The Live Report, Round 3: Sony Open in Hawaii
The Sony Open in Hawaii is the first full-field event of the 2009 PGA TOUR season. PGATOUR.COM is on the scene in Honolulu. We'll provide updates all day long, so check back often. (All timestamps listed for Eastern Time.)
TOMS HAS SIGHTS SET HIGHER (11:56 p.m.): David Toms put a nice exclamation point on his round Saturday when he chipped in for eagle at the 18th hole.
The 65 he shot was his lowest since he went one better in the third round of last year's Travelers Championship. Toms went on to finish 20th there, but the 2006 Sony Open champion has his sights set much higher this week.
"This is a good start," said Toms, who is tied for second and finds himself in Sunday's final group with David Toms. "Today, my goal was just to play well enough to have a chance tomorrow and see how I do. I didn't do so well last year when I had opportunities like I have tomorrow. I want ... to try to test myself early.
"We'll see how it goes. I'm driving the ball pretty well so far this week, and give myself enough opportunities to score. Just have to have a hot putter tomorrow to have a chance."
Toms has never finished lower than 13th in four starts at Waialae, a course he enjoys playing due to the variety of holes. In 19 rounds, he has only shot above par twice and he owns the course record of 61 that was shot in the third round of his title run.
"I like it, because you hit all different clubs off the tees into the greens," Toms said. "You have long and short holes. We only have really ... two par 5s to try to score on. They are both birdie opportunities the way it's playing today, and you need to do that it's just a good mixture.
"I hit three or four long irons to par 4s and I hit a couple wedges to par 4s and same with the par 3s. I hit a couple of long shots and short shots and it has a flow to it. It's the type of course I wish we played more." -- Helen Ross
TADD GETTING ATTENTION (11:48 p.m.): Tadd Fujikawa certainly got the fans' attention on Saturday when he fired a 62 that left him two strokes off the lead entering the final round.
The PGA TOUR players the 18-year-old pro is battling at the Sony Open in Hawaii certainly took notice, too.
"That's very impressive," Zach Johnson said after completing a round of 66 that gave him sole possession of the lead. "I don't know what else to really say. 8-under anywhere is really good. But Saturday in a TOUR event, especially in your own backyard, that's not easy to do. ...
"So I think obviously he's a talent, a borderline phenom, considering where he's doing and how he's doing it. He went out first and earned his way. ... (I) got a chance to speak with him briefly. I've seen him swing it and seen him putt it; he's very, very solid. It's not a surprise based on what I've witnessed, but it is a minor shock based on the circumstances.
"You know, he's going to be great for golf if he continues what he's doing."
David Toms, who starts the final round one stroke off Johnson's lead, agreed.
"Obviously a guy that can shoot 62 on this golf course on the Saturday of a PGA TOUR event has got a lot of talent," he said. "So I wish him well. And then obviously it does this tournament good to have a local guy doing well.
"There's been a lot of that stuff here. We've had Michelle Wie play a few times. Tadd's doing well here. ... For us, the PGA TOUR, any kind of feel-good story is good for us. If he goes out and plays great tomorrow and has a chance, you know, that's a win/win, for this tournament, and for our TOUR." -- Helen Ross
FEELING GREEN (11:28 p.m.): Nathan Green admitted he was nervous and said he "didn't have a full set of tools" on Saturday during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
A 10-footer to save par on the first hole settled him down a little, though. And Green went on to gut out a solid 69 that left him in a tie with David Toms, Shigeki Maruyama and Brian Gay, one stroke off the lead held by Zach Johnson.
"Not many guys in the last few groups, it didn't look like, went too low," Green said. "So it's good to still be one off the pace."
The Aussie only hit seven of 14 fairways on Saturday but managed to find all but five greens. Once there, though, he had a tough day with the flat stick -- taking 31 putts as compared to 27 in the first round and 25 on Friday.
"I don't think I spent much time on that blue line, they put it on TV," Green said. "It was just one of those days, you're happy to get out of it with an under-par score, as I said, nervous and not really feeling great with the swing. But I hit some good shots, and I hit some bad ones, but at the end of the day, 1-under, (I'm) happy." -- Helen Ross
HAWAII'S NEWEST STAR (11:10 p.m.): To say Shigeki Maruyama feels comfortable in Honolulu might be an understatement.
"There are a lot of Japanese tourists here," he said. "Boy, you walk downtown, it's like Japan. So it's like my second home here."
Many of those tourists were in Maruyama's gallery on Saturday as he posted his third straight round in the 60s to stay in contention for what would be the fourth PGA TOUR victory of his career.
Maruyama's 68 left him tied with David Toms, Brian Gay and Nathan Green at 9 under, one stroke off the lead held by Zach Johnson. He's playing some of his most consistent golf in years, and he's looking forward to Sunday's final round.
