NEWS

Matt Kuchar among three tied for second-round lead at Sony Open

By Doug Ferguson
Published on
Matt Kuchar among three tied for second-round lead at Sony Open

HONOLULU (AP) — Webb Simpson was so determined to switch to a conventional putting style that he broke his belly putter over his knee so he could never use it again. He might be the most surprised of anyone to be tied for the lead Friday in the Sony Open.
 
With expectations next to nil from using a regular putter for the first time in 10 years, Simpson ran off three birdies over the last five holes for a 4-under 66 to share the lead with Matt Kuchar and PGA Tour rookie Justin Thomas.
 
Kuchar, playing alongside Simpson, had a 63.
 
The big surprise was Thomas, the 21-year-old son of a club professional in Kentucky — not because of his age, or because it's his first time to Waialae, but the way he finished. Thomas figured he couldn't catch Kuchar and Simpson, so he tried to at least get a little closer to them. He hit 8-iron to 12 feet for birdie, hit a wedge to 6 feet for birdie on the next hole, and then pounded a tee shot on the par-5 ninth and had only a 9-iron to the green. He hit that to 18 feet and made the putt for eagle.
 
 
That gave him a 61 — one off the course record Davis Love III set in 1994, about 10 months after Thomas was born.
 
It sets up for a dynamic weekend at Waialae.
 
At the top at 12-under 128 were Simpson and Kuchar, who were Ryder Cup teammates last fall, joined by Thomas, one of the promising rookies on tour.
 
They were two shots clear of Tim Clark (65) and Troy Merritt (64). Defending champion Jimmy Walker had a 66 for his 15th consecutive round in the 60s in Hawaii. That put him in a group four shots behind, very much in the picture on a course where the leaders tend to be bunched up until the back nine on Sunday.