At the 2009 Mercedes Championship, it was time to look on the sunny side

Has the PGA Tour ever needed Hawaii as much as it did last week, for the lid-lifting Mercedes-Benz Championship? The latter half of the 2008 season seemed to be played under a dark cloud -- no Tiger, a dud of a FedEx Cup, John Daly's naughtiness and the economic turmoil leading to widespread industry jitters being the dominant stories in a gloomy fall and early winter. But all of that was forgotten, at least temporarily, at the (mostly) sun-splashed Mercedes, which rang in the new year with its intoxicating mix of roller-coaster golf, mellow golfers and endless Maui scenery, all of it playing out live in prime time for snowbound golf fans on the mainland. (link)