"How about that, one stroke back, and you can make that up in one hole, two holes, easily," he said. "But I'm not thinking about a real low score tomorrow. I'm just going to do my best, play one hole at a time."
Maruyama, who earned the nickname the "Smiling Assassin" when he went 5-0 at the 1998 Presidents Cup, has plenty to be happy about after Saturday's bogey-free round.
"I'm going to do my best to show an even bigger smile tomorrow," he said. -- Helen Ross
SHORT-SIDED (10:35 p.m.): Waialae isn't the shortest course on the PGA TOUR, but this might be one of the shortest leaderboards you'll see all year -- literally.
Leader Zach Johnson is 5-foot-11. He'll play the final round with David Toms, who is one shot back and stands at 5-10. Shigeki Maruyama (5-7), Brian Gay (5-10) and Nathan Green (5-8) are also one back.
Tadd Fujikawa (5-1), George McNeill (6-0), Boo Weekley (6-0) and Charles Howell III (5-11) are another stroke back at 8 under. -- Brian Wacker
DOWN THE STRETCH (10:05 p.m.): With the third round winding down, here's a look at some key numbers across the board.
How tough is Waialae playing? The field average for driving accuracy is only 57 percent on what will arguably be the tightest set of fairways these guys will face all year on TOUR.
Greens in regulation: The field is at 65 percent and yet somehow the current leader, Zach Johnson, who hasn't made a bogey since No. 1 (his ninth hole of the round) yesterday, has hit just 64 percent of his greens today. It's no wonder he's 100 percent in scrambling today. -- Brian Wacker
ROOKIE UPDATE (9:35 p.m.): A dozen PGA TOUR rookies made the cut here at the Sony Open in Hawaii. You may be familiar with a few of those names. The most highly touted of these young bucks is Wake Forest product Webb Simpson. After opening his professional career with a 66 on Thursday, he was able to back it up with a 68 on Friday. That two-day total of 6 under earned Webb a pairing with former Masters champion Zach Johnson.
Although Webb would certainly like to be better than even par as he makes his way around the back nine today, there is no substitute for the experience that he is getting. Watching a proven champion work his way around the course is a lesson that can't be taught in a classroom. Regardless of how Webb finishes this second round or plays on Sunday, he will be a better player for the experience. The idea of this kid getting better quickly should be scary for the rest of the TOUR. -- John Maginnes
NA NOT GOING AWAY (9:20 p.m.): In 2004, it looked like Kevin Na had a bright future. He was the youngest member of the PGA TOUR, finished T4 at the Honda Classic for his first top 10 in just his 11th career start and shot a pair of weekend 66s at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic to finish T3. A year later, he earned more than $1 million and posted a pair of second-place finishes.
But in 2006 his season was derailed after just 11 events because of an injury he suffered to his hand after slamming it in a car door. He got a major medical extension for 2007 and and last year posted three top 10s.
Na is perhaps best known, however, for foregoing his senior year of high school to turn pro at age 17. He got his TOUR card a few years later in 2003.
Saturday, he put himself in good position at 7 under with a round of 66. Accurate off the tee and good on the green -- he ranked 39th in driving accuracy percentage and 17th in putting average last year -- he figures to be in the hunt come Sunday.
-- Brian Wacker
MCNEILL MOVING UP (8:55 p.m.): Just last year George McNeill had a bit of a health scare with what he thought might have been something cancerous in his neck. As it turned out, it was a benign cyst and O'Neill could enjoy a return trip to the PGA TOUR this season, thanks to his 2007 win at the Frys.com Open and more than $1.3 million in earnings in 2008.
And right now McNeill is putting himself in good position for a shot at win No. 2. He's 7 under for the tournament on the strength of a front-nine 32 that featured a string of three straight birdies on Nos. 7-9.
While McNeill didn't have any wins last season, he did come in second twice at the PODS Championship and the Ginn sur Mer Classic. -- Brian Wacker
| George McNeill: 2008 statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
|
BIG PAYDAY AHEAD (8:38 p.m.): Depending on what happens Sunday, Tadd Fujikawa is likely looking at the biggest paycheck of his young pro career.
He earned $13,500 for winning the Mid-Pacific Open last April and another $5,120 for making two cuts on the Japan Tour. Had he been a pro when he tied for 20th at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii, Fujikawa would have earned $52,955.
Should he win at Waialae on Sunday, the 18-year-old pro would pocket $972,000. Not to mention, he would be exempt on the PGA TOUR for the rest of 2009 as well as the next two years.
