HONOLULU – Two swings was all it took Hayden Buckley to become another face in a large crowd of contenders for a two-stroke lead at Saturday’s Sony Open.
On a day when at one point there was an eight-way tie for the lead, Buckley made a pair of eagles on the back nine at Waialae that carried him to a second straight 6-under-64 and gave him at least one allowed small separation.
One of those was a 133-yard wedge that he believed pulled to a left pin on #10, the third easiest hole on the course. Instead, it turned out perfect.
“It was nice to see that,” Buckley said. “I pulled on it a bit and wasn’t sure where it would land.”
The other was among his best shots of the day, a 5-iron from 221 yards that rolled 2 feet to the front left pin on the par-5 18th hole.
Otherwise it was a steady diet of pars and the occasional birdie on a course where the fairways run fast.
“We did exactly what we were trying to do and got away with two shots, had two big eagles,” Buckley said. “Our game plan remains the same. If we play well enough, that’s great. If not, we’ll just take care of it.”
He was 15 under 195 when Buckley was seeking his first PGA Tour title in his second full year, and he’s not alone in that regard.
He will be in the bottom group with David Lipsky (66) and Ben Taylor (65), both of whom have never won on the PGA Tour. Lipsky has won on the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour, European Tour and Korn Ferry Tour.
Nine of the top 15 players at Waialae are seeking their first PGA Tour win.
Chris Kirk was also two shots behind. He started the third round with a shot advantage and good spirits, having finished second two years ago, which allowed him to retain full status on the Tour. His first shot sailed towards the houses on the right side of the first fairways, out of bounds and resulted in a double bogey.
He was otherwise solid from there, although he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th that would have put him in the last group.
Kirk has four PGA Tour wins, but the last was at Colonial in 2015. It felt like winning at Waialae two years ago. He had retired from golf to treat alcoholism and depression and his 65 on the final day at the Sony Open to take second place was enough for him to retain full status.
So he wasn’t sure if he had an advantage because of the experience gained.
“If maybe I had won three weeks ago,” Kirk said. “But it’s been a while. I definitely know what it takes, but I also know it’s not easy. But I definitely like where I am. I like how my golf game feels. Obviously I’m very comfortable and I love this place so I’m looking forward to the opportunity against these guys who didn’t win. Most of them are probably 15 years younger than me.”
Kirk wasn’t the only player with a slow start. Lipsky’s opening drive went left and skipped down the cement path to the right of the driving range until it landed outside the white stakes. He managed to limit the damage to a bogey as he made a 25-foot putt. After that, he took two chips to get onto the second green for another bogey, and then had seven birdies the rest of the way.
“It’s never ideal when your ball goes 50 yards down the OB path,” Lipsky said. “I’m pretty happy with how I played and how I mastered the first two holes.”
While the third round wasn’t as bizarre as Friday – Jordan Spieth went from a fraction of the lead to missing the cut, Rory Sabbatini was one from the lead to three double bogeys in a row – it was enough to realize that 18 more holes could feel like a marathon for those trying to win for the first time.
SH Kim, the rookie from South Korea, made four straight birdies and took the lead in the turn. And then on the 10th hole, the third easiest in Waialae, he had 124 yards off the center of the fairway and made a double bogey – an approach that jumped the green, a chip at 30 feet and three putts.
Byeong Hun An had a 66 to finish tied for 16th, six strokes back. This includes his quadruple bogey 8 on the 10th hole after his drive was down the middle of the fairway, 87 yards from the hole. An went long after a back pin, muffled a chip, slipped twice with a wedge under the ball that was sitting in thick grass. It was a disaster.
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