HONOLULU – Patrick Fishburn gained early momentum and Denny McCarthy overcame a sluggish start Friday, both ending up in the same spot – with a share of the lead at the Sony Open heading into the opening weekend at Waialae. .
Fishburn ran off three straight birdies on the back nine in his opening round and birdied the fifth hole, closing with one final birdie for a 5-under 65.
McCarthy missed short par putts by his standards early in his round. When he rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the fifth hole, he was on his way to a 66. McCarthy, considered one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, missed an 8-foot birdie attempt on the closing hole.
They were 10-under 130, one shot ahead of Kensei Hirata (63) and Eric Cole (67), who had a chance to tie the lead until they missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th at Waialae.
Another shot was 36-year-old rookie Paul Peterson, who played in five previous tournaments around the world before getting his PGA Tour card this year. He chose to end his round on the par-5 ninth hole, with two birdies and a 67 in near darkness.
The cut was 3-under 137. Among those missing from the first full-field event of the year were 15 players who were in Maui last week for The Sentry, a $20 million tournament featuring the 2024 winners and the top 50 from FedEx. Cup. That list included Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk and Austin Eckroat.
McCarthy didn’t mind at all the short putts he missed because he was playing in the afternoon when there were a lot of feet, and because he was making up for them by making his share of long putts.
“Kind of coming out,” he said.
Fishburn is a 32-year-old from Utah in his second year on tour after using a strong fall to ensure he has a full card for 2025, an important year because only the top 100 from the FedEx Cup keep their cards. He finished at No. 104 as a rookie.
This is his second trip to the Sony Open and he is playing for the first time. He was among the Korn Ferry Tour students who came out to Oahu for the rookie only to find that the field was full and most of them wouldn’t enter the tournament.
“It was a great relief to be on the plane knowing I was going to have time. It’s a completely different atmosphere,” he said. “So, I’m happy to get a tee time this year.
One thing was certain. That record hit of 35 under Hideki Matsuyama at Kapalua last week is safe. The Hawaiian swing offers two very different courses – Kapalua built on a mountain, Waialae near the ocean. One is a long and wide recreation ground, the other is a private club with dogs and hard landings.
“This one is really tough,” McCarthy said. “You’re not going to have a 35-year-old winner here.”
The top five players entering the weekend have never won on the PGA Tour, which is important because an invitation to the Masters is at stake. But victory remains a long way off with 25 players within four shots of the lead and 36 holes to play.
Between those two shots behind were the figures of the last Ryder Cup outside of Rome — Austria’s Sepp Straka and American captain Zach Johnson.
Johnson, who turns 49 next month, holed a 9-iron on the third hole for eagle and shot a 31 on the front nine. He was arrested in 66.
Johnson first joined the PGA Tour in 2004 at the Sony Open. Now out of shape, he needs an exemption from the Sony Open to enter the tournament he once won. He writes other letters, makes phone calls, asks for a place in the field.
“I’m not going to play as a major program this year. I don’t feel like I want to or I don’t need to, obviously for important reasons,” said Johnson, who only played twice this fall because he didn’t want to. to miss any of his son’s soccer games.
Matsuyama was 69 and 4 years under. He is just shy of trying to become the third player to sweep the Hawaii championships in the same year. It was recently created by Justin Thomas in 2017.
The group at 6-under 134 included Gary Woodland, who returned last year from brain surgery to remove a lesion that led to seizures and a fear of death. The Woodland swing has been coming together. He says he now sees the golf course more clearly and is building patience in his game.
“I feel good, but I’m on the golf course and I’m in my position and I’m not touching it,” Woodland said. “I think for a long time — most of the last year — I didn’t know what to expect for each shot, how I would feel. It’s like I haven’t felt this way for a long time. m trending in the right way. There are still some things you have to get better at, but it’s exciting and the signs are there.
Source link
