If this were 20 years ago, Dean Wilson and Mark Chun would be hauling their bags up the slopes of Pali Golf Course.

What a difference the grown-up world makes. Today, when Wilson tees off in the first round of the Sony Open in Hawai'i, Chun will carry his bag and the ambience will be electric.

They will be walking inside the ropes of Waialae Country Club with 141 of the world's best pros, Honolulu amateur Brandan Kop and possibly the most precocious 16-year-old on the planet in Michelle Wie.

More than $5 million will be at stake. Wilson, the only Hawai'i golfer on the PGA Tour, has a legitimate shot at the $918,000 first prize.

He won six times on the Japan tour and was ranked among the top 80 in the world before getting his PGA playing privileges in 2003. Wilson has collected more than $2 million on the world's best tour, $822,000 coming last year when he had four top-10 finishes.

But money can't buy love, even locally. He still pays his fee at "Ala Wai Country Club and Resort — the only course in America where (PGA Tour) pros have to pay." He can still "work undercover" in the place he grew up and, surprisingly, never won a tournament.

Chun has won many. The engaging starter at Ala Wai is one of Hawai'i's finest amateurs and might be more well-known than his boss this week.

That's OK for the low-key Wilson, who might be best known for his gallant performance as Annika Sorenstam's playing partner in her historical appearance at the 2003 Bank of America Colonial.

"I last lived in Hawai'i in high school," says Wilson, 36. "I really have no foundation in Hawai'i anymore. But I want to let everyone know I am from Hawai'i."

So do friends, who threw a party in his honor to "re-introduce" him prior to his fifth Sony. Chun has been on the bag for four, having the time of his life.

"I played golf all my life and there is nothing like being inside the ropes," he says. "It's my chance to be with the pros, rubbing elbows. I know what they're talking about, what they're thinking about. I learn everything and anything."

In that way, this is nothing like those days at Pali. Chun is intrigued by the pros' intense focus and dedication. The players are "spoiled to the thousandth degree," Wilson admits.

But his friendship with Chun endures, and is even enhanced in the short time they spend together at Sony each year.

"I know he can help me along the way," Wilson says. "And, we know each other's personalities so well. He might be able to say things that kick me in the butt and get me going. Other people can't do that."

That comes from all those hours together when the two chased golf balls and dreams with different endings.

Chun knew his future was here. Wilson's mother, Grace, started Dean golfing at age 13 and changed his life.

In an ironic twist, he didn't mind putting in endless hours on his game because, as he told brother Kess long ago, "I want to be good at golf because I don't want to work."

He moved away at the first opportunity, winning three Western Athletic Conference championships at Brigham Young, graduating in 1992 with a degree in secondary education, and spending the last 13 years on the road.

Wilson figures he has spent more than seven of those years in a hotel. He moved to Las Vegas along the way simply to make the commute more civilized and have an address. He is planning on making this pro golf thing a long-term gig.

"I remember watching David Ishii at the State Open and I was fascinated," Wilson says. "I'm still fascinated by all the golfers. I find it fascinating to find people fascinated by me.

"I'm still more like the guys here, playing Pali and Bay View, and digging through the bushes for balls."

Only this week, he will have Chun doing the digging.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.