Mark Wilson Gears Up to Defend 2 PGA Tour Titles

It’s almost time for Menomonee Falls native Mark Wilson to apply the lessons of 2011 to the new PGA Tour season, which begins in full on Jan. 9.

Plenty of attention will be focused on the 37-year-old, who won both the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii and the Waste Management Phoenix Open later in January.

• Follow Mark on Twitter @markwilsongolf and also on Facebook.

That early success didn’t carry through all year long, however. After finishing tied for seventh at The Memorial in June, he didn’t crack the top 15 again. He did make it all the way through the Fed Ex Cup before taking 26^th in the Tour Championship.

Wilson told AZCentral.com this week that 2011 proved to be a learning experience, with the highs and lows both providing wisdom. Of the rest of 2011, he said:

"After that, the rest of the year, I learned that maybe my expectations got a lot higher than they should have been. I should have just kind of gone out and played golf again — and low score wins."

Wilson, who enters 2012 ranked No. 60 in the world, finally went low again after the end of the regular PGA Tour season. He tied for fourth in the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic at the end of October with four rounds in the 60s and a 15-under score.

He told AZCentral.com that he was well-rested after some time off and was eager for January play, much like his favorite football team.

Last year, Wilson wore a Cheesehead up to the stadium-style tee box at Phoenix on Sunday, the same day the Packers were in the Super Bowl. The Phoenix tournament again is scheduled to conclude on Super Bowl Sunday, though last year cold weather forced the tournament to end on Monday.