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, Waikoloa's touring pro, will write his impressions on events that he's just completed and tournaments that are upcoming on his calendar.

Aloha from Moline, Illinois!

We're in the middle of a road trip that will last several weeks. Last week I finished tied for 27th in the AT&T National in Washington, D.C., which is usually hosted by Tiger Woods. It was disappointing playing without Tiger this year.

Kristy and I ate dinner with fellow Hawai'i golfer Dean Wilson last Wednesday, and he ended up tying for third in the tournament. So I'd like to think that maybe his good company at dinner had something to do with his finish. I felt like I played some solid golf and I really felt like I found my stride. The more tournaments I play, the more I am able to find my rhythm and keep my momentum going.

Last week was the first time PGA Tour players took mandatory drug tests. About a half dozen players were chosen at random, but I was not one of them. It's interesting to hear people's responses to being drug-tested and to hear about how the process went. I still feel like it's one of those things where golfers have always policed themselves. It almost seems silly to think that one of the guys on Tour would ever try to cheat or get an unfair advantage. But with the state of steroids and illegal substances in other professional sports, golf had to follow suit.

I'm really looking forward to the next three weeks. My next big goal is to try to get into the PGA Championship. Entry is based on the PGA Tour's money list from last year's PGA Championship through this year's RBC Canadian Open. The top 70 will make it in. I'm in the mid-to-high 70s range, so the next few weeks my goal is to make some good money with a couple solid finishes.

This week we're at the John Deere Championship. This week's golf course, TPC Deere Run, sets up really well for me — it's very visually appealing to the eye. I'm really excited this week and see myself having a good finish. I'm looking to playing my best golf of the year in the next few weeks.

Mahalo, Parker

Parker McLachlin can be reached at www.parkermclachlin.com.