Can Mark Wilson defend his Sony Open title this year?
The second tournament of the 2012 PGA Tour calendar, Sony Open, will be held at the Waialae CC Golf Club, with defending champion Mark Wilson looking to secure another win in the event’s history.
American players have enjoyed ascendency in the Open, winning most of the events held so far.
Last year, Wilson outclassed his opponents in the final round of the event with a bogey-free round of three-under par 67 to lift the trophy.
Wilson came from a five-shot deficit at the start of the final round to make a good finish in the end. However, he is not known for making such a strong comeback in the tournaments.
“It was good that I just kept going. I thought I was playing well and shot 65 in the morning. It was nice to just go right to the tee and not have to think about it at all,” Wilson said after his final round performance in 2011 Sony Open.
“I’m just thankful it’s over now”.
Wilson, the 37-year-old American player, had an average record in his professional career, managing only eight wins, including four on the PGA Tour since 1996.
Moreover, he was never consistent in any of the seasons he played so far. Undoubtedly, he managed to record a couple of victories in a season, but they came in small intervals and he was seen going out of the golf scene soon after that.
Following his win in the 2011 Sony Open, he earned another victory in the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, 2011.
However, he failed to maintain his form during the remaining season and displayed an average game in the events that he played thereafter.
Apart from his inconsistency in form, he also lacked control over his game during the tournaments.
He sometimes made a superb start to the event but later on failed as the event progressed.
Some of his fans are now expecting him to successfully defend his Sony Open title. However, with a scoring average of 71 on the PGA Tour, it seems quite difficult.
Despite the fact that he won two tournaments last year, he is not listed in the Official World Golf Rankings.
This shows how inconsistent he was in the second half of 2011. Apart from his two wins, he had only two top-10 finishes in the 26 events that he participated in.
On the contrary, he was mostly seen standing outside the top-20 positions in the tournaments.
Nonetheless, golf experts believe that his Driving Accuracy Percentage (75%) and Greens in Regulation Percentage (86.11%) can give him an edge over his competitors in the tournament.
His putting is also an added advantage to his technique. All these stats can help him defend his title at Waialae CC.
However, the other school of thought believes that mental game will play a major role in his performance in the 2012 Sony Open.
He will be playing against some of the big names in the golfing world. Young stars, like Noh Seung-yul from Korea, and others can pose a serious challenge to Wilson.
While looking at Wilson’s recent performance, it is difficult to say that he can display the same show as he did 12 months ago.
However, in the game of golf, one can expect anything to happen and even average players can outclass the favourites of the tournament.
Golf fans will have to wait till the final day of the event to see who will become the king of Sony Open this year.
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