HONOLULU — The Sony Open is the PGA Tour cease the place introductions are so as, and Paul Peterson made fairly the primary impression. He opened with a 6-under 64 and shared the lead with 5 others Thursday on a nice day at Waialae.
Harry Corridor, Denny McCarthy and Eric Cole, all of whom bought an early begin in Hawaii final week at Kapalua, additionally opened at 64 together with Adam Schenk.
Tom Hoge, who tied for eighth in Kapalua, had the one 64 within the afternoon in a spherical that featured two eagles. The second Hoge described as a present — an 8-iron out of the tough from 189 yards that hit the pin and dropped into the cup.
“I used to be simply hoping it might get down earlier than it bought over the again of the inexperienced,” he stated.
Hideki Matsuyama, coming off a report rating to par at Kapalua, birdied two of his final three holes for a 67. He’s making an attempt to grow to be the third participant to brush the Hawaii swing.
Peterson is not any bizarre rookie.
The lefty from Oregon State has 5 passport books with stamps from some 44 international locations. He has held playing cards from six excursions all over the world, which doesn’t embrace the mini-tours in Arizona and the Dakotas when he was simply beginning out.
“Whether or not I really feel like a rookie, no,” Peterson stated. “I’ve traveled loads. I’ve seen a variety of golf in a variety of locations. I really feel like all of that’s helped put together me to get right here. … Do I want I used to be over right here somewhat bit earlier? Yeah. However do I remorse any experiences I’ve had alongside the best way? No.”
The Sony Open is the primary full-field match of the 12 months on the PGA Tour, attracting a giant batch of rookies and graduates from the Korn Ferry Tour.
Peterson lastly made his means again house by ending among the many prime 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour, which included a victory in Tennessee. He felt good all week, and had such a great vary session Tuesday he wished the match to start out a day early.
The wait didn’t harm him. He was motoring together with three birdies in eight holes when he belted his 7-wood right into a tender, tropical breeze on the par-5 ninth gap to five toes for eagle. With birdies and two of the following three holes — six straight 3s on his card — he was the participant to achieve 7 below.
A couple of tender bogeys adopted, and Peterson adopted with one other 7-wood to two-putt birdie vary on the par-5 closing gap to hitch the others.
Peterson left Oregon State and tried the Canadian tour earlier than getting his card on the Asian Tour. He picked up his first victory on the Czech Masters over Thomas Pieters on the European tour, added one other title in Myanmar and figured a Japan Golf Tour membership may assist him crack the highest 100 on this planet rating.
He by no means made it that top — No. 120 was his finest — and has but to play a significant.
However the journey, the varied circumstances contained in the ropes and tradition at night time, helped him develop. And there have been just a few recollections alongside the best way. None was higher than in 2015, when he acquired an exemption into the KLM Open.
Tee occasions, groupings and how one can watch the second spherical of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
“Tom Watson made his last European tour begin and we bought paired on Sunday,” Peterson stated. “It was the good. He was the good. He signed a golf ball for me.”
The journey additionally let him know he didn’t deal with the wind very effectively. When it blew in Oregon, he simply didn’t play. He has a house in Arizona and circumstances have been too pure. So he moved to Sea Island on the Georgia coast simply north of Florida, the place he additionally had loads of motion with a number of PGA Tour gamers.
So sure, he’s a rookie. He simply doesn’t really feel like one, and he definitely didn’t appear to be one.
Circumstances remained perfect in paradise — hardly a breath of wind at Kapalua, both — however the Bermuda tough is dodgy and Waialae greens all the time have been misleading to learn.
Cole, McCarthy and Schenk all performed bogey-free. Corridor had a extra tense time, at the very least when he wasn’t making 10 birdies. The 27-year-old from England, who performed faculty golf at UNLV and now lives in Las Vegas, took two pictures to get out of a bunker on No. 8 for a double bogey that slowed his momentum.
However he’s nonetheless using excessive from final week. Corridor gained the ISCO Championship in Kentucky final 12 months, an opposite-field occasion. He’s not within the signature occasions, so Kapalua was a uncommon alternative and he made essentially the most of it.
He is also benefiting from a correct swing coach he present in Las Vegas — Butch Harmon, who’s closing in on retirement and agreed to take him on.
“I approached him, and he reached out to me just a few months after and stated, ‘It could be nice to see you.’ I began working with him, and since then I’ve performed very nice,” Corridor stated.
