January 14-17
Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
$6,600,000
Round 2, Round 3, Round 4

Joaquin Niemann is tied for the lead again four days after losing a playoff to Harris English in Kapalua.

''It was the first time that it really hurt me, like finishing a golf tournament,'' he said. ''Probably one or two days I just keep thinking on how I couldn't make birdie on 18 and get it done. I was talking with my coach, with my psychologist. We talked for an hour about the whole tournament, not for that 18th hole. It was a good way to take all the positives from that week.''

This week Niemann followed seven birdies and a single bogey at the 12th with a 50-foot chip for eagle on the 18th to close his opening round with an 8-under 62.

Tied alongside him for the Sony Open lead are Jason Kokrak and Peter Malnati. Kokrak was bogey-free for the round and missed a 25-foot eagle putt on his closing hole for the outright lead.

Six players are tied together for fourth place at 6-under, among them Jim Herman who should have played in last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions but was unable to after testing positive for Covid-19 and having to self-isolate for 10 days.. He made his lowest score in his tenth start at the Sony Open.

''I feel pretty good,'' said Herman. ''Obviously, the low score today helps you feel a little bit better. Didn't know what to expect coming out this week.''

Herman spent a miserable four days with the virus, the inflammation of his lungs pressing against his back making it difficult to sit, and has yet to recover his full taste and smell.

This year, without the tents, bleachers and spectators, the PGA erected out-of-bound stakes along the left side of the 18th fairway for safety and in an effort to prevent players from playing down the 10th hole.

“Smart,” said Billy Horschel. “I think the hole should be played the way it was designed and not cheat – not saying cheat, but not take advantage of whatever you want to take advantage of. Obviously, there's a few guys laying up here and there's a safety hazard, but I think playing the hole the way the hole was designed and intended, I think they kept that in play with those OB stakes.”