Join us as we take a tour on the PGA Tour with Parker McLachlin, a former Punahou athlete. McLachlin and Castle alum Dean Wilson are the only Hawai'i golfers on the PGA Tour. McLachlin, Waikoloa's touring pro, will write his impressions on events that he's just completed and tournaments that are upcoming on his calendar.

Aloha from Montana,

While there are two tournaments going on this week, I am in Montana taking some time to ski and relax with my family. I just wrapped up two consecutive weeks on the "Florida Swing" and I wanted to take this week off because I know that I will play the next two weeks in New Orleans and in Houston.

Last week I played in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which was a great learning experience. I've played in a U.S. Open before and this was similar to playing in a major. There was an elite field of the top 120 PGA tour players, and with both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the field there was a lot of hype, a lot of excitement, and a lot of media attention.

I was very disappointed to have missed the cut by one shot at 3 over par, with that one shot being a bogey on my last hole Friday. I played early in the morning, and when I went to the scorer's tent the man inside assured me that with the afternoon winds coming, I would be safely inside the cut line. The second I walked out of the scorers tent, however, I noticed the wind completely died. Amazingly, no one who played in the afternoon shot their way out of the tournament. As I look back on it now from Montana, it only makes me that much hungrier to get back to Bay Hill in 2009 and play great golf.

The Florida Swing is a lot different than the West Coast swing. As many of you who were following me from the Sony Open on have seen, I played some really solid golf up and down the West Coast. When I got to Florida, I didn't play as well. One thing I noticed this year was that a lot of the golfers who grew up on the West Coast played great out west and poorly in Florida, while many of the East Coast guys didn't do all that well until the Tour got back to the courses — and the grass — they felt comfortable on.

As I wrote about a few weeks ago, I'm learning where I play well and where I don't play well. For instance, I can't wait to get to New Orleans and then Houston for the next two weeks. There are certain "factors" that go into a decision. I like to think there are five main factors:

1. Do I like the city where the golf course is being played?

2. Do I like the layout of the golf course?

3. Do I like the area where my wife and I are staying, and do I have any friends in that city?

4. Have I been out on Tour for too many consecutive weeks that I'm not mentally and physically ready to go?

5. Is the purse of the tournament really large, or really small?

Oh, and one other note before I leave you for the slopes of Montana: I will certainly be following my UCLA Bruins this weekend as they begin their quest to the Final Four. As many of you know, I love everything about Hawai'i and I support the University of Hawai'i's athletic teams, but my Bruins are going for a national championship and I'm ready to go along for the ride!

Mahalo for now,

Parker.

Parker McLachlin can be reached at www.parkermclachlin.com