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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, September 20, 2007

GOLF REPORT
Wilson rests wrist as tour hits home stretch

 •  PGA pros to run clinics for juniors
 •  Tour Money Leaders
 •  Holes in One

By Bill Kwon

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kane'ohe's Dean Wilson will skip the PGA Tour's next two events to allow his injured left wrist to heal before picking up his clubs again.

ADVERTISER LIBRARY PHOTO | Jan. 6, 2007

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It's never over till it's over.

Well, maybe except for Tiger Woods.

With more than $20 million in earnings — half of it deferred — and nothing more to prove, Woods is done with the 2007 PGA season after double-dipping in the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.

The only Tiger sightings remaining will be in non-tour events, the Presidents Cup next week in Montreal, Canada, and the Target World Challenge in December.

It's charitable of Woods to leave the gleanings for the rest of the guys on the PGA Tour in the upcoming Fall Series of seven tournaments worth $32.1 million in prize money.

Guys like Parker McLachlin and Dean Wilson, the two players on the PGA Tour from Hawai'i.

We talked to McLachlin about his plans in the fall rush for the money and jockeying for position in the top-125 exempt list. This week we caught up with Wilson, who had an R&R of his own, albeit not voluntarily.

The Kane'ohe native played in the first two FedEx Cup events, the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, but didn't play in the penultimate BMW Championship, finishing 75th in the FedEx Cup point standings. Only the low 70 advanced.

Wilson has no pressure keeping his exempt status. His victory in the 2006 International gave him a two-year exemption. Besides, he's safely ensconced on the 2007 money list — 75th place with $1,075,657 in earnings.

So unlike Parker, Wilson's in no rush to start up the gold rush beginning today in the Turning Stone Resort Championship in upstate New York. In fact, Wilson is also skipping next week's Viking Classic in Mississippi.

"I'll play the next three in Texas, Las Vegas and Arizona for sure," Wilson said in a telephone interview from his Vegas residence. "Then, we'll see how it goes."

How it goes isn't only about how he fares in the three events. It's also about how his sore left wrist will hold up.

Wilson is still nursing the injured wrist that led him to withdraw from the John Deere Classic in July after an opening-round 77. It also led to a DNP (did not play) in the Canadian Open two weeks later.

"I haven't practiced at all. I'm trying to give it a rest. I haven't done anything, so nothing too exciting has happened," Wilson said.

Catch the UH-UNLV football game?

"I wanted to, but didn't," he said.

So it was just sitting around and getting bored until he can pick up the sticks again. And seeing if he can move up on the money list before the season ends with the Disney Golf Classic in Florida the first November weekend.

Interestingly, Wilson and Woods are separated by only one page in the 2007 PGA media guide. But otherwise, they're light years apart, especially moneywise.

Not just with Wilson, who points out that Tiger's just better than everyone else.

In his fifth full season on the PGA Tour, Wilson enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2006, posting his first tour victory and finishing 22nd on the money list with $2.5 million.

He isn't anywhere near that this year, describing it as merely "OK." His best 2007 finish is a tie for fifth in the Stanford-St. Jude Championship. He also has other top-10 finishes in the FBR Open and the Verizon Heritage.

A lot of it has to do with the second most prominent wrist injury in local golf this year. We don't have to say whose is No. 1.

Wilson feels her pain and finds his frustrating.

"It's the first time in my life I've had to deal with an injury. I've missed more tournaments than I usually have," said Wilson, who has played in 25 events this year, making the cut 16 times.

He has never played in fewer than 27 tournaments since joining the the PGA Tour. He logged 34 appearances last year.

So it'll be see-how-it-goes time for Wilson in his personal version of the Hunt in October. Besides chasing the money, there's still a chance to earn a spot in the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua, Maui.

Wilson says he might play in a couple of events in Japan in November before coming home to celebrate his 38th birthday on Dec. 17 with his family in Kane'ohe.

Before you know it, it's time for the Sony Open in Hawai'i, kicking off yet another golf season.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net