The only similarity between this week’s 2024 Sony Open at Waialae Country Club on the island of Honolulu and last week’s Sentry Tournament at the Kapalua Resort’s Plantation course in Maui was that they both took place in Hawaii.
The Sentry’s par-73, 7,500-yard Plantation track had a “grip it and rip it” layout while the Sony’s par-70, 7,044-yard Waialae course is more of a traditional layout that favors accuracy over distance.
The Sony Open invited 144 players, with 82 players making the cut which was far from the reduced 59-player field invited to last week’s Signature Event in Maui which included a no-cut format. This week’s winner claims $1.494 million, and while not a PGA Tour Signature Event with a $20 million purse, it still offers a respectable $8.3 million prize pot.
Round 1
Cam Davis shot an 8-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead over Taylor Montgomery and three clear over a group which included Webb Simpson, Aaron Rai, Austin Eckroat and Stephan Jaeger. Nearly 30 other players were 3 under or better.
Gary Woodland was back on the PGA Tour this week and shared a moment with the media when asked about being back on the course.
“There was a time where I didn’t know if this was going to be possible,” Woodland said. “It a good week for me from a mental standpoint. I needed to be mentally sharp to get where I want to be in the world. It’s coming back.”
Round 2
The second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii ended with a three-way tie for the lead: Byeong-Hun An (64), Austin Eckroat (65) and Carl Yuan (65) shared the halftime lead on 9-under par.
Overnight leader Davis (70) was 8 under, one off the pace. The Aussie sits T4 alongside nine other golfers, headlined by Taylor Montgomery, Stewart Cink, Kurt Kitayama, and last week’s Sentry winner, Chris Kirk.
Some of the higher ranked players who missed the cut included Adam Hadwin (-1), Sahith Theegala (-1), Matt Fitzpatrick (E), Will Zalatoris (+5), and The Golf Channel’s newest addition, Kevin Kisner (+6).
Woodland (+2) missed this week’s cut but he left feeling encouraged that his future looks promising. “Probably the happiest I’ve ever been shooting over par,” said Woodland. “At the end of the day the goal this week was to see how I was mentally, and I was really, really good. It was pretty tough out there.”
Round 3
Keegan Bradley finished his Saturday round with back-to-back birdies to take the joint lead after 54 holes. He signed for a 7-under 63, highlighted by eight birdies. His lone bogey came on the par-3 11th hole.
Bradley’s post round comment seemed to sum up the challenges of the Waialae course: “If you make a bogey or a few pars in a row, you can go from leading to 12th in a second. I’ve got to go out tomorrow and probably shoot another pretty low one to win.”
Bradley was joined at the pole position by Grayson Murray, who posted a bogey-free 6-under 64. He made four birdies and a five-foot eagle on the par-5 ninth hole to jump three spots. The 2017 Barbasol Champion, is currently 176th FedEx and 132nd OWGR.
He has been open about his battle with alcohol in the past. “I’m over eight months sober now,” said the 30-year-old Grayson. “I have a beautiful fiancée that I love so much and who is so supportive of me, and my parents are so supportive of me.”
Sam Stevens rocketed 17 spots up the leaderboard to third after a bogey-free round of 63 (197). He was 13-under par through 54 holes. Ben Silverman (64), Taiga Semikawa (66), Matthieu Pavon (67), Chris Kirk (67), and Byeong Hun An (68) were in a five-way tie for fourth at 11 under.
Final Round
With three rounds in the books at the 2024 Sony Open, 19 golfers were within five strokes of co-leaders Bradley and Murray, who took a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s finale at Waialae Country Club. Ideal playing conditions, coupled with a golf course that has kept the field close for three days, just might make this a good old-fashioned Hawaiian “Pau Kahana” (finish).
The leaderboard, as the last threesome arrived at the 10th tee, was a little tight and showed just how difficult it’s been to make a breakaway from the pack. It had Russell Henley (-16) atop the board with a fivesome tied for second at 15 under, including J.T. Poston, Matthew Pavon, Yuan, Bradley, and Murray.
After nine holes of rapid movement up the leaderboard, the back nine brought a number of changes that saw players struggling to stay in the top tier. Only three players remained in contention as the final group approached the 18th green: Bradley (-17, 67), An (-17, 64) and Murray (-16).
Murray, though, made birdie on the 18th to move into a three-way tie, joining An and Bradley in a playoff.
Playoff
Both Bradley and An hit their 18th hole tee shots into the fairway on the first extra hole. Murray’s tee shot found the rough to the left side of the fairway.
Murray’s second shot found the middle of the fairway while An came up short, right of the green. Bradley flew the green and found the bleachers.
Murray’s third shot found the green, about 60 feet from the pin. Bradley’s third shot from a “dropped ball,” came up about 35 feet short of the pin. An’s third stroke ended up about four feet from the pin. Advantage An, seemingly.
Murray, though, made his 60-footer for a birdie. Bradley missed his lengthy birdie attempt. And An whiffed from about four feet.
Grayson Murray won the Sony Open.
For winning the 2024 Sony Open, Murray picked up a check for $1.494 million along with 500 FedEx Cup Points. This is Murray’s second career PGA Tour victory and raises his career earnings to $5,299,517. Keegan Bradley and Byeong Hun An shared second with each pocketing $738,700 and 245 FedEx Cup points.
The Interview
The NBC Reporter caught Murray as he was leaving the 18th green. He asked, “What did you show yourself today?”
Murray responded, “Hard work pays off. It’s not easy you know. I wanted to give up a lot of times. Give up on myself, on the game of golf. Give up on life at times and when you get tired of fighting let someone else fight for you. That’s how it works.”
The reporter continued, “What is the work that you’ve done off the golf course battling alcoholism, mental struggles? How important was that for you to be in the right frame of mind today?”
Grayson said, “It’s everything you know. Jesus Christ is first and foremost without him none of this would be possible. He’s just giving me a platform to write a new story. Write my own story and I hope everyone at home watching can get a little inspiration from me. If I just help one person that’s all that it takes.”
