Brennans Caddy Report-Sony Open
Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:15:49
The off -season was a little longer than it has been in other years, but very enjoyable. Once I got home and got use to getting up in the same bed and getting into a routine each day it was actually a lot of fun. It seems that no matter how long I have off the time goes by really fast!
During the break I spent a lot of time playing hockey and golf and riding my motorcycle. Growing up in Canada hockey is obviously a sport I love to play and it was nice to be able to play it on a regular basis over my break. I feel like I got back into the flow of the game, just in time to leave it and get back on TOUR. I also managed to catch a lot of NHL games which I love to do!
My parents came down for a visit over the holidays as well. My wife and I moved into our new house a few months ago just north of Dallas, so it was the first time my parents got a chance to see it. I played golf with my Dad a few times and also took them to a Dallas-Detroit NHL game. It wasn't the outcome I was looking for so it was great to see the Stars put it to the Red Wings a few days ago back in Detroit!
Mike has been working hard during the off season with his coach Mike Wilson and all of us are fired up and ready to go. After Mike's disappointing '05 season, Mike and his coach really sat down and evaluated the shape of Mike's game and what he needed to do to get back to the place he should be. They worked broke down all aspects of his game and tried to simplify it so that he can just go out and play. Mike learned a lot about his what he needs to do with his game, and from what I have seen so far it looks like the hard work has paid off. Time off in golf is a MUST-a chance to rest and rejuvenate your mind, body, and game and Mike really took advantage of the time over the last few months. And now it is back to business. Starting this week, Mike is playing 6 of the 7 next events and it is going to be exciting!
Waialae CC is the host golf course this week in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is a course that I am not too familiar with as we haven't played here since 1999 and a lot has changed in 6 years. A few new tees have been added and overall the course is in great shape. Scores out here are always at the mercy of the wind. There have been some serious trade winds out here this week-winds upwards to 20 miles per hour and the strong winds are predicted to stay with us all week.
I think the key this week will be in the short game. If you miss a green around here, you want to make sure you hit the ball where you can chip and putt into the grain to have more control over the shot. The down grain shots can be very fast and players will have to be careful. The short game is one of the strongest parts of Mike's game so he will look to key into that this week. Mike has been practicing a lot this week and has really been hitting the ball well. He feels fantastic and is excited to tee it up Thursday.
On another note-you probably know that Michelle Wie is playing in the field this week on a sponsors exemption. Personally I think it is great she has been picked. She has incredible talent for a player of her age. Ultimately it is up to the sponsors to pick whoever the want to play, and since she adds a lot of excitement to the event I think it makes a lot of sense. There is some talk of how she is taking a spot from a TOUR player, but I personally think it helps the event, bringing in more recognition and benefiting the TOUR in the long run. We could tell Michelle was out practicing on Tuesday by the size of the crowd-this is something you don't see often with players on TOUR and I think it would be great to see her make the cut this week.
I also wanted to mention that I will be continuing to write my caddy reports for MikeWeir.com every week we are out on TOUR playing this year. If there is anything you would like me to include in my reports please click here and provide some feedback. I will also be answering questions throughout the year and providing golf/caddy advice to MikeWeir.com members, so click here to ask me your questions and check back to the Dynamic Advice section to see if I've answered them!
Thanks as always for your support and I hope you enjoy the week!
Brennan Little
