Robert Streb figured he would be an alternate in the Sony Open, but he bought a ticket to Hawaii, anyway. It was freezing in Kansas City, Mo. He could always try to Monday qualify. And there were worse places he could be.

Streb wound up in the right spot.

He was the second alternate when the final field was announced. He missed out on Monday qualifying by two shots. But the first alternate, Shawn Stefani, chose not to fly to Hawaii from Houston. And when Hideki Matsuyama withdrew after the pro-am, Streb was in.

“I just figured I’d hang around and see if I got lucky,” Streb said. “And I did.”

Stefani can’t be faulted. As a rookie, Carl Petterson was the first alternate when the field was set. He waited three days, up until the last group teed off Thursday, and headed to the airport.

“It’s obviously a lot of money and time to come out here,” Streb said. “If you don’t feel you have a good chance, it’s perfectly understandable.”

Streb closed with a 73 to tie for 68th, earning three FedEx Cup points.