J.J. Spaun made a single bogey at the par-4 15th and closed with a 65 to move into the Sony Open in Hawaii lead at 13-under.
“Just got off to a pretty solid start. Made a few pars on the first couple holes and then a nice birdie on 3,” said the American. “Just kind of took what it gave me and took the opportunities when they came and capitalized on it. It was a pretty solid round overall.
“I feel like I’ve missed the cut here more than made the cut. I think it just kind of is boiling down to experience and learning how to play this track.
“It helps being more ready, I guess, at the start of the season instead of being lazy over the winter and not doing much. I did a lot of playing, so my game felt pretty good coming into this week.”
Spaun won his first PGA Tour title at the 2022 Valero Texas Open and is seeking his second in his 220th start. He holds his fourth career 54-hole lead/co-lead and has converted one of them into a win to date.
He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (8.502) and Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (7.159) and his 197 total equals his low 54-hole score on Tour.
Germany’s Stephan Jaeger shot 62 in spite of a bogey at the 15th to move into a share of second place at 12-under in a bid to win his second PGA Tour title in his 153rd start following the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open.
American Eric Cole made one bogey at the par-4 14th for a share of second place alongside compatriot Patrick Fishburn who started the day tied at the top of the leaderboard but fired four bogeys to card a 68. Both players are seeking a first PGA Tour win.
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The Sony Open in Hawaii, the second event of the 2025 PGA Tour Season and first Full-Field event, marks the first opportunity for players to earn FedExCup points towards the Aon Swing 5.
The Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 are eligibility pathways for players, not already qualified, to play their way into Signature Events via the FedExCup standings.
The top five players, not otherwise exempt, who earn the most FedExCup points during the Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open will qualify for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, while the top five players not otherwise exempt who earn the most FedExCup points during those three events and the WM Phoenix Open, will qualify for The Genesis Invitational.
The Aon Next 10 for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational was determined through the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings.
