Golfer Hoffman determined not to regress in 2011

Charley Hoffman had the best year in his five seasons on the PGA Tour in 2010, winning a FedEx Cup playoff tournament, making more than $2.5 million and contending for the $10 million end-of-year championship bonus.

With a new season getting into full swing today at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hoffman has a new challenge: fighting complacency.

The former UNLV honorable mention All-American -- one of 17 players on the PGA Tour this season with ties to Las Vegas -- has full exempt status, meaning he can choose when he plays. Hoffman is striving to avoid any slip-ups after the success he enjoyed last year.

Hoffman, 34, finished 26th on the PGA Tour money list last season with earnings of $2.56 million and won the Deutsche Bank Championship in early September for his second victory since joining the tour in 2006.

"I've probably worked harder this offseason than any year before," Hoffman said. "As you get older, you know your limitations. You make better decisions. I can't think of a better spot to be in than the one I'm in right now."

Hoffman tied for 25th last week in a 32-man field at the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii.

He will skip the Sony Open to prepare for next week's Bob Hope Classic -- which he won in 2007 -- in La Quinta, Calif.

"I got off to a horrendous start last year," Hoffman said. "I didn't play well in Phoenix, Palm Springs and San Diego -- three places I normally play great at. Then I injured my wrist and took about five weeks off. It wasn't until I got with James Sieckmann to work on my short game and also worked with Sean Callahan, my swing coach, that things started getting better.

"I started putting some good rounds together and everything sort of clicked around playoff time, and I had a real strong finish. This year, I'm hoping to start fast and keep it going throughout the year."

Nick Watney, who lives in Seven Hills so he can be close to coach Butch Harmon and Rio Secco Golf Club, finished 28th in earnings with $2.54 million last season but wasn't satisfied.

"I made a lot of cuts, but I didn't find the winner's circle, and that was a little disappointing," said Watney, who is also skipping Hawaii this week. "I think one of the positives for me last year was my consistency. I've been on the tour awhile and I think I know what to expect.

"I know I'm not going to be great all the time. But I also know golf is a very fickle game, and once you think you've got it, it slips away, so I've worked pretty hard on my game, particularly my short game. It probably prevented me from winning last year, so I'm trying to shore that up."

Former UNLV star Andres Gonzales is beginning his PGA Tour career after surviving qualifying school last month.

"It's something I've been looking forward to for a long time," said Gonzales, who earned just $2,350 last year on the Nationwide Tour after playing for the Rebels from 2003 to 2006. "The key for me is drive the ball well. I did a good job off the tee all of last year. I wasn't letting my ego get in the way and trying to blast the ball, just hit it solid and keep it in the fairway. If I can do that here and keep putting well, I think I can compete out here."

Many of the tour pros with local ties figure to be at TPC Summerlin from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Hoffman said it's not surprising that so many of his colleagues call Las Vegas home.

"A lot of the former Rebels love Las Vegas," he said. "Second, the tour did a real smart thing building two TPC courses to practice and play. Finally, there's no state income tax. That always helps."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.