HONOLULU– Hayden Buckley began and also finished the back 9 at Waialae with eagles on Saturday for a second straight 6-under 64, offering him a 2-shot lead and also producing some splitting up entering into the last round of the Sony Open.
Buckley holed out a wedge from 133 backyards on the 10th opening. He completed his day with a technique to 2 feet on the par-5 18th opening.
He was at 15-under 195, and also his 2-shot lead could have been the largest shock in a 3rd round that at one factor included an eight-way connection for the lead.
Even currently, Buckley has a lengthy roadway in advance of him. In his second year on the PGA Tour, he had never ever had the lead after any kind of round. And 5 gamers are within 3 shots of the lead on an excursion where it appears no lead is secure. Only recently, two-time significant champ Collin Morikawa shed a 6-shot lead on the back 9 at Kapalua.
Nine of the leading 15 gamers at Waialae have actually never ever won on the PGA Tour.
Buckley led by 2 over Chris Kirk (68 ), Ben Taylor (65) and also David Lipsky (66 ), the Californian that has actually invested most of his profession in Asia.
Kirk started the 3rd round with a 1-shot lead and also great feelings due to his runner-up surface 2 years ago that allowed him to maintain complete condition on trip. His very first shot cruised towards your homes down the best side of the very first fairways– out of bounds and also resulting in a dual bogey.
He was or else strong from there, though he missed out on a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th that would certainly have placed him in the last team.
Lipsky understands the sensation. His opening up drive went left and also jumped along the concrete course right of the driving array, till it cleared up outside the white risks. He handled to restrict the damages to a bogey when he made a 25-foot putt. He adhered to that by taking 2 chips to obtain onto the second eco-friendly for one more bogey, and also he after that had 7 birdies the remainder of the means.
“It’s never ideal when your ball goes 50 yards down the path OB,” Lipsky claimed. “I’m pretty happy with how I played and how I handled those first two holes.”
While the 3rd round had not been a peculiar as Friday– Jordan Spieth went from a share of the lead to missing out on the cut, and also Rory Sabbatini was one off the lead till 3 straight dual bogeys– there sufficed unfamiliarity to understand 18 even more openings could seem like a marathon to those attempting to win for the very first time.
S.H. Kim, the novice from South Korea, escaped 4 straight birdies to take the lead at the turn. And after that on the 10th opening, the 3rd most convenient at Waialae, he had 124 backyards from the center of the fairway and also made dual bogey– a technique that bounded over the eco-friendly, a chip to 30 feet and also 3 putts.
Byeong Hun An had a 66 and also was connected for 16th, 6 shots behind. That includes his quadruple bogey 8 on the 10th opening after his drive remained in the center of the fairway, 87 backyards from the opening. An went long pursuing a back pin, muffed a chip and also two times had a wedge slide under the round being in thick turf. It was a mess.
Andrew Putnam and also Nick Taylor each had a 62, the reduced round of the competition. That obtained Putnam within 3 shots of thelead Taylor made the 36-hole cut on the number and also enters into the last day 5 shots behind.
