Last week, at Kapalua, Cam Davis (-8) started the year in the lower part of the Sentry classification. But after three rounds with a level of play below expectations, especially the first and third, he made some changes on Sunday that paid off, delivering a remarkable card of 65 strokes. A final boost that, four days later, he took advantage of in Hawaii, at the start of the Sony Open.
Encouraged throughout the day by his wife’s family from Seattle, the Australian signed a fantastic 62, overcoming unpleasant playing conditions at the Waialae Country Club, with strong winds, and sealing his round with five birdies in his last six holes (for a total of nine, with one bogey). A result that allowed him to become the sole leader of the classification, with a two-stroke lead over Taylor Montogmery (-6) and three over the quartet formed by Aaron Rai (-5), Austin Eckroat (-5), Stephan Jaeger (-5) and Webb Simpson (-5).
Cam Davis army out in full force ❤️
Family and friends cheered Cam on en route to an opening round 62 @SonyOpenHawaii. pic.twitter.com/E48ySnspCU
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 12, 2024
“I started to realise what was not working and what was, and last Sunday I started to hit some consistent shots. I thought that if I could take advantage of that round and continue like this this week and next, I would get the momentum I was looking for.”, Davis confessed in his official interview, where his wife’s relatives also stayed close to him. “Many of them had not seen a golf tournament before and it was very fun to have a good round in front of them. I’m glad I gave them something to cheer about”, he confessed.
Taylor Montgomery, his main pursuer in the classification, had it easier as he had played six holes when the wind gusts started to hit the field. Although he was also able to make birdies in the middle of his round. The wind brought clouds and drizzle during the afternoon, darkening the day so much that 18 players could not finish their round and will have to do so tomorrow, before the second one starts.
Sinking it to tie the lead 💪
Cam Davis gets his third straight birdie @SonyOpenHawaii. pic.twitter.com/YfcHiYNjBL
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 12, 2024
The Swede Alex Noren (-4), the Argentine Alejandro Tosti (-4), the French Matthieu Pavon (-4), the Americans Chris Kirk (-4), who comes from winning, Harris English (-4) and Scott Stallings (-4) or the English Justin Rose (-3) and Matt Wallace (-3), among others, also started well this Sony Open in Hawaii. Although almost all eyes were focused on the return of a US Open winner, Gary Woodland (+1), back after undergoing surgery in September to remove part of a brain tumour.
He waited until the last moment to decide if he was ready to play. So he couldn’t help but get emotional when his name was announced on the 1st tee: “Hearing Topeka, Kansas, hearing my name… There was a moment when I didn’t know if it was going to be repeated, so it moved me a bit more than I thought”, he said. His round, of 71 strokes, was the least of it: “Probably the happiest over par result I’ve ever achieved”, he said.
An emotional opening tee shot.
After a difficult few months away, @GaryWoodland is back in action @SonyOpenHawaii ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hzw4gasyeN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 11, 2024
“The goal this week was to see how I was mentally, and I’ve been very, very good. It’s been one of the toughest rounds I’ve played here. I started badly. I was excited and breathing a lot, trying to slow everything down because it was going very fast. I settled down, especially in the last nine holes, and played very, very well. A lot to build on”, he confessed. An interesting first day of competition in Honolulu where Matt Kuchar (-2), Brian Harman (-1), Matt Fitzpatrick (-1), Erik van Rooyen (-1), Tyrrell Hatton (PAR), Hideki Matsuyama (PAR) or Ludvig Aberg (PAR), among others, are still in time to join the ‘party’.
It will be more difficult for Will Zalatoris (+6), absent for months due to physical problems and whose only appearance in the second half of 2023 was at Tiger‘s Hero World Challenge in December, or the debutant Adrien Dumont de Chassart (+7), the Belgian who was going to be a tennis player and didn’t use the driver… They are in the lower part of the table and will need almost a miracle to try to make the cut.
