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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, January 14, 2006

McLachlin only local golfer to play on

 •  Wie rallies with a 68, but misses cut by four

By Bill Kwon
Special to The Advertiser

Parker McLachlin, a Nationwide Tour player, was the only local player among seven to make the cut at the Sony Open in Hawai'i. He shot a 71 yesterday for a two-round score of 143.

GREGORY YAMAMOTO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Dean Wilson watches his ball drop to save par on the sixth hole at the Sony Open in Hawai‘i. He missed the cut by 3.

GREGORY YAMAMOTO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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David Ishii hits from the sandtrap on the 12th hole. He missed the cut by 1.

GREGORY YAMAMOTO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Not losing to Michelle Wie made Parker McLachlin feel good.

"She and I kind of had a grudge match," said McLachlin, who felt even better making the cut in the Sony Open in Hawai'i as a Monday qualifier.

The former Punahou standout was the only golfer with local ties to survive into the weekend in the PGA Tour's first full-field event of the year. He just got under the wire with a 71 yesterday for a 36-hole score of 143, joining 81 others, including co-leaders Chad Campbell and Jim Furyk, who are at 6-under 134.

David Ishii and Kevin Hayashi missed by one stroke at 144, while Wie thrilled the large gallery at the Waialae Country Club with a seven-birdie round of 68. But an opening-round 79 left the 16-year-old phenom four strokes from becoming the first female in 61 years to make the cut in a PGA Tour event in her third straight Sony Open appearance.

Dean Wilson, the only Hawai'i native on the PGA Tour, finished at 146 with his second-straight 73, while Beau Yokomoto posted a 71—149, and Brandan Kop, the lone amateur in the 144-player field, at 74—151.

McLachlin can't wait for today's third round. He's paired with David Duval, the 2001 British Open champion who is making a comeback from a disappointing 2005, when he made only one cut in 20 events.

"It's been really nice the last couple of days, walking up to the green and the people clapping," said McLachlin, who'll be playing on the Nationwide Tour this year.

"It's been really something special, tough to describe. I'm sure the weekend is going to be even better, especially if I'm the only guy from Hawai'i there. That'll be even more special," said McLachlin, while waiting for official word that he made the cut.

"I feel like there's a lot of good stuff out there for me the next two days. I can just be able to go out and have fun now, not worry about the cut or anything. I feel like my game is there, my swing is there. Just drop a few putts and focus on the par-5s."

McLachlin has yet to birdie any of the par-5 holes, not even hitting any of the fairways.

"I've got to do a better job of that. That'll be something I'll be thinking of tonight," he said.

"I'm glad to see him make the cut and build on it. He's got a long year coming up on the Nationwide," said his caddie, 1987 U.S. Open champion Scott Simpson, who doesn't mind walking two more days.

"I can handle it," Simpson said.

Double-bogey woes cost Ishii, Wilson and Hayashi a chance to play on.

Ishii was flirting with the cutline when he double-bogeyed the sixth after pulling his drive and three-putting.

At least he finished on a high note, eagling his aloha hole, the par-5 ninth after he hit a 3-wood from 241 yards to within 4 1/4 feet of the flagstick.

"If I didn't double-bogey the hole, I would have had a chance," Ishii said.

It didn't help that he bogeyed three of his first six holes, missing the green in regulation each time, while playing the back nine first.

"I played half-decent. If I made a few putts, I would have been OK," said Ishii, adding it was a good tune-up for the Turtle Bay Championship, the season's first full-field event on the Champions Tour, later this month.

Especially for playing under windy conditions.

"It was windy here and Turtle Bay's kind of windy," said Ishii, among those who found Waialae particularly challenging because of brisk trade winds.

Also starting on the back nine, Wilson was done in by a double-bogey 6 at the eighth hole, his 17th of the day.

"On eight, I pulled the drive in the trees. Knowing where I was, I had to try and make par or birdie, so I had to try and flip one through the trees and it didn't work out," said Wilson, who also double-bogeyed the second hole with another pulled drive.

"It was a tough day and I paid for all those mistakes. You can't do that out here. What can I do? Just get ready for the (Bob) Hope next week."

Hayashi made the turn at 1-under with a birdie at 17, but he also double-bogeyed the 426-yard par-4 second hole, which ranked the most difficult the first two days with a 4.25 scoring average.

"I had a chance if I birdied the last hole (par-5 ninth)," Hayashi said. "I had a great opening to the green, I was only 213 yards, but I caught the left bunker and couldn't go up and down."

"Maybe next year," said Hayashi, who's 0-for-5 in Sony Open appearances. "This was the closest."