Join us as we travel on the PGA Tour with Parker McLachlin, a former Punahou athlete. McLachlin and Castle alum Dean Wilson are the only Hawai'i golfers on the PGA Tour. McLachlin, Waikoloa's touring pro, will write his impressions on events that he has just completed and tournaments that are coming up on his calendar.

Aloha from Arizona!

I'm back at our house in Scottsdale. Kristy and I got back from Hawai'i late Tuesday after spending three great weeks at home in Hawai'i. It was pretty special to start the year with two events in Hawai'i instead of just one.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship was an incredible experience. Just being invited was pretty special. The way we were all treated makes me want to work really hard to get back again next year.

After the Mercedes, we took the short flight to Honolulu for the Sony Open, which is always very special. The local support seems to continue to grow each year. That's an experience that I've always dreamed of, having grown up at Waialae and daydreamed about playing there. Getting to do that each year is just an un-matched experience. It's such an awesome feeling.

I would have liked to play better, but I learned that sometimes in those situations where I am trying so hard to play well for the hometown fans, I end up putting too much pressure on myself. I learned from this experience and will work on channeling that internal pressure better in the future. Hopefully, I'll be able to really keep my focus on the game and play well next year on this course I know so well. And even though I had a tough couple of rounds, I was so excited to see Tadd Fujikawa have a successful week and represent the Hawai'i contingent.

It's always a bummer to miss a cut, but it turned out to make for a nice, relaxing weekend. I had family in town and we were able to go out, hang out on the beach, play some volleyball and do some canoe surfing. That helped me release all the stress that comes with the "work side" of playing golf on the PGA Tour. There was perfect weather, and relaxing on the beach was a perfect ending to the week.

After a fun weekend, I did an event with Audi of Hawai'i and the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association on Monday. I got to play a few holes with five outstanding juniors from the HSJGA who were from O'ahu. Playing with these outstanding juniors reminded me of how great our junior program is in the state of Hawai'i. These kids blew me away — they were not only talented, but they were respectful, well-mannered, and just tremendous kids overall. It made me so proud to be able to donate to the development of youth golf in our state.

Like I said, I've been on the road for almost a month, so it's nice to be back in Arizona living out of our closet instead of suitcases. I'll be spending my week off practicing at TPC, getting geared up for a tournament next week at the FBR Open here in Scottsdale.

I want to say thank you again to everybody who came out over the weekend to support us and cheer us on at the Sony Open. It truly is the fans that make it such a special event.

Mahalo,

Parker

Parker McLachlin can be reached at www.parkermclachlin.com