Hyundai Tournament of Champions 2015: Daily Leaderboard Analysis and Highlights
The PGA Tour kicks off 2015 in grand style with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions event at the Kapalua Resort Plantation Course in Hawaii. As you would expect given the event's name, the field is limited to 34 players who won an event last season.
However, there are certain champions not taking part in this tournament. Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are the two most notable omissions, as they opted to take additional time off. That doesn't mean the field is lacking for star power with Matt Kuchar, Jason Day and Bubba Watson among the participants.
In an effort to get more eyeballs on the tournament, it kicked off on Friday and will run through Monday. This tournament has been a stepping stone for many players over the years. Jordan Spieth came in second last year and turned into a star as the year moved on.
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Here's a look at the leaderboard, as well as analysis and highlights from the event. Results will be updated after each round.
Daily Leaderboard
Round 4 Recap
It was rather fitting that on the same night as college football crowned its first ever champion in the College Football Playoff, Patrick Reed required a playoff hole to best Jimmy Walker in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Jason Sobel of the Golf Channel put the achievement in perspective:
Reed played well on the day, shooting a six-under 67, surpassing yesterday's leaders, Walker and Hideki Matsuyama (who couldn't keep pace, shooting a three-under 70 and finishing tied for third). Shots his following effort on 16, passed along by the PGA Tour on Twitter, would prove to be huge:
But even that nearly wasn't enough, as Jason Day surged up the leaderboard, shooting an amazing 11-under 62 and finishing just a stroke behind Reed and Walker.
It wasn't enough to catch Reed and Walker, however. The latter will be disappointed he couldn't come away with a tournament title, though he played excellent throughout the Tournament of Champions, including this excellent shot on No. 3:
Matsuyama will also be disappointed, but this effort on No. 7 was indicative of his quality play throughout the tournament:
But in the end, Reed was just to good. The field certainly tested him on Monday, no doubt, but Reed continued his ascension to the top of the golfing world. Few young players in the world have more potential than Reed.
Round 3 Recap
With his second seven-under 66 in as many rounds, Hideki Matsuyama got himself into a tie for the lead heading into the final round. At 17 under for the tournament, he and Jimmy Walker own a two-shot advantage over the next closest competitors with 18 holes to go.
Matsuyama didn't have a great start to the round with a bogey on No. 1. A birdie on the fifth hole canceled out the bogey, and he wrapped up the front nine with three more birdies. He continued his consistent play on the back nine and picked up another trio of birdies between Nos. 13 and 15.
Matsuyama's approach play was on point throughout the day. His third shot on the 18th hole illustrated just how locked in the 22-year-old was with his irons.
Should Matsuyama prove victorious, he'd join Shigeki Maruyama as the only other Japanese-born golfer to win more than one PGA Tour event, per Justin Ray of Golf Channel:
It'll be easier said than done. Nine different golfers are all within five strokes of the lead, and given Sunday's high scores, it would be premature to rule those guys out completely.
Plus, Walker's right there along with Matsuyama atop the leaderboard, and with the way he seemingly relishes playing in the winter, the 35-year-old arguably finds himself with a slim advantage going into Monday.
Most of Walker's damage came on the front nine. He picked up back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes before alternating par and birdie to close out the first nine holes. And speaking of approach play, Walker was terrific once off the tee.
PGATour.com highlighted how much Walker has improved over the years when it comes to ball-striking:
It should be a great head-to-head battle between him and Matsuyama.
While those two made their push for the top spot, Zach Johnson remained stuck in neutral. He had a share of the lead before Sunday's play started, but after an even-par 73, he's in 10th place. Johnson needed a birdie on 18 to avoid going over par for the round.
According to PGA.com, Johnson only hit 72.22 percent of his greens in regulation, compared to 83.33 percent and 100 percent in the first and second rounds, respectively. In addition, he lost 3.334 strokes from the tee to the green.
Suffice it to say, Sunday was a rough one for Johnson, and as a result, he's likely too far out to have any say in the final outcome.
Round 2 Recap
The leaderboard tightened in Saturday's second-round action. USA Ryder Cup players Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson surged to the top to match Sang-Moon Bae and Russell Henley at 11 under par.
Johnson has to be especially dangerous to the other trio of leaders since he is the defending champion. An exceptional second round of six-under 67 saw Johnson surge to the finish, carding four birdies and no bogies on the back nine, capping it off with a birdie at the par-five last.
Golf Channel's Justin Ray highlighted just how locked in Johnson was from tee to green:
While a lot of the focus will be on those ahead of the rest of the pack, this field features plenty of quality players that are within striking distance.
