Tag: 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii

Conversations with Champions: Si Woo Kim’s ‘aggressive’ birdie chip-in highlights fourth PGA Tour title at 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii

Conversations with Champions is presented by Sentry.

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Si Woo Kim now has four wins on the PGA Tour, the most recent came Sunday after he birdied the last two holes to snatch victory away from Hayden Buckley.

Kim started the day three shots off the lead and posted his second 64 of the weekend to charge up the leaderboard. Playing a group ahead, he watched as Buckley failed to get up-and-down on the last hole to post a birdie that would’ve forced a playoff.

The 27-year-old Korean, who calls Dallas home these days, claimed to be a “little shaky” over the last four holes but also “was trying to get confidence and keep calm.”

No doubt the shot of the week was the chip-in for birdie on the par-3 17th hole, which came just moments after Buckley birdied the 16th.

“Right before that, I heard a noise and I knew he made it, so it was kind of tough lie into the greens, so I had to hit aggressive,” Kim said. “So I just hit it aggressive and goes in. Yeah, it was exciting.”

From Sunday’s post-round news conference, here’s everything Si Woo Kim said after winning the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Q: Getting this victory so early in the year, what does this do for the attitude as you move forward?

SWK: It’s like first time winning like first event, so I think this is, can’t be better than this. So this is really exciting, and hopefully a lot of the seasons left. Hopefully trying to get more confidence and then like hopefully get more wins.

Q: You start the day 12-under par, three shots back. Shoot 64. How good did you play today?

SWK: It was feel great and then like first three holes like was on fire. … So knew it’s going to be like chance to winning, so I just trying to kept calm, and calm was like little like less back nine, but I was keep trying to calm. Was lucky chip on 17. I think that helps; 18 got more confidence. Was really comfortable on the last hole.

2023 Sony Open in Hawaii
Si Woo Kim poses with the trophy during the final round of the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Q: Tell us about 17. I thought you drew a pretty good lie off the back of the green there.

SWK: No, it was like not as rough much, but like into the green have to be like carry on the green so it was little tricky. But I knew it, he made a birdie. I heard the noise so I have to hit it aggressive. So I have nothing to lose, so I just hit it aggressive.

Q: The bunker shot at 18 out the fairway bunker, that was a really good shot, too.

SWK: I’ve been there like yesterday, like pretty much ten yards farther, so I knew how to hit it and I knew how like bunker feel was there. So I think that makes me more like comfortable, and then, yeah, I just hit the great shot.

Q: How special was this? Your wife is here? She was here to give a big hug and kiss. K.H. came out. Ben An. How special is this one?

SWK: I like all the Korean players, so we win a lot of like last couple years, so we helping more trying to get more motivation. So I think that really helps for all the Korean players see each other. And then, yeah, my wife here, feel like we’re honeymoon because we came here another early last week. Yeah, it was everything comfortable.

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Winner’s Bag: Si Woo Kim, 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii

Check out the clubs that got the job done in Hawaii.

A complete list of the golf equipment Si Woo Kim used to win the PGA Tour’s 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii:

DRIVER: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Si Woo Kim’s driver – $599.99″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/3P240r”]

FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft, (18 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 9X shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Si Woo Kim’s fairway wood – $349.99″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/NKgjyq”]

IRONS: Callaway X Forged CB (3-PW), with KBS Tour V 125 X shafts

WEDGES: Callaway JAWS Raw (54, 60 degrees), with KBS Tour V 125 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Si Woo Kim’s wedges – $179.99 each” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/BXjvoq”]

PUTTER: Odyssey 2-Ball Ten broomstick

BALL: Callaway Chrome Soft X

[afflinkbutton text=”Si Woo Kim’s golf ball – $49.99 per dozen” link=”https://globalgolf.pxf.io/Zd2M3k”]

GRIPS: Golf Pride MCC

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2023 Sony Open in Hawaii prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour.

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour. Just ask this week’s winner, Si Woo Kim.

The 27-year-old South Korean shot a final-round 6-under 64 thanks to a pair of late birdies on his final two holes to win the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club by one shot over Hayden Buckley, who entered the final round with a two-shot lead in his quest for his first PGA Tour win.

For his efforts, Kim will take home the top prize of $1.42 million, with Buckley earning $861,100.

Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Sony Open in Hawaii prize money payouts

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Si Woo Kim -18 $1,422,000
2 Hayden Buckley -17 $861,100
3 Chris Kirk -15 $545,100
T4 Andrew Putnam -14 $332,458
T4 David Lipsky -14 $332,458
T4 Ben Taylor -14 $332,458
T7 Aaron Baddeley -13 $231,865
T7 Matt Kuchar -13 $231,865
T7 Maverick McNealy -13 $231,865
T7 Nate Lashley -13 $231,865
T7 Nick Taylor -13 $231,865
T12 Corey Conners -12 $138,908
T12 Nico Echavarria -12 $138,908
T12 Andrew Novak -12 $138,908
T12 J.J. Spaun -12 $138,908
T12 Byeong Hun An -12 $138,908
T12 Taylor Montgomery -12 $138,908
T12 Austin Eckroat -12 $138,908
T12 S.H. Kim -12 $138,908
T12 Ben Griffin -12 $138,908
T21 Adam Scott -11 $77,025
T21 Brendon Todd -11 $77,025
T21 Brice Garnett -11 $77,025
T21 Kevin Yu -11 $77,025
T21 Stewart Cink -11 $77,025
T21 Carl Yuan -11 $77,025
T21 J.T. Poston -11 $77,025
T28 Stephan Jaeger -10 $55,300
T28 Harry Hall -10 $55,300
T28 K.H. Lee -10 $55,300
T28 Will Gordon -10 $55,300
T32 Michael Thompson -9 $41,387
T32 Ben Martin -9 $41,387
T32 Cam Davis -9 $41,387
T32 Russell Henley -9 $41,387
T32 Tyson Alexander -9 $41,387
T32 Doc Redman -9 $41,387
T32 Denny McCarthy -9 $41,387
T32 Brian Harman -9 $41,387
T32 Ryan Palmer -9 $41,387
T41 Chez Reavie -8 $28,045
T41 Justin Suh -8 $28,045
T41 Augusto Núñez -8 $28,045
T41 Nick Hardy -8 $28,045
T41 Tom Hoge -8 $28,045
T41 Adam Svensson -8 $28,045
T41 Ryan Brehm -8 $28,045
T48 Danny Lee -7 $20,250
T48 Greyson Sigg -7 $20,250
T48 Hideki Matsuyama -7 $20,250
T48 Adam Long -7 $20,250
T48 Brendan Steele -7 $20,250
T48 Zac Blair -7 $20,250
T54 Keita Nakajima -6 $18,249
T54 Kevin Tway -6 $18,249
T54 Joseph Bramlett -6 $18,249
T54 MJ Daffue -6 $18,249
T54 Joseph Winslow -6 $18,249
T54 Davis Thompson -6 $18,249
T54 Chad Ramey -6 $18,249
T61 Cole Hammer -5 $17,380
T61 Kelly Kraft -5 $17,380
T61 Eric Cole -5 $17,380
T61 Aaron Rai -5 $17,380
T65 Brian Stuard -4 $16,906
T65 Troy Merritt -4 $16,906
T67 Taiga Semikawa -3 $16,353
T67 Russell Knox -3 $16,353
T67 Anders Albertson -3 $16,353
T67 Adam Schenk -3 $16,353
T67 Austin Smotherman -3 $16,353
72 Kazuki Higa -2 $15,879
T73 Harris English -1 $15,642
T73 Kurt Kitayama -1 $15,642
75 Zach Johnson 1 $15,405
76 Patton Kizzire 2 $15,247

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Si Woo Kim steals 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii title with clutch late birdies

The win is Kim’s fourth on the PGA Tour.

Si Woo Kim said he had nothing to lose, so he played aggressively on his chip shot on the 17th hole during the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii. He picked a great time to chip in for birdie.

“It can’t get better than this,” Kim said.

The 27-year-old South Korean tied for the lead with a dramatic chip-in at the par 3 and added a two-putt birdie from 42 feet at 18 to match the low score on Sunday.

Kim’s 6-under 64 at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu propelled him to a one-stroke victory over Hayden Buckley and his fourth career PGA Tour title. It’s an impressive tally, which includes the 2017 Players Championship, but Kim still has work to do to catch his bride, Ji Hyun Oh, who turned professional in 2014 and has seven wins on the KLPGA to her credit. The couple tied the knot on December 19.

