Jordan Spieth opened with a six under 64 to share the lead at the Sony Open with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
Spieth, of the US, had three birdies in a a four-hole stretch around the turn, and outside of his lone bogey on the 13th hole, his only disappointment was having to settle for par on his final hole at the par-five ninth.
“Got off driving it really well. I split some fairways early with driver on 10 and 12 and had a couple good wedges in there. I made a couple putts early, so that was nice. I don’t particularly enjoy this practice green so I just have been using my device instead of hitting regular putts on it,” said Spieth.
“I seem to have putts go two different ways every single time I go off it historically on this green, so I told myself I would play this event as long as I only hit putts on the tutor on this green.
“So the stuff I’ve been trying to work on in my stroke I decided to go full trust from the getgo today, and to see those go in was a nice confidence boost and led to a good putting day. Just try to carry on from there. I had a number of wedges. You know, it stinks par No. 9. I hit a really nice drive and it caught the lip of the bunker and hung — just like No. 8, went through a bunker and I was standing on it. I kind of had a couple drives that were really close on the last two holes to being another stroke or so.
“So I feel like I left a couple out, but I also really had fun today. Like I had fun playing the shots in the wind. It’s fun when you know you hit a good one because out here the ball is just going to roll 70 yards and it’s like, wow. If you miss the fairway you’re way back, but when you hit it it’s like, I got a nice sand wedge into this green now.
“It can be a real fun golf course once you start peeling it down these fairways.”
Compatriot Harris English finished with 65 in a large group one behind, which also included Olympic silver medallist Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia.
SH Kim of South Korea was five under with two holes to play when the opening round was halted by darkness.
His countryman, KJ Choi, meanwhile, made a rare PGA Tour start at the age of 52. He was in the group at 66 that included Stewart Cink, who turns 50 in May.
Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, opened with a 68, one better than Australian Adam Scott.
Michael Castillo, the Kapalua club pro who qualified for his first PGA Tour event at age 60 while battling cancer, opened with a 79.
Play was suspended due to darkness at 6:11 p.m. The first round will resume at 8 a.m. on Friday. The second round will begin as scheduled at 7:10 a.m.
