Jordan Spieth and his caddie Michael Greller took a somewhat philosophical approach to the failed missile launch during Saturday’s third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii — at least we’re still alive.
Miss that birdie putt on 18, wondering how that drive wound up in the rough, what the heck is going on at No. 6 green …
“The theme of the day was, no matter what was going on, Mike would say or I would say back to him, at least we’re alive,” Spieth said Saturday. “Which isn’t really funny. But, yeah, it’s kind of nuts.”
Gallows humor is often a good defense when fear pops in to pay a visit. What happened on Saturday that quickly went worldwide, coupled with Sunday’s unexpected strike by technicians working for the Golf Channel, put the Sony Open in a peculiar light over the weekend at the Waialae Country Club.
Even the finish had a strange feel to it.
Six playoff holes were needed before Patton Kizzire hoisted the golden trophy after the sun had set on the last state in America. It was deep in the evening on the East Coast for those tuning in to see the limited Golf Channel broadcast. NBC analyst Mark Rolfing left the building and had his feet up on his coffee table on Maui by the time Kizzire’s par putt from 3 feet found the hole and the buried treasure of $1.1 million and change that goes with it.
Granted, Sunday’s leaderboard lacked the star power of the Sentry Tournament of Champions eventually won by world No. 1 Dustin Johnson the week before, but this is Kizzire’s second victory of the wraparound PGA Tour season. His hot streak is similar to what Justin Thomas did last year when he had multiple tour wins after leaving Hawaii.
Who’s to say Kizzire doesn’t have the same kind of year that led Thomas to be named the PGA Tour’s best in 2016-17? The 31-year-old by way of Auburn held off Rickie Fowler to win his first event last fall. He gets to play in the majors and is all but assured of being among the top 30 golfers to qualify for the Tour Championship.
After 10 official events, he is No. 1 in the FedEx Cup points chase.
“The first win was big and this one is even bigger,” Kizzire said. “To get a leg up on the FedEx Cup and go back to No. 1. Our ultimate goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the year. We’ve got a long way to go. A fast start is always a positive. I’m excited to be back on top and look forward to taking that Cup.”
If this were the Kentucky Derby, the players would be at the quarter-pole. It’s still early in the chase. But Thomas won the FedEx Cup last year based in part on his success in Hawaii. He kept that momentum through most of the year en route to capturing his first major at the PGA Tour Championship.
It also means Kizzire will be back on Maui next year for the TOC and is part of a trend that has seen the past five Sony Open winners and 13 of 20 Sony Open champions overall come from the TOC’s field the week before.
Those who come over from the Maui field have the advantage of playing 72 holes of golf often after a long layoff. They also managed a win during the regular season to qualify for the elite field. With his victory on Sunday, Kizzire climbed to No. 54 in the world, up from No. 105 last week and No. 121 to end 2017. Being in the top 50 is a coveted mark because it means you qualify for the Masters no questions asked.
Kizzire was a Web.com Tour star in 2015 and some felt this sudden success on tour should have started sooner, but he didn’t see it that way.
“At every level, I’ve had a lot of near misses and kind of got the scars and the experience before I was able to break through,” Kizzire said. “Just like on the Web, I was able to get a couple of wins after I had those near misses. So at every level, I’ve had to work my way up. It’s pretty similar here.”
In two weeks, Tiger Woods returns to the tour to play at Torrey Pines near San Diego. But even that upcoming media circus might not match the craziness the Sony Open survived this weekend before producing a champion on the rise.
