HONOLULU — J.J. Spaun received up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th gap Saturday for a 5-under 65, the ultimate birdie giving him a one-shot lead on the Sony Open going right into a last spherical the place greater than a dozen gamers stay within the combine.
Spaun blended bogeys with birdies over the ultimate 4 holes at windy Waialae, the dropped pictures costing him and Patrick Fishburn an opportunity to create separation.
As a substitute, it is the identical outdated scene alongside the shores simply east of Waikiki Seaside. This old-school course with its doglegs, deep bunkers and unpredictable Bermuda tough has a approach of preserving the highest of the leaderboard bunched till the tip.
Germany’s Stephen Jaeger, finest often called the one participant to beat Scottie Scheffler within the Houston Open throughout Scheffler’s most dominant stretch final yr, had 9 birdies in a 62 and wasn’t certain the place that would depart him when he completed.
He was one shot behind, together with Fishburn (68) and Eric Cole (67).
Jaeger was six pictures behind going into the third spherical. He additionally had 40 gamers between him and the 2 gamers atop the leaderboard.
“You are in limbo at that time,” Jaeger mentioned. “You are both going to have an excellent spherical and have an opportunity or … to shoot an excellent spherical and be in rivalry is sweet.”
Fishburn, in his Sony debut as a second-year participant out of Utah, was the one participant to achieve 14 beneath because of his birdie on the par-5 ninth to exit in 31 and create some separation. However he made just one birdie the remainder of the way in which, blasting a drive 360 yards with the wind at his again and hitting a flip wedge that rolled over the cup. He additionally made three bogeys, and he didn’t birdie the par 5 closing gap.
Spaun was at 13-under 197.
“I’ve felt fairly calm and relaxed on the market. It has been a enjoyable week right here in Hawaii,” he mentioned. “It is all the time laid again and easygoing. I have been carrying that mindset on the course, and it is easy to really feel that approach when issues are going your approach and also you’re taking part in properly. Simply attempt to hone in on that tomorrow and see what occurs.”
Fishburn dropping a number of pictures introduced many again into the event.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley birdied his final two holes for a 64 and was within the group two pictures behind that included Nick Taylor of Canada (65), former British Open champion Brian Harman (66) and Nico Echavarria of Chile, the Zozo Championship winner in Japan final fall who performed bogey-free within the wind for a 66.
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“As quickly as we made the flip there, the circumstances received fairly a bit more durable,” Fishburn mentioned. “Lots of the wind was exhausting off the left with pins on the left, so it was a difficult setup.”
The group three pictures behind included Lucas Glover and Gary Woodland, who returned from mind surgical procedure on the Sony Open a yr in the past.
Woodland, who had a second straight 66, has performed at Waialae sufficient to know it is often bunched — Justin Thomas was the exception in 2017 when he set the PGA Tour’s scoring file at 253 — and {that a} winner can come out of nowhere.
“If you will get scorching, you can also make a run,” Woodland mentioned. “It would not shock me if somebody got here from behind and posted a quantity. All the pieces is trending in the suitable course. A few guys posted a very good quantity. Hopefully, that is me tomorrow.”
Jaeger stood out with the low spherical of the event. He made a pair of 20-foot birdies on the entrance 9 — he began on No. 10 — and received an enormous enhance after a birdie from slightly below 60 toes on the eighth gap. He completed with a wedge to 4 toes for birdie on the par-5 ninth.
“I performed fairly aggressively off the tee, plenty of drivers. If I can get them within the fairways, I am going to have plenty of shorter pictures in,” Jaeger mentioned. “In case you miss the fairways, you are going to should be inventive to get these balls on the greens and get good birdie putts. Nothing will change. Sport feels good, so I am enthusiastic about tomorrow.”
