Leaderboard: Round 2 of Sony Open in Hawaii

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The PGA TOUR has been coming to Waialae since 1965, making it the third-longest running host venue among annual (non-major) PGA TOUR stops. Great weather, classic Hawaiian course, must-see destination, laid-back beachy vibe – gee, we can’t imagine why it’s so popular among TOUR players. THE FLYOVER  No hole on the PGA TOUR last season was easier than the 506-yard par-5 ninth at Waialae, which played to a stroke average of 4.210 (0.790 under par). The hole allowed the most birdies (285) and the second-most eagles (39) of any hole during the 2017-18 season. An occasionally strong cross wind and out-of-bounds on both sides evidently doesn’t faze most of the TOUR pros. LANDING ZONE Say hello to the toughest fairway to hit on the PGA TOUR. In the ShotLink Era (since 2003), just 36.4 percent of all tee shots (2,545 of 6,992 shots) at the 551-yard par-5 18th at Waialae have successfully found the fairway. That’s the lowest percentage of any hole (minimum 2,200 attempts) on TOUR. Here’s a look at where all tee shots at the 18th landed last year at the Sony Open. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Joe Halvorson: “Outside an isolated shower risk, a largely dry week is in store. Any showers that develop are expected to be short-lived and will produce light rainfall. Winds are forecast to remain fairly light through the week, alternating between weak east and southeasterly breezes. Temperatures will reach highs in the low 80s through the week.â€� For the latest weather news from Honolulu, Hawaii, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK New opportunities and new things are sometimes difficult, and I didn’t handle them as well as I could. Now they’re not new anymore. BY THE NUMBERS 31 – Number of rounds at 62 or better at Waialae in the ShotLink Era (since 2003). That’s the second-highest total in that span, with only Sedgefield (33) providing more 62-or-better rounds.  Justin Thomas and Chad Campbell each have two rounds of 62 or better at Waialae – the only players with multiple rounds. 6 – Number of sudden-death holes Patton Kizzire needed to win last year’s playoff against James Hahn. It was the longest playoff on TOUR since the 2012 Mayakoba Golf Classic. 9 – Players who have made the Sony Open in Hawaii their first career TOUR win. The most recent was Russell Henley in 2013. Henley was also the last player to win the event in his first start at Waialae. SCATTERSHOTS Welcome back: Bubba Watson is making his first start at Waialae since his T-46 finish in 2010. His best result is a solo fourth in his first Sony start in 2006 … Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar are back at Sony after missing the last two years. Scott tied for second in 2009; Kuchar has four top-10 finishes in his five starts at Waialae. 20-somethings: Three players in the field are in their third decade of playing at Waialae. Vijay Singh (the 2005 winner) and Jerry Kelly (who won in 2002) are making their 22nd starts at Sony, while Rory Sabbatini is making his 21st consecutive start. Top Japanese players: Seven Japanese players are in this week’s field, led by five-time TOUR winner Hideki Matsuyama, reigning RBC Heritage champ Satoshi Kodaira, and the country’s top amateur golfer, Takumi Kanaya. Kanaya is among five Japanese players who received sponsor exemptions from the tournament. Others include: Rikuya Hoshino, Yuta Ikeda, Yuki Inamori and Shugo Imahira. On Tuesday, Imahira – the Order of Merit winner on the Japan Tour in 2018 — received a special invite to play at this year’s Masters.

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Matthew Wolff was on the verge of building a big lead Friday at Mayakoba until a pair of late bogeys forced him to settle for a 3-under 68 and a two-shot lead over fast-closing Scottie Scheffler in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. RELATED: Leaderboard | Aaron Wise finds ‘fresh start’ with long putter Wolff had no trouble making birdies on the day after he opened with a 10-birdie round of 61. He birdied all the par 5s at El Camaleon for the second straight day, the last one with a nifty pitch to 6 feet at No. 13 that took him to 15 under. But he found a greenside bunker on the tough par-4 16th, which played into a light wind, and failed to get up-and-down with a 35-yard sand shot. His 3-wood off the tee at the 18th went left into a bunker, and he missed a 12-foot par putt on his final hole. That dropped him to 13-under 129, still in the lead and looking to be in command of his game. The 16th and 18th are two of the three toughest holes on the course. “It was a hard finish, but I was really happy with how I played today,” Wolff said. “Felt like it was pretty difficult this afternoon, honestly. … Following a round like I had yesterday, it’s not always easy to come out and keep on making birdies and glad I proved to myself that I could do it. I put myself in a really good spot, so I’m excited for the week.” Scheffler, who has performed well in majors and in the Ryder Cup but hasn’t won on the PGA TOUR, was closer to the cut line than the lead until he ran off five straight birdies, the last one a 35-foot putt on the par-3 eighth. He finished with a par for a 64 and wound up within two shots of the lead. “I feel like I’m doing a good job of getting the ball in position and giving myself a lot of looks,” Scheffler said. “I feel like I burned a lot of edges the first couple days. Once those putts start falling a bit more, I think I’ll start scoring a bit better.” Carlos Ortiz of Mexico and defending champion Viktor Hovland of Norway each had 65 and were three shots behind. Hovland overcame a bizarre break on No. 1 after he made the turn when his approach took a wild bounce and went out-of-bounds, leading to double bogey. “I pushed it a little bit and literally landed four steps right of the pin, hits a sprinkler head and goes in the trees over the green,” Hovland said. “That’s a bad break, but it’s not like I sliced it OB or something like that. I knew I was playing good golf, so I just had to reset.” That he did, making five birdies the rest of the way. It doesn’t take much to get out of position, and the leading players all spoke of the importance of keeping the ball in play. Brooks Koepka was doing the same until the worst moment. He rallied to get inside the cut line only to pull his drive into the mangroves left of the 16th. He took a penalty drop and his next shot stayed just short of more trouble. He made triple bogey, had another 71 and missed the cut. Koepka hasn’t finished in the top 20 since July. Rickie Fowler got his mistakes out of the way early. He played the par 5s on the front nine with a bogey and a double bogey, and then failed to birdie the par-5 13th. He was just outside the cut until a birdie on the 17th for a 72 to make it on the number. The cut was at 4-under 138. Ten players were in a tie for fifth at 9-under 135, a group that included Justin Thomas. The surprise in that group might be Bill Haas, who is using a one-time exemption for career money to keep a full TOUR card this year. Haas, who won the FedExCup in 2011 and played on two Presidents Cup teams, has gone more than six years without a win and is No. 744 in the world. He opened with a 65 and had another bogey-free round of 67 to stay in the mix. “I’ve been grinding for seems like three years now on trying to figure out what’s going to be consistent and what’s going to help me get over that hump,” Haas said. “Right now I have a swing thought that seems to be working OK. And I want one to last for more than two days. I’d love for it to continue this way and hopefully have a nice few months.”

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