Follow live: Rory, Dustin look to climb the leaderboard

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HONOLULU, Hawaii – The assembled writers were sent scrambling to the PGA TOUR media guide after Canadian Adam Svensson found his way to the top of the leaderboard at the Sony Open in Hawaii. It happens sometimes at the beginning of seasons as the new rookie class finds its feet – some of them haven’t found a way into the mainstream consciousness yet. Keen followers of the Web.com Tour know the 25-year-old greenhorn won The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic about a year ago and leveraged that into a PGA TOUR card. But even they might not know the story that caught the eye of the scribes who awaited him after his career low 9-under 61 at Waialae Country Club gave him a one-shot lead. It wasn’t the fact Svensson recorded nine individual titles and played on two NCAA Division II championship teams at Barry University in Miami. Or that he claimed the Phil Mickelson Award as Division II’s Most Outstanding Freshman in 2013 or the Division II Jack Nicklaus Award in 2014. Instead it was one that revolves around his first golfing memory. “I was three or four years old and my dad was teeing off and I guess I decided to drive the cart right into the lake,â€� Svensson said of his toddler days. “Well I drove it in and then I hopped out and my dad was trying to grab his clubs and stuff like that, but it ended up sinking to the bottom.â€� Svensson said his dad was able to rescue his driver and putter but that was it and to this day it is a story his dad remembers, and perhaps recounts, most. Perhaps in a few days he will have a stronger one to draw on. RELATED: Round 1, Sony Open in Hawaii The 61 was easily Svensson’s best in 11 previous PGA TOUR starts but it also bettered anything he had done prior on the Web.com Tour or the MacKenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. He did however shoot another 61 in his prolific college days. Only Justin Thomas has opened the Sony Open with a lower score in previous years (59 in 2017). Svensson sits 163rd in the FedExCup at the moment after missing three of five cuts this season. While very happy with his efforts he knows one good round is not enough to win on the TOUR where his best result this season is a T39 at the Sanderson Farms Championship and his career best remains a T34 from the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. He is hopeful the education learnt last year has prepared him for the next three days. “I really do think the Web has helped me a lot just with nerves and know how to play the game pretty much, how to get around, how to score, stuff like that,â€� he said. “It’s huge. The Web … obviously traveling to different countries and just getting to know what have to do each week. “Winning on the Web.com Tour is extremely hard because you have go so low. I think that mentality out on the PGA TOUR is the great thing to have.â€�

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