Charley Hoffman is among a group at 10 under par that also features up-and-coming studs in Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama and Brendon Todd. But it was Hoffman's torrid finish that made the most headlines.
A double bogey at the par-four 17th was the lone blemish on Hoffman's scorecard, which featured seven other birdies on the back side. Near the start of his magnificent run to the end, Hoffman almost had a hole-in-one in the par-three 11th:
Reigning FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel is among the biggest names teeing it up. The young star is at four under par overall after a three-under 70 on Saturday.
Horschel displayed a much improved short game in running to the PGA Tour's postseason title. He has lamented his regression in that all-important area this week:
At a tournament where birdies can be had in bunches, it is indeed important to roll the rock well. Hoffman's late Day 2 run is evidence of what's possible, and it provides some explanation for the jumbled leaderboard.
Matt Kuchar is still in the hunt at -8, while defending Masters winner Bubba Watson and Jason Day are both at seven under par through two rounds, just four strokes off the pace. Someone from that trio could easily contend for the trophy over the next 36 holes.
A win for Walker would be big, as he carries added expectations with his three early-season wins from 2013-14 that he has yet to back up with another. Walker did fare well in the majors last year, but getting some momentum would be a big boost in his bid to stay among the world's elite.
Moving day should feature the players needing to make up ground firing at flags, so the leaders will have to remain in attack mode to stay ahead.
Henley and Bae are streaky and aggressive by nature—a nice fit for the friendly layout in Kapalua. However, don't sleep on Johnson's ability to stick to his game plan and position himself well for a 12th career tour victory entering the last round.
Round 1 Recap
The first great round of the day belonged to Sang-Moon Bae, who fired a seven-under 66 that included just one bogey. His best run of the round started on the fourth hole when he rattled off five consecutive birdies and made the turn with a six-under 30.
The 28-year-old South Korean could be poised for a breakout season. Bae won the Byron Nelson Classic last year and already has a win this season at the Frys.com Open.
However, there is a huge hitch in Bae's plan that could derail his golfing career. According to Alex Miceli of GolfWeek.com, Bae is currently in a legal battle with his native country about military service and the status of his visa:
"Bae was informed last month by South Korea's Military Manpower Association, without elaboration, that his request was denied and that he would face military conscription. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Service, he is required by law to return home within 30 days of the expiration.
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Will Haskett of Sirius XM Radio pondered what a win could mean for Bae, while also acknowledging that there's a lot of tournament left to play:
Obviously, the off-course issue is much bigger because Bae's lifestyle is being challenged but it will be fascinating to see what happens if he does win.
Speaking strictly about on-course happenings, the PGA Tour tweeted out this video of Bae making the first birdie of the new year:
As impressive as Bae's overall round was, though, he didn't have a singular moment that could compare with this shot from Tim Clark, via the PGA Tour's official Twitter:
The 39-year-old will enter the second round tied for 17th at three-under par. Clark was more efficient than dominant in the first round with four birdies and one bogey. He's looking for his third career PGA Tour victory.
Another contender for shot of the day was Ben Martin, who ended his round in grand fashion with an eagle on a chip, via the PGA Tour's official Twitter:
Martin is firmly in the mix heading into the second round. That eagle got him to six-under and in a five-way tie for third place.
As impressive as those shots were and as good as Bae was, it could not compare to what Russell Henley did in the first round. The 25-year-old American played a perfect round on Friday with eight birdies and no bogeys en route to an eight-under 65.
It's a nice and welcome change of pace for Henley, who admitted last year to Doug Ferguson of The Associated Press that he didn't understand success after his first win in 2013, via PGA.com:
"I think this year, I'm more excited to keep playing golf and keep getting better, and I feel like I've got a little bit better direction that I'm going in right now. I feel like I know what is going to make me better. A full year on tour will teach you a lot about who you are and what you need to do with your game – what works, what doesn't work. I think a year of experience is huge for me.
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Henley wasn't able to capitalize on his win at the Honda Classic last March, but is off to a rousing start in 2015. He already has one top-five finish this season at The McGladrey Classic in October.
As noted by Golf Central, Henley is no stranger to winning in Hawaii. His first career victory was at the Sony Open in Hawaii nearly two years ago to the day:
A victory in this spot will go a long way towards taking Henley into the next tier of golfers. He's just 25 and could be reaching that stage of his career where the mental maturity and physical skills are lining up in perfect harmony.
With 17 players ending the day within four shots of the lead, Saturday figures to be an important round for everyone. Henley doesn't have any breathing room for mistakes, while the rest of the field must continue to play catch-up if the low scores remain a fixture.
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