Sony Open preview: Can Howell overcome his demons again?

Where’s Michelle Wie when you need her? Yes, I know I used to rant about all the media attention she used to siphon off at events like this, but at least it injected a scintilla of life into the proceedings. The news from Honolulu this year is so riveting that most column inches have been filled up with a ridiculous row over whether Tiger Woods supports capital punishment. Or did I get the wrong end of the rope? Everyone else seems to have.

Back at Honolulu it’s like first day at school, with all the new first-formers lining up in their shiny new uniforms, spanking new satchels and shiny rulers and pencils their mums bought them. So who is going to out-Tadd Mr Fujikawa or out-Doug Mr LaBelle this year? Bound to be someone, but I’ll be hanged if I can spot them.

It was age that won it last year in the shape of forty-something Paul Goydos, but let’s say that everyone else was too busy taking in the scenery to give him a serious run for his money. It was not the year’s most convincing victory and his record since has been next to abysmal, including coming last but one at Kapalua a week ago.

The man who should have won last year and left the course muttering that he would have if his name had been Tiger Woods, is a strong fancy this time around. Charles Howell III was the Sunday morning leader but suffered an acute case of the wobbles. Self-belief does seem to be his biggest problem, because it required constant cajoling from his caddy to win the Nissan Open a few weeks later after one of Phil Mickelson’s spectacular collapses.

Howell’s 8th place last week was notable for saving the best till last with five under and six under par over the weekend. He’s very popular with punters: only Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker are attracting more money in the early betting. But it’s that battle in his head that worries me.

Other fancied players are:
Jim Furyk, who came good towards the end last week. His accurate driving and solid iron work will be much more of an advantage here. He himself identified them as the key disciplines on this shorter, flatter, tighter course. That’s fine, but he’s still got problems with the putter to overcome before taking my money.
Vijay Singh also needs to get his flat stick under control to repeat his 2005 victory here. I’m surprised his price of about 10 hasn’t drifted a little more considering the relative antipathy of punters.
Steve Stricker excites quite a few people after his playoff loss last week and certainly the form book makes a compelling case for his good fortune here, where he shared 4th last year. For combined accuracy, GIR and putting he comes top of the heap, so if he can draw the positives from last week he is certainly worth a punt.
Stephen Ames comes third in my form book and appeared happy with the way he loosened up last week with a solid third place.
Rory Sabbatini was a flop last week but you wouldn’t think it from his stats and he flashed a mean putter on the Sunday. I wouldn’t rule him out unless his refusal to mix it with the media indicates that some inner turmoil is getting the better of him.
Aaron Baddeley mucked it up a little last week but finally found some form on the Sunday and has the stats to suit this week’s endeavour.
Chad Campbell will be one of the rusty ones as he opens his season, but he too has the right numbers for this course, where he came second two years ago.

There are a few others who push the right stats buttons if they can get their putters going. But the course form of Jonathan Byrd, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson leaves me stiff.

PS: What a load of tosh over a simple, heat-of-the-moment slip by that Golf Channel presenter about Tiger Woods. Struck me a host of people deliberately went out of their way to misinterpret what was said to fulfil their own highly dubious agendas. Nope, she didn’t say, as one enraged columnist wrote, that Tiger Woods should be lynched. What she was actually saying was that Tiger is such a good golfer there isn’t a cat in hell’s chance of anyone catching him, not even the much vaunted Jason Day. What’s so controversial about that?

Mind you, we had a similar stushie here in London over the holiday period when a noted columnist suggested a good festive custom would be to string piano wire across roads to decapitate “smug” cyclists as they hurtled along being their usual obnoxious selves. He too was forced to apologise. Can’t for the life of me understand why.