Swede Daniel Chopra liked the look of Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course when he first saw the hilly par-73 layout on television and in video games.
After feeling comfortable all week as a player at Kapalua, he cemented his strong relationship with the venue by winning the Mercedes-Benz Championship there in a playoff on Sunday.
"The golf course was designed by me, I'm guessing," Chopra told reporters with a beaming smile after beating American Steve Stricker at the fourth extra hole.
"There's not a golf course out there that suits me more. I just loved it from the moment I saw it. I've obviously been familiar with it from on TV but when I played it the first time, I thought: 'Wow, I love it.
"I come out here and I'm fairly familiar with most of the holes and the shots," added the Swede, who booked his place at Kapalua with his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Ginn sur Mer Classic last October.
"I've played it on PlayStation a bunch too and I managed to take advantage of it. I felt like I knew how to play the holes and I got it done."
Although a daunting 7,411 yards off the back tees, the Plantation Course suited the big-hitting Chopra with its wide fairways and huge, undulating greens.
"It gives me plenty of room and it has big, slopey greens," the 34-year-old Stockholm native said after clinching his second PGA Tour title in three starts.
PUTTING IMAGINATION
"You have to be a good putter and I am a good putter. I was able to use my imagination to read putts, it just comes naturally to me. I can see the slopes, I can see the grain and I can see where the wind is going.
"All my years of playing all over the world on different types of greens helps me. I just enjoy the challenge that the golf course provided on every shot."
The globe-trotting Chopra, born to a Swedish mother and Indian father, was reluctant to make comparisons between his two PGA Tour victories.
"I guess there might have been a few more better players in the field this week and it's deemed as a more prestigious event," he said of the elite tournament that brings together the title-holders from the previous PGA Tour season.
"But every win is extremely special. I'm just as proud of this win as I was of the other one. I don't think until maybe you win a major you can really rate one above the other."
The big difference for Chopra was his comfort level in the final round at Kapalua, having won the weather-delayed Ginn sur Mer Classic last November by a stroke on the fifth day.
"I felt 10 times more comfortable going out there today than I did that final round at Tesoro," he said. "I was wound up tighter than a drum there getting in that final nine holes before darkness came.
"I was reasonably relaxed this time and I felt like I knew what I had to do. I'm sure next time I'm in contention I'll even be more comfortable. Hopefully that is the case."
