Sony Open 2023 leaderboard, scores: Jordan Spieth shares lead with Chris Kirk, Taylor Montgomery in Hawaii
In what could have been a failed week for the PGA Tour, a superstar appeared on the first day of the Sony Open and shared the lead in the second round of Friday.
Jordan Spieth hit 64 points at Honolulu’s Waialae Country Club on Thursday and tied with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery on the leaderboard, a lead over a group of six other golfers after the game was halted due to the suspension. it’s dark. Although Spieth has won Hawaii before at the Tournament of Champions, he has never won this particular event. However, a win here could herald a terrible 2023 for the three-time major champion.
Let’s take a look at his roundup along with what’s to come for the rest of the week.
Leaders
T1. Jordan Spieth, Chris Kirk, Taylor Montgomery (-6): Warning: This is going to be a very Spieth-heavy post (for obvious reasons). The good news for Golden Child is that he is leading a golf tournament. The bad news is that he almost needs to lead the field to do so. Spieth almost had a perfectly clean card on Thursday, only damaging it with a ghost on the par-4 13th hole. He said after his round that the hitter started to feel good again.
“Half of my batting today was like, ‘Well, I know exactly how things are going.’ Some of them joined and some didn’t, and others I didn’t and I created some of them,” Spieth said. “It’s just – but I know once I get a certain feel with the ball I can beat the court. I can be number one in strokes for the week because I know what that feels like. .
“So I’m just trying to get there. It’s getting there and that’s exciting.”
The numbers agree. Spieth’s 50-round rolling average on hits hit the PGA Tour average (0.0 SG) for the first time since last year’s Texas Open.
I’m not sure Spieth has anything to prove to anyone that he’s won three major titles and 13 times before turning 30. But a win here and a little bit of momentum makes it. a long period of golf leading to masters will definitely elevate him in my mind back to someone who has the potential to become world No 1 by the end of the year. There’s a long way to go and he needs to hit a little bit better than he did today, but something is definitely taking shape.
other candidates
T4. Harris English, Denny McCarthy, Brendon Todd, David Lipsky, Rory Sabbatini (-5)
T11. Stewart Cink, KJ Choi, Cam Davis (-4)
We can talk about English (which we’ll do below), but what about Cink and Choi (101 years old combined) in a collaboration at this event! Both hit 66 seconds and both did it by winning the stroke in every statistical category, which is remarkable.
Also, Sabbatini’s script on Thursday is all-time.
Quote of the day
Spieth has had several gems after the age of 64. The first is about where his game has been compared to where it has been in recent years.
“I believe I can shoot five or six under a day here,” Spieth said. “Not to say that means it’s going to happen, but there are other times when I’ll sit there and think, ‘How do I keep this damn thing together,’ honestly. enough.”
I can’t think of a better way to summarize his entire career.
The second is a big twist after his game quote and the reveal that he and his family recently bought an RV to get around PGA Tour events.
Q: When was the last time you flew a trainer?
Spieth: “Day 27 — oh, coach, sorry, no. … I thought you said commercials.”
Sure, sure, sure.
Harris English reappears
Harris English is out for most of 2022 due to injury and it’s clear he’s having a hard time coming back. In 15 starts since returning last June, English has only once finished in the top 10 (September Fortinet Championship). His 65 in Round 1 marks the third time he has hit at least 4.4 strokes on the court in a half since the summer of 2021. English said after his half that the ratio was almost 100% as he felt for a long time. time so hopefully this is the start of a good run for him in 2023.
2023 Sony Open updated odds and picks
- Jordan Spieth: 4-1
- Taylor Montgomery: 8-1
- Harris English: 14-1
- Chris Kirk: 18-1
- Denny McCarthy: 20-1
- Orange Davis: 20-1
This is a difficult board. I don’t particularly like anyone on it, but if you make me pick, I think Davis at 20-1 is really interesting. He dropped just two goals and led the field from tee to green on Thursday. A big year for him shouldn’t come as a surprise and it’s easy to envision — even if his game doesn’t seem to be quite a match for Waialae — to imagine him starting to hit the ground running. this weekend.
Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter and Patrick McDonald stars Robby Berger from Bob Does Sports. Rick Gehman and Kyle Porter recap Thursday’s action at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
