Kapalua, Hawaii — Steve Stricker had to wait an entire year to make his first visit to Maui for the Mercedes Championships.
He qualified by winning the Match Play Championship last year in Australia, which was the first official event of the 2001 season. The following week, a winners-only field gathered at Kapalua, and Stricker wasn't among them.
"It was worth the wait," Stricker said. "I'm just glad that I won. It wouldn't be a bad thing if I won here and had to wait another year to get back."
Stricker's victory in Australia was hardly predictable. The only reason he qualified for the 64-man field was because Tiger Woods and about two dozen other top players didn't want to travel that far for the holidays.
And Stricker hardly ever touches a club after September, spending most of his time hunting in a field not far from his home in Wisconsin.
Don't count him out this week, even though he's rusty and has never played on Maui. During his brilliant run through the Match Play Championship, he only trailed on nine of 118 holes he played that week.
He didn't play for seven weeks before the Tour Championship, and started getting ready for the Mercedes by spending 10 days in Tucson, Ariz., before Christmas.
"That was my spring training," he said. "I keep thinking all my bad habits will go away, but every time I pick up the clubs, they're still there."
It would be good to get rid of them quickly.
Stricker has dropped to No. 50 in the world ranking. Even though he already has qualified for the Masters, he must remain in the top 64 by the middle of February if he wants to defend his title in the Match Play Championship.
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Hoch in Hawaii: With victories in Greensboro and the Western Open, Scott Hoch qualified for the Mercedes Championships for the first time in four years.
He almost didn't come, anyway.
"The only reason I'm playing is my wife wanted to come," Hoch said.
Hoch is not a big fan of the Plantation Course at Kapalua, proving that St. Andrews and Pebble Beach are not the only courses he doesn't like.
"If they move this tournament 30 miles in any direction, it would be fine," he said.
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More TV: Until they start erecting lights on golf courses, the PGA Tour doesn't get too many opportunities to play in prime time (Battle at Bighorn excluded). This is one of the exceptions, since Maui is five hours behind Eastern Standard Time.
ESPN will broadcast the Mercedes Championships and has added an additional 90 minutes of coverage this year, to 1112 hours.
The broadcast is scheduled to end each night at 9:30 p.m., with the final round shown live from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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Snowboards: David Duval isn't the only PGA Tour player who likes to hit the slopes this time of the year.
Davis Love III is not as advanced on the snowboard, but he was in Sun Valley recently and raving about the conditions.
"You missed out," he chided Duval.
Not to worry. Asked if he had any plans to get to Sun Valley, Duval didn't hesitate.
"Sunday," he said.
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