DeLaet Sizzles In Hawaii

Graham DeLaet has never been happier to be on the PGA Tour, and it showed Thursday in the Sony Open.

One year after back surgery that made him wonder if he could ever play golf again, DeLaet chipped in for eagle and twice holed 35-foot birdie putts for a 7-under 63 that gave the Weyburn, Saskatchewan native a two-shot lead.

Carl Pettersson and former Sony Open champion K.J. Choi were among those at 65, while Kapalua winner Steve Stricker, Webb Simpson and Bud Cauley were among those at 66.

"I'm just so excited to be back out," DeLaet said. "I had a good season my rookie campaign, and then it was all basically just taken away. And I realize now how fortunate we are to be playing golf for a living. My whole attitude is definitely better."


For Stricker, a minor adjustment was in order.

He is trying to become the first player since Ernie Els in 2003 to sweep the Hawaii events, and Stricker was noticeably tired during his pro-am Wednesday, and parts of the opening round.

Part of that was a Monday finish on Maui. He took the day off Tuesday, and he couldn't take three steps Wednesday without dozens of players congratulating him.

"A nice problem to have," Stricker said.

He picked up four birdies on the back nine, though, and was right in the hunt.

"I was a little sluggish at times. I'm still excited from last week," he said. "You turn around and you're right back in the competition. You've got to be focused. And I was, for the most part."

Cauley, who last year became the sixth player to go from college to the PGA Tour without Q-school, didn't show any signs of rust from having not played in nearly two months. He ran off four straight birdies around the turn until he stalled, then dropped a shot on the 17th and missed a birdie opportunity on the 18th when he tried to hit fairway metal out of a bunker and topped his shot.

"I did a lot of things right," he said. "I did a lot of things I was doing last summer."

Thursday was a gentle start of the season in the first full-field tournament of the year on the PGA Tour, with the ocean breeze barely strong enough to move fronds on the palm trees that line the fairways. Sixty-three players in the 144-man field broke par, including Oahu native Tadd Fujikawa, given a late sponsor exemption.

DeLaet surged to the top of the leaderboard when he chipped in from just short of the green on the par-5 ninth, then holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the 10th and hit his approach to 6 feet on the 12th for another birdie. He took the outright lead with birdies on the last two holes, getting up-and-down from just short of the green on the par-5 18th.

At this time a year ago, he was a week removed from surgery on his lower back, which included shaving part of his disk to keep it from pressing against a nerve. The Sony Open offers pleasant scenery on TV, but he couldn't stand to watch.

"It took me a couple of months before I could even watch golf," he said.

Sony Open in Hawaii Leaderboard
1. DeLaet (-7)
T-2. Choi (-5)
T-2. Pettersson (-5)
T-2. Reifers (-5)
12 tied at 4-under
13 tied at 3-under
• More scores


The injury was nothing new, first suffered when DeLaet was playing hockey as a junior. His lower back would give him fits, and then the pain would subside. Toward the end of his rookie season in 2010 -- he finished 100th on the money list to easily keep his card -- it got so bad that he couldn't sit for more than a few seconds.

Surgery took care of the pain, and DeLaet tried to return in the summer in the two tournaments sandwiched around the U.S. Open. His next start was supposed to be the AT&T National at Aronimink, but after playing a few holes before the Wednesday pro-am, he realized he was trying to get back too soon.

"I think I wanted to be there so bad that I felt that I was better physically than I actually was," DeLaet said. "I just knew that it's hard enough to compete out here when you're healthy, and I just knew that I wasn't in good enough shape to compete."

For the moment, he feels great.

(Courtesy Associated Press)

NOTE: The Golf Channel is showing the Sony Open. DeLaet was in an early grouping yesterday and his round was not televised. Chances are his 2nd round will be televised seeing he should be in the late pairings.