Join us as we take a tour on the PGA Tour with Parker McLachlin, a former Punahou athlete. McLachlin earned his PGA Tour card for this season. He joins Castle alum Dean Wilson as 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 Houston and the Shell Houston Open.

Last week in New Orleans was a successful effort with a T-12 finish. It was a bit crazy with all of the weather delays, and I ended up playing 28 holes on Sunday. For the last 28 holes I had a chance to really be in contention and it was a great experience.

Thursday and Saturday night I was glued to the television hoping that UCLA would pull off a couple victories and get to the NCAA Final Four. I love everything about Hawai'i, but since I went to UCLA and I loved my time there, I will always have a special place for the Bruins.

In a bit of fate, I played the final two rounds with John Merrick, also a UCLA grad. We spent most of the time talking about how our Bruins are going all the way. When you play with someone you are comfortable with, you don't feel that obligation to spend time early in a round talking to the guy and getting to know him. You just feel great talking about anything.

Another reason I like playing with John is that he has such a smooth swing. It's easy for me to stand there and watch him play. It just helps my tempo watching another player with a similar style.

I don't think many amateurs realize this, but there are times when I don't even watch a player that I am playing with because I think it will inadvertently mess up my own game.

It was unfortunate to end with a couple bogeys in the last five holes, but another Top-15 finish is great. One thing I love about the New Orleans tour stop is the culture. Everyone there takes such pride in their cuisine, and it was important for my wife and me to make sure to try out all of the local spots.

I really feel the tournament has a positive impact on the community. Last year we saw the impact that Katrina had, and this year we were able to see tremendous improvement all the way around, whether it was people coming back to the city or people showing up at the tournament. I heard a rumor that the crowds were actually at a record high this year. That says a lot about the way not only the way the tournament was run, but it also says that the people are coming back to New Orleans.

I'm fired up for this week. They set it up as a "Masters tune-up" and the greens are firm and fast and there are some similarities to Augusta.

Last year I met President Bush at the tournament. Hopefully, I'll get to see him again. Maybe I'll even get to see him in the afternoon on Sunday. If so, I know it will be another good week.

Mahalo, Parker.

Parker McLachlin can be reached at www.parkermclachlin.com