Sony Open 2014: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More
While the rest of the country is hunkered down trying to avoid the icy-cold temperatures, those jerks on the PGA Tour will be finishing up their mini-swing through Hawaii at the Sony Open.
The eighth tournament of the 2013-14 season, but just second of the calendar year, takes place at the beautiful (disclaimer: I've never actually been there, I just assume it's beautiful) Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
Twenty-four-year-old American Russell Henley will be back to defend his 2013 title, while several other notable names will join him on the links.
There will be no Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or Rory McIlroy, but Zach Johnson, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner, Jordan Spieth and last year's runner-up, Tim Clark, are all there, making this a competitive tourney.
Rain and wind (and, you know, those blasted mid-to-high 70-degree temperatures) figure to play some kind of a factor, but that should only add to the allure of the compelling tournament.
Here's a look at when and where to catch the action:
When: Thursday, Jan. 9, to Sunday, Jan. 12
Where: Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
TV Schedule: Golf Channel has the broadcast for all four rounds from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET
Tee Times: Full Round 1 and 2 tee times can be viewed at PGATour.com.
Continue to the next page for leaderboard updates as play progresses.
Round 4 Leaderboard
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Leaderboard
For complete scores, visit PGATour.com.
| 1 | Jimmy Walker | 66-67-67-63 | -17 |
| 2 | Chris Kirk | 64-69-65-66 | -16 |
| 3 | Jerry Kelly | 67-67-66-65 | -15 |
| 4 | Harris English | 66-66-67-67 | -14 |
| 5 | Marc Leishman | 67-64-71-65 | -13 |
| 6 | Brian Stuard | 65-65-71-67 | -12 |
| 7 | Jeff Overton | 68-68-65-68 | -11 |
| T8 | Charles Howell III | 71-67-66-66 | -10 |
| T8 | Adam Scott | 67-66-71-66 | -10 |
| T8 | Matt Kuchar | 68-68-68-66 | -10 |
Recap
After turning pro in 2001, Jimmy Walker played in 187 PGA tournaments before winning his first. In his last six, Walker has won two and appears to be playing his best golf late in his career.
Walker didn't just win, but dominated the final round with a 63. Finishing 17 under par, the Oklahoma City native finished three strokes ahead of Round 3 leader Chris Kirk in the final round to narrowly edge him out for the Sony Open crown.
After a good start, Walker came through late to clinch the tournament. As the PGA Tour's official Twitter account, Walker put together three straight cold-blooded performances down the stretch:
"Clutch! Jimmy Walker birdies 15, 16 and 17 and gives himself a three-shot cushion headed to the last. #PGATOUR
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 13, 2014"
Walker kept a clean card throughout the final round with no bogeys and seven birdies. After struggling to win throughout his career, Walker is now No. 1 in the Ryder Cup Standings as the only multiple tournament winner on the PGA Tour.
Kirk finished just behind Walker for second overall in the tournament, but certainly didn't wilt under the pressure. The Round 3 leader put together a round of 66 on Sunday, which just so happened to be his second-lowest of the Sony Open.
Jerry Kelly finished in third after shooting another good round of 65. Kelly birdied on the 15th and 18th to catch back up to Kirk and Walker, but a bogey on the 14th would keep him behind both.
Other notable top-10 finishers were Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson. With all four finishing the Sony Open at the top of the leaderboard, it could be the start of a great season for some of the world's top golfers.
Round 3 Leaderboard
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Leaderboard
For complete scores, visit PGATour.com.
| 1 | Chris Kirk | 64-69-65 | -12 |
| T2 | Harris English | 66-66-67 | -11 |
| T2 | Will Wilcox | 69-66-64 | -11 |
| T4 | Jerry Kelly | 67-67-66 | -10 |
| T4 | Jimmy Walker | 66-66-67 | -10 |
| T6 | Jeff Overton | 68-68-65 | -9 |
| T6 | Robert Allenby | 68-68-65 | -9 |
| T6 | Retief Goosen | 66-69-66 | -9 |
| T6 | Pat Perez | 68-67-66 | -9 |
| T6 | Zach Johnson | 68-67-66 | -9 |
Recap
With two PGA Tour wins under his belt, 28-year-old Chris Kirk is no stranger to taking home the hardware. Needing just 26 putts, Kirk managed a stellar five-under 65 in the third round, taking a one stroke lead over Harris English and Will Wilcox.
The only dropped shot on the day for Kirk came at the par-four 10th hole. Even though he managed to hit less than half the fairways and 11 greens in regulation, his putter came to the rescue.
