Contenders brace for condition switch at Sentry Tournament of ChampionsContenders brace for condition switch at Sentry Tournament of Champions
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Just as they became accustomed to the gusty trade winds off the Plantation Course the contenders at the Sentry Tournament of Champions face a new battle on Sunday. Heavy winds and gusts out of the east / northeast have tested the 33-man field for three rounds but Sunday’s final round forecast calls for a switch in direction and power. Sunday sees the winds expected to switch and come from the north / northwest – an entirely different proposition. While they are expected to drop from the gusts of around 20 miles per hour to around 10 miles per hour the change of strategy is one players must adjust to quickly. The drop in speed is something leader Gary Woodland is looking forward to. He is three clear of Rory McIlroy and four ahead of Marc Leishman. “It just allows you to be more aggressive. I’m very confident with where my game is, in the past it might have affected me a little bit, but I feel very good changing,â€� Woodland said. “I think it suits me, when it’s not blowing it suits me as much as it does when it is, so I’m excited about it.â€� For McIlroy it obviously means a change in game plan, but one he is confident he and his caddy have prepared for despite the fact this is his first trip to Kapalua. “A couple of adjustments to be made. It’s a little different, especially when it’s one you haven’t played in before,â€� McIlroy said. “To not have had that practice and try to go into a final round when you’re trying to win a golf tournament, it’s a little challenging, but it’s going to be the same for everyone. “Harry and I need to do a good job tomorrow of just hitting it to the right spots on the fairways. There’s going to be a lot of holes where I’m not hitting the same club off the tee as I was the previous few days and it’s just about picking your spots to hit at and trusting that this is what you need to do and just trying to be a little more thoughtful about where you’re placing the golf ball. That’s going to be key tomorrow.â€� Leishman grew up in the Australian town of Warrnambool which often gets high coastal winds that can switch on a dime. “I need to get off to a good start. It depends how the other boys start as well as to how aggressive I get,â€� Leishman said. “But it’s going to be very different. I think it’s a different direction, the wind, which we haven’t played this course in, in those conditions very often. “And so it’s sort of hard to tell what the scores are going to do, but, yeah, either way I’m going to have to play really good golf.â€� MUST-READS Woodland leads with heavy heart McIlroy looks for final group atonement CALL OF THE DAY
