(AP) — Defending champion Nick Taylor was sharp with his irons and handled the par 3s at Waialae Country Club for an 8-under 62, giving him a share of the lead Thursday with Kevin Roy as the PGA Tour season started at the Sony Open.
This is the latest start to the tour season because The Sentry at Kapalua on Maui was canceled due to water issues. The Sony attracted a strong field, with four of the top 10 in the world.
Taylor, who won last year in a playoff, and the early starters caught a break when the wind didn’t arrive until the afternoon. Only four players from the top 16 on the leaderboard played late.
“I think we got lucky with the forecast this morning. I expected some more wind,” Taylor said. “A lot of the wind is going with the dogleg, so it felt like some of the tee shots maybe weren’t as challenging. I hit it great, but this course fits my eye.”
Taylor made birdie on three of the par 3s. The one par 3 he didn’t birdie produced what he felt was his best swing of the day, a 4-iron to the top shelf on the difficult fourth hole that left a 25-footer he narrowly missed.
The Canadian was pleased, though not surprised with his game despite this being the first event of the year. He played just enough in the offseason to stay sharp and still get rest, playing only in Mexico and then the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.
Roy had seven birdies in 11 holes at the start, and the finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
S.H. Kim played late and birdied his last three holes in a bogey-free round for a 67. He was in a group with Ben Griffin, coming off a three-win season and a Ryder Cup debut, and Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup.
Vijay Singh, the 62-year-old Hall of Famer who used a one-time career money exemption, had two double bogeys and still shot a 68. Also at 68 was Jordan Spieth, who had six birdies against four bogeys and a late club change that he figures cost him 2 1/2 shots.
Spieth put in a 3-iron instead of his hybrid.
“The problem is I had four months to get ready for this week and I dug five 3-irons out and I hit them the day before I came here and then I brought them all here and then I was trying to figure out which one I liked here and they were all good,” he said. “So then I got to pick one and it just … I just haven’t been playing with it, so I think I’m going to go back to the hybrid.”
Robert MacIntyre of Scotland and Adam Scott were at 67. Scott’s tee shot on the par-5 ninth to end his round hit the net lining the driving range and settled in the mesh at the bottom, inches outside the out-of-bounds stakes. He had to go back to the tee, hit 6-iron to 4 feet and saved par.
Scott was coming from Australia and figured Waialae, one of his favorite courses, was on the way to California for his next two starts. There’s also a feeling this might be the last Sony Open as the tour revamps its entire schedule.
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