The first round lead in a golf tournament tends to fade from time to time, but it’s not often that they miss the weekend altogether. That’s exactly what happened to Jordan Spieth at the 2023 Sony Open. After sharing the lead with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery in Round 1 with a score of 6 under 64, Spieith signed with a score of 5 of 75. in his second round. Missing a chance with a single hit, Spieth essentially predicted his own death after the first inning.
“I believe I can shoot five or six under a day here,” Spieth said on Thursday. “Not to say it means it’s going to happen, but to be honest, there are times when I’ll sit there thinking, ‘How do I keep this thing together.’ Seriously. .”
He couldn’t keep it up enough on Friday, and in the process, he joined a short list of players who tumbled off the top of the leaderboard over the course of a round. Spieth became the 10th man since 2010 (and the second within the past four years) to miss qualifying after taking the lead in the first round. As a result, he will take his RV back to the US mainland, where he will tee off next.
In his place, Chris Kirk emerged as the solo lead at the 36-hole mark. Standing at just under 11, the Georgia Bulldog formerly led JJ Spaun and Taylor Montgomery by under 10. With several unproven players in the chase, a life-changing opportunity to make it through. into the winner’s circle who appeared at Waialae Country Club.
Leadership
1. Chris Kirk (-11)
Three years ago, Kirk was fighting for his job at the Sony Open. When a T3 or better finish was needed, Kirk finished brilliantly by birdieing on the 72nd hole to secure a T2 result and retain his PGA Tour card. With a whole new perspective on life, Kirk was now able to win his first Tour title in 2,791 days.
“I don’t know if it helps, but it definitely helps when I’m done playing,” Kirk said of finding peace in his game. “I may not rate myself as a professional golfer. I can have a human life and my life as a professional golfer are two completely independent things. .
“I can wake up every day knowing that I’m doing the right things, that I’m working hard, that I love my family and that I’m doing what’s best for them and all of that really matters. importance,” he continued. “Whether you’re filming 65 or 75 — you know 65 is much more interesting, I’m not going to lie — but it just puts things in perspective.”
other candidates
T2. Taylor Montgomery, JJ Spaun (-10)
T4. Hayden Buckley, David Lipsky (-9)
T6. Ben Taylor, Austin Eckroat, SH Kim (-8)
T9. Denny McCarthy, Stephan Jaegar, JT Poston, Brendon Todd, Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy (-7)
Through the first 10 events of the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season, only one has won for the first time: Adam Svensson at the RSM Classic. With the likes of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tom Kim all winning so far, the absence of big names this weekend will present a golden opportunity for a rising star to change orbit. his career.
There are 10 championship contenders currently in the top 15, all of which will try to raise their first trophy. Winning the PGA Tour isn’t easy, and rookie of the year, top driver Taylor Montgomery, brought into context how good these guys really are in a funny, self-deprecating way after the second round of the race. he.
“I will say round yesterday [was more enjoyable] just because, I mean, I feel like I hit my iron really well,” Montgomery said. I was like, how good are these fuckers with irons? Act like I don’t know. Just an area where I really want to improve… like I think I’m in my 80s and I feel like I hit my irons great.”
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While Spieth’s death is more public and at least a bit of a roller coaster, he’s not the only favorite who fell short of expectations. The two men who took the top two places on the odds table to start the week will also be out of the weekend. Young superstars Tom Kim and Sungjae Im failed to start the match at Waialae CC and ended up missing the starting spot in their second game of the new year.
For Kim, it was his first miss since the PGA Championship last May and his first miss for the first time as an official member of the PGA Tour. For Im, this represents only his fourth missed cut in the last 25 worldwide starts. Both players will be looking for a speedy recovery at The American Express next week in Palm Springs.
2023 Sony Open updated odds and picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Taylor Montgomery: 4-1
- Chris Kirk: 2/9
- JJ Spaun: 11/2
- Hayden Buckley: 12-1
- David Lipsky: 16-1
- JT Poston: 18-1
- Maverick McNealy: 22-1
- Denny McCarthy: 30-1
- SH Kim: 35-1
- Brendon Todd: 35-1
- Ben Taylor: 35-1
- Stephan Jaegar: 35-1
There are definitely some unknowns with the names listed above. Previously only Kirk, Spaun, Poston and Todd had won the PGA Tour, two of those names that caught my attention. I’ve been interested in Spaun since the start of the week, and if it weren’t for a misfire on the par-5 9th hole, he would have led the golf tournament. He’s still a fair price – so is Poston, who looks to be in good form to run into the weekend from four strokes back.
