Call this a Parker Postcard from Turtle Bay:

We caught up with Parker McLachlin, who's relating the experiences about his rookie year on the PGA Tour for The Honolulu Advertiser, after he competed in the local qualifying for the U.S. Open at the Turtle Bay Resort's Fazio Course last Saturday.

Tadd Fujikawa earned the lone O'ahu spot for the sectional qualifying, shooting a 5-under 67. "He's playing well," said McLachlin, who posted a 70 in his first appearance here since playing in the Sony Open in Hawai'i in January.

Why the quickie roundtrip home for the local qualifying?

"This was the only one that worked out. It was on a Saturday and I wanted to be able to get to Atlanta for the full week," said McLachlin, who's playing in the AT&T Classic starting today in Georgia. "The other qualifiers were on a Monday. That would have taken away an entire day of practice. I wanted to get it done on Saturday so it wouldn't interfere with my real job."

So how's your real job going?

"It's going pretty good. Lots of learning. You've got to learn a lot and learn quick to be successful out there. It's just a learning process and I feel like I'm getting the hang of it," said the former Punahou School and UCLA golfer, who turned 28 last Thursday.

What's involved in the learning process?

"Of the events I've played so far, I played 10 of them for the first time. You've got to learn the golf courses in a short amount of time. Another thing you have to learn is that you're not always going to have your best stuff each week. So when you don't, you've still got to find a way to be competitive. I feel I've started to do that recently."

If you had to grade yourself so far this year?

"I'd probably give it a B-minus. I did some good things in the beginning. Struggled a little bit, missed a few cuts. But overall I think I've also started to learn that when I don't have my best stuff I can still make the cut and be competitive," said McLachlin, who has made the cut in six of 12 events to earn $187,652, putting him 145th on the money list. His best showing is a T-18 in a PGA event in Mexico.

More important, McLachlin has moved up 12 places to 25th among those coming out of Q-School and the Nationwide Tour on the eligibility list to get into tournaments. So playing well this week is huge for him because he can't get into the next two tournaments — the Colonial and the Memorial — both limited-field events.

The next priority reshuffling based on money earnings will be after the St. Jude Championship scheduled the week before the U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Your thoughts on limited-field events?

"I'd like to play in them. But as a rookie I don't have that luxury. So understand the pecking order of it all. The way I look at it, the better you play the more playing opportunities will come your way."

What are you going to do during that two weeks off after Atlanta?

"Come home for 10 or 11 days and just rest. And go to Spencer's graduation." His brother graduates from Punahou School on June 2.

What has surprised you the most in your first year on the PGA Tour?

"Each city we go to, it amazes me how excited people get. That one time a year they get to see the best golfers in their backyard. So, it's really pretty cool just to see the excitement each tournament brings to the fans, volunteers and anybody else involved."

What's with the long hair?

"It's the longest it has ever been. I just started letting it out. I think I look a little bit older. I like it. I think it's a good look for me.

"The only problem is people keep confusing me for Adam Scott. We have the same body type and now hair. I get that about six or seven times a week."

It was online but sorry, many fans missed your Postcard last week.

"I thought it was good. My wife (Kristy) thought it was the best one I wrote," McLachlin said.

"It was a recap of the first half year. And about my favorite golf course (Quail Hollow Country Club, site of the Wachovia Championship), favorite hotel (The Houstonian during the Shell Houston Open) and favorite hole (the par-3 16th at the TPC Scottsdale for the FBR Open where 35,000 rowdy fans went nuts when he hit it to 6 feet only to boo him when he missed the putt)."

His most memorable shot so far? The ace at the par-3 third hole at Torrey Pines South in the opening round of the Buick Invitational in San Diego.

The best food on the tour? New Orleans during the Zurich Classic, even if he missed the cut there.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.