This Thursday, early Friday morning in Spain, the Sony Open kicked off at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, a tournament where introductions are the order of the day. Following last weekend’s champions’ event, it is the first regular event of the season. And with six players tied at the top of the leaderboard after the first 18 holes, it is the name of one of the ‘newcomers’ that stands out the most.
It is Paul Peterson (-6), who began his adventure on the PGA Tour with a round of 64 strokes to climb to the lead alongside Harry Hall (-6), Denny McCarthy (-6), Eric Cole (-6), Adam Schenk (-6), and Tom Hoge (-6). A left-hander from Oregon with stamps from about 44 countries in his five passport books, Peterson is a true globetrotter of golf and throughout his career has held cards from six different tours worldwide, not counting his beginnings in the mini-tournaments of Arizona and Dakota.
“I don’t feel like a rookie. I’ve travelled a lot, seen golf in many places, and I feel that has helped me prepare to get here. Would I have liked to arrive a bit earlier? Yes, of course, but do I regret the experiences I’ve had along the way? No,” he said just after finishing the round with which, at 36 years of age, he opened the first full-field event on the tour he joined after graduating among the top 30 of the Korn Ferry Tour.
In Tuesday’s practice round, he said he felt so good that he wished the tournament had started earlier. But the wait did not take its toll. Three birdies in eight holes and a sensational wood on the par-five 9th hole to leave himself a metre and a half putt for eagle. He was seven under in the standings, made some bogeys afterwards, and finished with a birdie on the par-five 18th to join the group of leaders.
Tom Hoge holes it for eagle! 🦅
It's his second eagle of the round and moves to T1 @SonyOpenHawaii. pic.twitter.com/VYvDnbw3FW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 10, 2025
Peterson left Oregon State early to try his luck on the PGA Tour Canada before securing a card on the Asian Tour. He achieved his first victory at the Czech Masters ahead of Pieters on the DP World Tour. He added another title in Myanmar and thought that joining the Japan Golf Tour might help him break into the top 100 of the world rankings. Although it didn’t happen, with 120th place as his best ranking and without having played any majors yet.
However, his multiple experiences around the world helped him develop as a golfer and allowed him to live unique moments, such as receiving an exemption at the KLM Open in 2015 when he was paired with Tom Watson in his last outing on the tour. They also allowed him to discover that he doesn’t get along particularly well with the wind (he moved from Arizona to Sea Island, in northern Florida, where he had a lot of contact with PGA Tour players).
Hideki was shook 😳 pic.twitter.com/nnJgCu9Zn4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 10, 2025
The conditions these days in Hawaii have benefited him, with a slight breeze, as well as Cole, McCarthy, and Schenk, who signed bogey-free cards. Hideki Matsuyama (-3), coming off a win at the Sentry, opened his participation in this Honolulu event with a round of 67 strokes, three behind the leaders. Meanwhile, the other Matsuyama, the very young Mao (+7), paid the price of inexperience, couldn’t finish his round due to lack of light (he had one hole left to play), and is second to last in the standings.
