Join us as we take a tour on the PGA Tour with Parker McLachlin, a former Punahou athlete. McLachlin earned his PGA Tour card for this season. He joins Castle alum Dean Wilson as the only Hawai'i golfers on the PGA Tour. McLachlin will write his impressions on events that he's just completed and tournaments that are upcoming on his calendar.

TAMPA, Fla. — Aloha from the PODS Championship.

On Tuesday I played a practice round with Chad Campbell and Vaughn Taylor, both members of the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

I was in the right place at the right time that morning, and it was a great experience to get out and play nine holes with both of those guys, because both of them have had great success recently on the tour.

Standing on the first practice tee with them, it almost felt like it was the first round of an event. I wanted to hit my drive down the middle of the fairway, and I wanted to put my best foot forward.

I made sure to watch their tempo and their rhythm and just take from them whatever I could. I didn't do a lot of asking, rather I just watched how they went around the golf course and tried to be as perceptive as I could. I played real well, hit some nice shots, and felt like I held my own with two guys in the top 30 in the world.

Out here on the PGA Tour, the golf courses are more challenging than on the Nationwide Tour. You must drive it straight out here, and it's more "position golf" than on the Nationwide Tour. Out on that tour, you can just crush a drive and then worry about how to score after that. Here, you really have to hit it down the fairway off the tee, or else you are going to have a tough time with a score better than par.

Mark Wilson's win last week at the Honda gives me a lot of confidence. Not only is he a former Nationwide Tour guy who now has won on the tour, but he was in Q-School with me this past winter.

We're playing on Bermuda grass this week (the same as in Hawai'i) and it's the third different type of grass we've played in three weeks. The course is in great shape and I'm really looking forward to putting all of my energy into the tournament this week because I'm taking two weeks off after this event to rest.

It's been a really positive first few months out here on the PGA Tour, and thanks to all of you in Hawai'i for following my trip this season with postcards.

To keep following McLachlin, check out www.ParkerMcLachlin.com.