HONOLULU — JJ Spaun rallied to birdie the 5-18th hole Saturday for a 5-under 65, a final birdie that gave him one shot at the Sony Open going into the final round where more than that. twelve players remained in the mix.
Spaun mixed bogeys and birdies over the final four holes at windy Waialae, dropping shots that cost him and Patrick Fishburn a chance to create separation.
Instead, it’s the same old situation along the east coast of Waikiki Beach. This old-school course with its doglegs, deep bunkers and unpredictable Bermuda rough has a way of keeping the leaderboard stacked until the end.
Germany’s Stephen Jaeger, best known as the only player to beat Scottie Scheffler at the Houston Open when Scheffler won last year, had nine birdies in his 62 and wasn’t sure where that would leave him when he finished.
He was shot in the back, along with Fishburn (68) and Eric Cole (67).
Jaeger was six shots behind going into the third round. He also had 40 players between him and two more players on the leaderboard.
“You’re in trouble at that point,” Jaeger said. “You’re going to have a good round and have a chance or … shoot a good round and be in contention is good.”
Fishburn, in his Sony debut as a sophomore at Utah, was the only player to reach 14 under thanks to his birdie on the par-5 ninth to go out 31 and create some separation. But he made just one birdie the rest of the way, blasting a drive 360 yards with the wind at his back and hitting a flip wedge that rolled over the cup. He also made three bogeys, and failed to birdie the closing 5th hole.
Spaun was 13-under 197.
“I feel cool and relaxed. It’s been a great week here in Hawaii,” he said. “It’s always laid back and easy. I’ve always carried that mentality on the course, and it’s easy to feel that way when things are going your way and you’re playing well. Just try to hone that tomorrow and see what happens.”
Throwing Fishburn a few shots brought many back into the contest.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley closed his final two holes in 64 and was two shots back in a group that included Canada’s Nick Taylor (65), former British Open champion Brian Harman (66) and Zozo Championship winner Nico Echavarria of Chile. in Japan last fall who played a bogey-free 66.
“As soon as we turned around, the conditions became very difficult,” Fishburn said. “A lot of the wind was strong on the left and the pins on the left, so it was a tricky setup.”
The group three shots behind includes Lucas Glover and Gary Woodland, who returned from brain surgery at the Sony Open last year.
Woodland, who had 66 consecutive second-round appearances, has played enough at Waialae to know that often — Justin Thomas was no exception in 2017 when he set the PGA Tour record for 253 — and that a winner can come out of nowhere.
“If you can burn, you can run,” Woodland said. “It won’t shock me if someone comes up behind and sends a number. Everything is trending the right way. A couple of couples have sent a good number. I hope that’s me tomorrow.”
Jaeger excelled with the low round of the tournament. He made 20-foot birdies on the front nine — starting at No. 10 — and found great momentum after a birdie from under 60 feet on the eighth hole. He finished with a wedge to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 ninth.
“I played really bad off the tee, a lot of drivers. If I can get them in the fairway, I’m going to have a lot of short shots,” Jaeger said. “If you’re missing fairways, you’re going to have to create to get those greens and get good birdie putts. Nothing’s going to change. The game feels good, so I’m excited for the future.”
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