HONOLULU — Chris Kirk leading the Sony Open in Hawaii might have been the only semblance of normalcy. Jordan Spieth began Friday with a share in the lead. After missing the cut, he was in minor shock as he walked out of Waialae’s 18th green. Spieth said, “I felt like I had a really poor deck of cards today.” He was the first player since Matt Every at Bay Hill 2020 to move from a share in the 18-hole lead to an earlier exit. It was a strange, bizarre day. After opening with a 64, he shot a 5-over 75. Rory Sabbatini birdied 18th hole and was one shot ahead of the leader as he moved to the front nine. He missed his tee shot. Double bogey. His drive was driven into the water by No. 2. Double bogey. His second shot was on No. He got the same score as his first shot on No. For a score of 74, he shot 41 on the last nine and missed the cut by 1. J.J. Spaun enjoyed a happy time, until the very end when a bad swing caused his tee shot to go into the canal at the par-5 ninth. This resulted in a bogey at Waialae’s easiest hole. He shot 64, and was still one shot behind. Imagine being on the first tee at a PGA TOUR event in the middle the Pacific Ocean, and your high school principal looking on. Rita Kear, a retired teacher at San Dimas High School was on vacation with her husband. “I was stunned to see her on the first Tee. Kear?’ Spaun replied, “Sure enough was.” “Small world.” It was a strange world Friday, at the least, down the shore from wild, wacky Waikiki. Kirk shot just one in his 5-under 65 round, putting him at 11 under 129. Spaun and Taylor Montgomery are the PGA TOUR rookies, who is currently playing his eighth season of the season, and has only once finished outside the top 15. Montgomery is polite to the point that he can’t believe he did it. Montgomery talked about his teenage years in Las Vegas, Shadow Creek, and how he trash-talking Michael Jordan. It was not a good ending for Montgomery. But, it was the norm at Waialae on Friday. Kirk was one the Sony Open’s feel-good stories two years ago. Kirk had quit golf to get help for his alcoholism and depression. He was granted a medical extension and the Sony Open was his final chance to keep his full card. He tied for second with a 65. Kirk was tied for second place when he started the second round. He birdied all three holes, except for No. 6 didn’t get too much attention. He can understand the difficulties of maintaining good form from day to day. He said, “It’s very difficult to be great in this game professionally in mental side.” “I don’t know if my job was good or bad today, but I did a great job on the back nine. When you feel a bit nervous, pressure can be a privilege. Spieth was unsure of what he was feeling. Even for the day, he was not sure what he was feeling when he moved from the rough into a funky bunker lie. The par-5 ninth is next. This is the most difficult birdie on this course, as the ball is moving right towards the canal. With his left foot on cart path, he took a fall close to the red line. He could have used a tree to provide additional relief, but then his left foot kept slipping and the ball wouldn’t fade as he desired. He had to putt 10-foot for bogey. It felt like this happened every day. Spieth stated, “I have never been a tournament leader and failed to make the cut.” “Just put the ball in the wrong places at the wrong times.” Because of darkness, the cut will not be officially made until Saturday morning. It will be at 2-under-138. Davis Thompson was 2 over and faced an eagle shot from just under 60 feet. He’ll be there for the weekend as long as he doesn’t four-putt. It was probably a smart decision to wait, considering Friday’s performance.
Title: Chris Kirk leads by one at Sony Open in Hawaii
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/daily-wrapup/2023/01/14/chris-kirk-leads-by-one-at-sony-open-in-hawaii.html
Published Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2023 00:10:00 -0500
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