Fujikawa, who started Saturday's third round in a tie for 50th, fired a 62 and held a share of the lead at 8 under for two-and-a-half hours. He's still just a shot off the pace being set by Zach Johnson, Shigeki Maruyama and Brian Gay. -- Helen Ross
NEW LEADER (8:25 p.m.): We've got a new leader at Waialae. Zach Johnson just moved to 9-under for the week after draining a 4 footer for birdie on the par-5 ninth. That was Johnson's third birdie of the day, with no bogeys.
There's nothing spectacular about Johnson's game right now, just pure steadiness. For example, last week he ranked fifth in the field in number of one-putts and proximity to the hole. If he keeps that up he'll do a lot better than tie for sixth the way he did at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. -- Brian Wacker
LOGJAM AT THE TOP (7:50 p.m.): When Tadd Fujikawa fired an 8-under 62 earlier today it looked like there might be a lot of low numbers today. That hasn't been the case, however.
Six players are logjammed at 8 under at the moment. Among them is Zach Johnson, who is coming off a season in which he finished outside the top 40 on the money list for the first time in his career. His best showing here was a tie for 47th, but that looks like it's going to change.
One good indication that Johnson was going to play well this week: He struggled with his iron play at Kapalua last week, yet still finished T6. Another? That Johnson is one of the TOUR's best ballstrikers and putters. -- Brian Wacker
HAAS HAS IT GOING (7:28 p.m.): Overlooked in the frenzy surrounding Tadd Fujikawa's spectacular round was the second-best score of the day to this point, a 5-under 65 from Bill Haas, who jumped 31 spots on the leaderboard.
Haas had two birdies, two eagles (on Nos. 9 and 18) and just one bogey. It was Haas' best score since a 6-under 66 in the third round of last year's Viking Classic, where he finished T4. -- Brian Wacker
MORE ON FUJIKAWA (6:58 p.m.): Let me chime in on Tadd Fujikawa as well. Why not, everyone else is going to and they should. One round does not a career make, but for Tadd today's 62 could lead to much bigger and better things.
His name has been mumbled in golf circles for a couple of years since making the cut here at the Sony Open in Hawaii two years ago. After today, those conversations are going to get louder. He proved today that at his best he can play with the best players in the world. Other tournament directors are likely to sit up and take notice and that could lead to sponsor exemptions and a chance to really stake his claim on the PGA TOUR.
Just how good was the 62 that Tadd shot today? In his career, Tiger Woods has only tied or bettered 62 four times on TOUR. He shot 61 twice and 62 twice. The number of times that Tiger shot 63 are too numerous to count. And, by the way, your humble scribe's low round on the TOUR? A 63 in the final round in Milwaukee 100 years ago. Way to go Tadd, can't wait till Sunday. -- John Maginnes
LEADERS ABOUT TO TEE OFF (6:40 p.m.): With the the leaders about ready to tee off at Waialae, here's a quick look at some statistics.
-- Tom Pernice, Jr.'s 7-under 63 featured 12 one-putts en route to the second-lowest putting round of his PGA TOUR career (20 total putts). Now to some other numbers:
| Tom Pernice, Jr. - This Week vs. The Field | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
| Nathan Green - This Week vs. The Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
STATS TO KEEP AN EYE ON (6:16 p.m.): Brian Gay, currently T4 at 7-under and set to tee off shortly, is one of the best players on TOUR around the greens. In 2008, he ranked first in scrambling and was in the top-20 each of the last four seasons.
Zach Johnson, who finished birdie-birdie-eagle to get to 6 under for the tournament, is looking to rebound from a down year on the greens. He ranked 65th in total putting last year, one year after ranking 15th. So far this week, Johnson's averaging 30 putts per round. -- Brian Wacker
TADD AT THE TOP (6:01 p.m.): Tadd Fujikawa is now the clubhouse leader at the Sony Open in Hawaii after making a birdie on the 18th to get to 8-under for the day and the tournament.
Fujikawa, the 18-year-old Hawaiin who two years ago made the cut here as an amateur, had a spectacular round of nine birdies and just one bogey while taking just 26 putts. -- Brian Wacker
Here's a look at Fujikawa's card:
TADD NEAR THE TOP (5:45 p.m.): Tadd Fujikawa ended a string of five straight pars with a 6 1/2-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th. The birdie brought him to 7 under for the tournament -- with a par-5 remaining that he has yet to birdie this week.
Maybe this will be his week. The 18-year-old Hawaiin certainly has a huge crowd lining the fairways to support him. The two leaders, Nathan Green and Tom Pernice Jr., have yet to tee off. They are at 8 under. -- Helen Ross
| Youngest winners in PGA TOUR history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HAAS HAVING A GOOD DAY (5:30 p.m.): Bill Haas has jumped up the leaderboard thanks, in part, to an eagle on -- where else -- the par-5 ninth hole.