English is a huge hitter who has struggled in the young 2013-14 campaign with the flat iron, but he is in contention for his second win of the season already. He could very well be on his way to becoming the next big American star. If he's able to get hot on the greens in the final 18 holes, English figures to have a great chance of claiming victory.
Having just graduated from the Web.com Tour in the 2013 class, this is an encouraging start for Wilcox as he embarks on his first year on the pro circuit.
Beyond the 20-somethings that occupy the top of the leaderboard, there are some other nice storylines to follow involving seasoned veterans.
Strong ball-striker Robert Allenby and two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen are showing they still have some fight in them at this late juncture of their careers at -9 overall. Jerry Kelly is also in the hunt after a fine round of 66.
Despite hitting 15 of 18 greens, the reputedly volatile Pat Perez had a round of 66 that left something to be desired after he double bogeyed the par-four 14th hole. Still, he has a chance entering Sunday and is in fine form thus far.
Don't sleep on Zach Johnson, who isn't a power player of the mold that typically thrives on this course but is proving he can hang tough and is the most consistent, world-class performer near the top.
Round 2 Leaderboard
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Leaderboard
You can take a look at the entire leaderboard over at PGATour.com.
| 1 | Brian Stuard | -10 | 65 |
| T2 | Marc Leishman | -9 | 64 |
| T2 | Hideto Tanihara | -9 | 65 |
| 4 | Harris English | -8 | 66 |
| T5 | Jason Kokrak | -7 | 67 |
| T5 | Jimmy Walker | -7 | 67 |
| T5 | Adam Scott | -7 | 66 |
| T5 | Chris Kirk | -7 | 69 |
| T5 | Sang-Moon Bae | -7 | 70 |
| T5 | Chris Stroud | -7 | 65 |
Recap
The 31-year-old has been the most consistent player through two days of play in Hawaii. After back-to-back five-under 65s, Stuard owns a one-stroke lead over Marc Leishman and Hideto Tanihara.
Aside from a bogey on the 17th hole, Stuard was steady. He had four birdies, and an eagle on the ninth hole.
His path to 65 was far different on Friday than the route he took on Thursday. In the first round, despite eight birdies, Stuard's three bogeys kept him from running away from the pack.
John Daly faltered in a major way after a four-under 66 on Thursday. He shot a three-over 73 on Friday and slipped to one under overall.
With 10 men separated by just three shots, there's a lot of meaningful golf to be played in Hawaii.
Stay tuned to see if Stuard can hold on to his lead.
Round 1 Leaderboard and Recap
4 of 4
Leaderboard
You can take a look at the entire leaderboard over at PGATour.com.
| 1 | Sang-Moon Bae | -7 | 63 |
| 2 | Chris Kirk | -6 | 64 |
| T3 | Brian Stuard | -5 | 65 |
| T3 | Ryan Palmer | -5 | 65 |
| T5 | Retief Goosen | -4 | 66 |
| T5 | Jimmy Walker | -4 | 66 |
| T5 | Harris English | -4 | 66 |
| T5 | John Daly | -4 | 66 |
| T5 | Hideto Tanihara | -4 | 66 |
| T5 | Jason Kokrak | -4 | 66 |
| T5 | Daniel Summerhays | -4 | 66 |
Recap
Sang-Moon Bae got off to a tremendous start, knocking down six birdies on his first 10 holes. From there, he coasted to a bogey-free round of 63, which, according to the PGA Tour's media Twitter feed, was a career-best day for him:
"Sang-Moon Bae's 63 @SonyOpenHawaii is his career-low round on @pgatour, topping three 64s, most recent in R2 @WMPhoenixOpen in 2013.
— PGA TOUR Media (@PGATOURmedia) January 9, 2014"
The 27-year-old hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation in what was a near-perfect first round in Honolulu. He holds a one-stroke lead over the field.
Of course, Chris Kirk may be playing better than anyone on Tour right now, and he was able to keep pace. The 28-year-old, who finished fifth at Waialae last year, has two-straight top-25 finishes, including a win last time out at the McGladrey Classic.
That success continued on Thursday, as he shook off two early bogeys and finished his day with an eagle on 18 to card an impressive 64. As PGA Tour Media pointed out, he broke the elusive 30 on the back nine:
".@Chris_Kirk_ cards 6-under 64 in R1 @SonyOpenHawaii, including back nine 6-under 29 and eagle on No. 18. #PGATOUR
— PGA TOUR Media (@PGATOURmedia) January 9, 2014"
Other notable names who got off to great starts include Harris English (-4), John Daly (yes, the John Daly is at -4), Adam Scott (-3) and Jason Dufner (-3).
Defending champion Russell Henley is in serious danger of missing the cut after shooting a three-over 73 that has him in a tie for 118th place.
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