Sony doesn't do all it can do to get us in the tournament. Everywhere else they support their local players and get them in. They do what they can. That's what sponsor's exemptions are for," he said.

"Yes, it's really disappointing. But what can you do? It's their tournament. They can do what they want."

For Wilson, making the most of this year's opportunity is a chance to show what he can do.

Wilson was also disappointed in missing the cut here last year.

"I wanted to get off to a good start. It didn't happen last year," he said. "Hopefully, maybe today's first round will kick start a better year for me."

Ishii, who made it into this year's field as a sectional qualifier, shot a 73 yesterday. He won the United Airlines Hawaiian Open in 1990.

Greg Meyer, who like Ishii plays on the Japan tour, was happy with his round of 71, putting him in good company with defending champion Ernie Els, 1996 Hawaiian Open champion Jim Furyk and Tom Kite.

"The driver was good today. We kept it in play. If you hit it in the rough, you've got no chance," said Meyer, a Monday qualifier who birdied 13 and 15 to start 2-under for the day in playing the back nine first.