Brandt Snedeker follows 59 with 67, takes 2-shot lead at Wyndham Championship

HONOLULU — The wind blew so hard that palm trees looked as though they were made of rubber. The Pacific looked angrier than usual. Some of the sights Thursday at the Sony Open in Hawaii made it clear that playing golf in Hawaii was no vacation. Collin Morikawa managed better than everyone. He learned enough about the wind last week on Maui to cope with it on Oahua, getting through the relentless 30 mph win without a bogey for a 5-under 65 and a two-shot lead. “It’s tough out here,” Morikawa said. “If you have a 20-foot birdie putt, you’ve got to factor in the wind, the rain, everything. So playing last week got me prepared for today in the wind, and I look forward to the next few days.” Ryan Palmer was among four players at 67, with Marc Leishman and Corey Conners among those at 68. Justin Thomas, who won a playoff last week in Kapalua, struggled early in the wind and had to keep it together for a 72. A year ago, that might have been the first step toward a weekend off. On this day, it was inside the cut line. Maui was hard work in the wind. This week might be worse because Waialae is so exposed. “Not exactly what you’re looking for after a week like last week,” Thomas said. “Just trying to find something where it’s easy to get in play and on the green. It was a grind, which was what last week was, so it was really hard to stay focused. Felt like I didn’t do a good job of that to start, but then played pretty well the last 13 or so holes.” A year ago, Adam Svensson of Canada opened with a 61, and all that gave him was a one-shot lead. Seventy-five players broke par. This year was a little different. Only 30 players broke par when play was suspended by darkness. The scoring average was 72.04, compared with 69.64 in the opening round last year. RELATED: Leaderboard | Morikawa has golf IQ beyond his years “It was hard work out there,” defending champion Matt Kuchar said after a 69. “This I don’t recall in a long time. What a challenge. The wind is blowing as hard as I recall it blowing.” It was so strong that even with the tee moved forward on the par-3 fourth hole at Waialae so that it played 162 yards, Morikawa still hit 4-iron. It was one of his better shots, 7 feet right of the flag, for birdie. The best was his finish on the par-5 ninth, 504 yards and typically the easiest scoring hole. His drive peeled to the right into a hurting, left-to-right wind and found a bunker. His next shot caught the top of the lip, leaving him 189 yards away. “At that point, I was trying to get out with par,” Morikawa said. He went with a 4-iron — the next longest club in his bag is a 2-iron — and hit it so well the wind didn’t move it. The ball came down about 6 feet from the cup for his final birdie. Rain pounded the course about an hour before the first tee time, making the greens even softer. The wind never stopped, and even in sunshine, showers popped up out of nowhere. It was not much different from last week on Maui, except it was a much easier walk on a relatively flat surface. Patrick Reed, who lost in a playoff to Thomas last week in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, was at 3 under midway through his back before dropping shots from the water (No. 2) and the sand (No. 4) and having to settle for a 69. Those who know Waialae well from playing so many years could not remember this much wind for so much of the day. “We’ve all probably experienced wind like this at some point, but it’s rare,” Zach Johnson said after a 69. “I’ve not experienced it here.” Morikawa can’t claim to feel at home, even with so much family living on Oahu. He had never played Waialae until a practice round on Tuesday, but he had enough recent experience in the tropical gusts to get the job done. He didn’t make everything, but he made the right putts — two birdies on par 3s, both par 5s and a wedge to 8 feet on No. 5. He also holed a 10-foot par putt after finding a bunker left of the green on No. 14. “I think the harder conditions, the better for me,” Morikawa said. “Ball-strikers just want to control everything — control the ball — and I had complete control today. That’s what you want to do.”

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Brandt Snedeker closed with a 65 for a three-stroke victory Sunday in the Wyndham Championship, four days after opening with an 11-under 59.

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The PGA TOUR’s only Modified Stableford event will once again be contested as an alternate to the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Richy Werenski, who won his maiden TOUR title at the Barracuda in 2020, will return to try to defend. FIELD NOTES: Three Olympians – Mito Pereira, Rafa Campos, and Thomas Pieters – will make the trek from Tokyo to Tahoe… After the Barracuda Championship there is just one more week left in the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season as the FedExCup playoffs begin at THE NORTHERN TRUST on Aug. 19. Golfers ranked 124th (Nate Lashley) and 126th (Patrick Rodgers) are both in the field in Tahoe, while many near the 125-spot will look to gain valuable points this week… John Daly will play his third non-major PGA TOUR event this season this week in Tahoe. He missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Barbasol Championship (and the PGA Championship)… The Sponsor Exemption list is chalk full of college superstars including John Pak (winner of the Nicklaus Award, the Haskins Award, and the Ben Hogan Award), and Davis Thompson (former No.1-ranked amateur). FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 300 FedExCup points STORYLINES: Can Troy Merritt finally do it? Merritt held the 54-hole lead in 2019 but was clipped in the final round by Collin Morikawa and finished second. In 2020 Merritt was again in the mix but fell to Werenski and finished runner-up again… The last five winners in Tahoe have been first-time TOUR winners… The Modified Stableford scoring format used features eight points for a double eagle, five points for an eagle, and two points for a birdie… Fans will be welcomed back for the 23rd annual Barracuda Championship. COURSE: Tahoe Mt. Club (Old Greenwood), par 71, 7,425 yards. The Blue Course at Montreux G&CC, a Jack Nicklaus design, was replaced by another Nicklaus design (Old Greenwood) for 2020 and the TOUR returns to the Tahoe Mt. Club for 2021. Set on 600 acres, golfers are required to navigate rolling hills, large greens, and numerous bunkers at Old Greenwood, which opened in 2004. There are three driveable par 4s with the course being set at over 6,000 feet above sea level. 72-HOLE RECORD: +49, Geoff Ogilvy (2014). 18-HOLE RECORD: +22, Kyle Reifers (4th round, 2015), Chad Campbell (3rd round, 2018). LAST TIME: Richy Werenski ended last year’s Barracuda Championship in dramatic fashion, holing a pitch from the fairway on the 16th hole Sunday for a five-point eagle and added a birdie on the 72nd hole for a one-point victory over Troy Merritt. Merritt failed to convert a 54-hole lead in Tahoe for the second year in a row. He had 10-straight birdie attempts on Sunday to close out his round but couldn’t get one of them to fall. Fabian Gomez and Matthias Schwab (playing on a Sponsor Exemption) finished tied for third while Robert Streb and Scott Stallings rounded out the top five. Aaron Wise had the round of the tournament in the final round, a 19-point effort, en route to finishing 8th. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Golf Channel).

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