He added two other birdies -- on Nos. 4 and 10 -- to get to 4 under for the day and 5 under for the tournament, moving from T38 at the start of the day into a tie for eighth at the moment.
Haas' best finish to date on TOUR was a T3 at the Viking Classic two years ago. Last year he had just two top 10s, and admitted on Friday that he's still trying to figure out the mental side of the game.
Haas' father Jay, meanwhile, is playing this week over on the Big Island of Hawaii in the Wendy's Skins Game.
Whatever happens, both will be happy to know that Wake Forest just defeated Clemson in men's basketball this afternoon. The win could move the undefeated Demon Deacons to No. 1 in the country. Both Jay and Bill went to Wake and are die-hard basketball fans and the younger Haas is friends with former Wake standout and current NBA All-Star guard Chris Paul. -- Brian Wacker
IMADA READY TO TAKE OFF? (5:10 p.m.): Ryuji Imada has been playing on the PGA TOUR since 2005, finishing 121st on the money list that year. Each of the next two years were even better, but last season he took his game to another level with his first career TOUR victory at the AT&T Classic -- a playoff win over Kenny Perry.
Imada added a pair of runner-up finishes at the Buick Invitational and the PODS Championship and a T3 at the Turning Stone Resort Championship to cap what was by far his best year on TOUR.
Saturday, the 22-year-old shot a bogey-free 66 that included birdies on three of his final four holes to move from T63 to T20 on the leaderboard. One of the TOUR's best putters (he ranked 21st in putting average in '08), he hasn't even gotten the flat stick rolling yet this week, averaging 31.3 putts through the first three rounds. -- Brian Wacker
TRACKING TADD (4:45 p.m.): Hawaiian teenager Tadd Fujikawa continues to go low today. He just birdied Nos. 9, 10 and 11, the latter of which came when he chipped in from about 30 feet away.
Fujikawa, who made the cut here as a 16-year-old amateur two years ago, is now an 18-year-old professional closing in on his first PGA TOUR paycheck. If he keeps hitting it tight the way he has so far today, it could be a very big paycheck. He's now at 6-under for the day and the tournament and in a tie for fifth. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Fujikawa's card through 12 holes.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR (4:35 p.m.): There are still a couple of hours before the leaders tee off, but here are some fast facts on Nathan Green and Tom Pernice, Jr.
-- Despite ranking fourth in putting average and 12th in total putting last year, Green finished 122nd overall in the FedExCup standings.
-- Five of Pernice's six top-10 finishes in 2008 were during the FedExCup season, including a T8 at last year's Sony Open in Hawaii. Speaking of Pernice, watch for him on the par-3s. In 2008, he was 5th on TOUR in par-3 birdie or better percentage and tied for third in par-3 scoring average. Waialae has two par-3s on each side. -- Brian Wacker
GAINING GROUND (4:20 p.m.): Tommy Gainey lost his PGA TOUR card when he finished 148th on the money list in 2008, but the South Carolinian is making the most of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Gainey made the cut right on the number and was 3 under through 15 holes on Saturday, moving him into a tie for 26th.
Because Gainey finished in the top 150 last year, he is playing out of the 126-150 catagory, which should get him into around 15-20 events. A top-10 here would earn Gainey a spot into next month's FBR Open. -- Ryan Smithson
FIRST HOLE-IN-ONE (4:05 p.m.): Casey Wittenberg had the first hole-in-one of the year on Saturday when he aced the fourth hole with a 4-iron from 201 yards.
The Nationwide Tour grad made an eagle on the ninth hole when he holed a 29-footer from just off the green. Wittenburg also had two bogeys on the front nine, though, so he made the turn in 2-under 33. He's played 12 holes now and is 1 under for the tournament. -- John Bush
FUJIKAWA OFF TO FAST START (3:58 p.m.): Tadd Fujikawa, the popular 18-year-old Hawaiian who made the first cut of his PGA TOUR career yesterday, apparently wasn't kidding when he was talking about wanting to win, rather than just make the cut in his hometown tournament. So far today, Fujikawa is 3 under through his first eight holes.
He came out quickly, birdieing the first three holes by making putts of 13, 12 and 7 feet, respectively. Fujikawa bogeyed No. 4, but rebounded with his fourth birdie of the day on No. 6.
In 2007, Fujikawa shot a 66 on Saturday -- his second of that week -- when he made the cut here as an amateur. He's the lone Hawaiian left in the field this year after Parker McLachlin, Dean Wilson and Lorens Chan all missed the cut. -- Brian Wacker
| Groups We're Watching | ||||||||||||
|
| Live Essentials | ||||
|
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FAN ZONE
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network