Defending champion PGA Tour“>Kevin Na tied his career longest scoring record with a 61 card Thursday at Waialae Golf Country Club in Honolulu. He is followed by the fifty-something Jim Furyk author him of a hole in one!
Na believed in it… The playing conditions of the afternoon, when the wind died down, allowed him to hope to finally break the bar of 60.
4 times in the past, including once here in Round 3 last year, the South Korean-American has surrendered a card of 61 on the PGA Tour. So even with 7 birdies and an eagle, Na admitted being a little disappointed at the end of an exceptional day.
«I did everything well today and my irons were amazing ”, Na confided. “And so I thought I had a chance for a 59. I gave it my all. I’m a little disappointed that my putts didn’t fall, some of the good putts I hit didn’t fall. But it’s still a good turn. ”
Kevin Na currently leads the PGA TOUR for most rounds of 62 or better since the TOUR began tracking hole-by-hole scores in 1983.
Jim Furyk moved to a tie for fourth most rounds of 62 or better earlier today. pic.twitter.com/TptdPyU50u
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) January 14, 2022
Ever green furyk
The one who has set himself the goal of securing two consecutive victories at Waialae is only one step ahead of a player who is the only one to have scored in the 50 on two occasions on the PGA Tour, but is ahead of him. to score under 62 (see table above), Jim Furyk, and another compatriot Russell Henley.
At 51 years old, Furyk, who is on the winners of this tournament with a victory in the last century (1996), did not come to make up the figures. The captain of the American team defeated in Paris in the Ryder Cup 2018 made a hole in one in the 17th to close a series of 3 consecutive birdies at the end of the game.
An ace for the leader @SonyOpenHawaii! ????@JimFuryk makes the sixth hole-in-one of his career and first since 2011. pic.twitter.com/UX5aXi0tb2
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 13, 2022
Note for the record that when Furyk won on this course more than 25 years ago, the current world number 2 Collin Morikawa was not born, and that the amount of the check he pocketed was of $ 216,000. If he wins again on Sunday he will cash in $ 1.35 million
Barjon in his element
Back to the game after almost two months without competition Paul Barjon arrived in Hawaii determined to strike a blow. In the interview he gave us, he explained that he played a lot and that he was physically ready to go through tournaments with the hope of winning quickly.
On Thursday the Frenchman started from 10. He ideally started his tournament by scoring 3 birdies on his first 7 holes. He was in the top 10 before recording his only bogey from the day to the 18th inexplicably enough in any case enough to disrupt the Shot Tracker system of the PGA Tour (see video below).
Two other birdies on the last 9 holes allowed him to keep a place in the leading pack, 5 strokes behind the leader. From a statistical point of view, Barjon hit 8 of 14 fairways, took 15 greens in regulation and needed 30 putts.
At the dawn of the second round he occupies an encouraging 24th place alongside the winner of the Masters Hideki Matsuyama and ahead last week’s Tournament of Champions winner Cameron Smtih!
Finally after Cameron Champ forced to withdraw last week for a positive Covid test, a second player had to give up after the first round for the same reasons.
Video summary of the 1st round
Leaderboard
Photo ©Cliff Hawkins / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
