If you have followed my column for the past 9 months, you might have noticed that I like to pick guys who are celebrating milestones in their personal lives — weddings, babies…the lot! Therefore I am kicking myself for overlooking Si Woo Kim last week for the Sony Open in Hawaii after he tied the knot over the Christmas break and won his fourth career title.
Incidentally, he beat Hayden Buckley by 1 shot — Buckley is also a newlywed. Go figure!
This week — following a fortnight in beautiful Hawaii — the west-coast swing begins in Palm Springs and it's back to the scene of another Si Woo victory back in '21. For many, especially those poa annua putting specialists, the California leg of the PGA TOUR is a highlight of the year and we have some great tournaments coming up over the next 5 weeks.
The American Express is a slightly different format to the rest. It's played on 3 courses and is 1 of 2 tournaments on the schedule to feature a pro-am element. That means each pro will play alongside their amateur partner for 3 rounds until the cut is made at the end of Saturday. Then on Sunday it's go-time to climb that leaderboard and get the W!