“Feel like we’re (on our) honeymoon because we came here early last week,” he said.

Kim said he was going to approach the final round of the Sony Open with a different mindset, trying not to focus so much on winning the tournament.

“Just play the golf,” he said.

Whatever that entailed, it worked. Kim, who trailed by three strokes at the start of the day, came out firing with birdies on the first three holes and marked six circles on his card in his first 12 holes to assume a one-stroke lead over Buckley.

In September, Kim represented the International team in the Presidents Cup. After playing a practice round with teammate Adam Scott, he adopted Scott’s putting style and use of a broomstick-length putter that week. It came in handy as he knocked off Justin Thomas of the U.S. in a singles match en route to going 3-0-1 in the competition. Kim tried to downplay the significance of his victory over Thomas, calling it “just a lucky day,” but later conceded it gave him a boost of confidence.

“My game was little down like at the end of the season, but I think that kind of like gave me momentum,” he said.

On Sunday, Kim chased down Buckley, the 54-hole leader, who started with a birdie but then his putter cooled off and he made his first bogey of the day at No. 11, missing from 5 feet, to fall one stroke behind Kim.

“I feel like the putting was a little shaky,” Buckley conceded.

Buckley’s putter temporarily woke from its slumber as he holed a 17-foot birdie at 12 and a 29-foot birdie at 14 to vault into first. But it was shaky down the stretch, especially inside 15 feet. Buckley lipped out a 4-foot par putt on the left at 15 to drop back into a tie for the lead at 16 under but rebounded with a birdie one hole later.

Buckley’s 16-footer at 16 reclaimed the lead momentarily. Just when it appeared that Buckley had the edge to grab his first title, Kim answered with his chip-in from 28 feet over the 17th green. His celebratory fist pump rivaled that of Tiger Woods in his prime.

“Right before that I heard the noise, I knew he made it,” Kim said of Buckley’s birdie putt at 16. “It was a tough lie — into the grain — so I had to be aggressive and I had nothing to lose and it went in.”

Kim drove into the left fairway bunker at 18 but his second shot, a 5-iron from 236 yards, at the par-5 was a beauty, bounding on to the green and stopping 42 feet short of the hole. He got down in two putts for the go-ahead birdie. Kim shot a pair of 64s on the weekend to finish with a 72-hole total of 18-under 262. Buckley, whose runner-up finish marked a personal best in 40 career Tour starts, signed for a final-round 68. He had a chance to tie and force a playoff but his 12-foot birdie putt at 18 slid by on the left. Chris Kirk, who was trying to end a winless drought of nearly eight years, shot 68 and finished third.

“Winning on the PGA Tour is the hardest thing to do, and sometimes you just get beat,” Buckley said. “I feel like that’s what happened today.”

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2023 Sony Open in Hawaii Sunday tee times, how to watch

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s final round.

For the second consecutive week, the PGA Tour is teeing it up in paradise, as Waialae Country Club plays host to the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.

The par-70 layout was originally designed by Seth Raynor before being restored recently by Tom Doak (2017) and offers a different test compared to the one seen last week at Kapalua.

Hayden Buckley finished his Saturday round with a laser into the par-5 last which resulted in a closing eagle. He’ll tee off Sunday afternoon with a two-shot lead. Fifteen players currently sit at or within five shots of the lead.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s what you need to know for Sunday’s final round of the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii. All times ET.

Tee times

1st tee

Tee time Players
1 p.m.
Corey Conners, Keita Nakajima, Cole Hammer
1:10 p.m.
Ben Martin, Kevin Tway, Justin Suh
1:20 p.m.
Stephan Jaeger, Andrew Novak, Russell Henley
1:30 p.m.
Tyson Alexander, Adam Scott, Nick Hardy
1:40 p.m.
Aaron Baddeley, Doc Redman, Hideki Matsuyama
1:50 p.m.
Kevin Yu, Denny McCarthy, J.J. Spaun
2 p.m.
Byeong Hun An, Matt Kuchar, Stewart Cink
2:10 p.m.
K.H. Lee, Harry Hall, Carl Yuan
2:20 p.m.
Austin Eckroat, S.H. Kim, Taylor Montgomery
2:30 p.m.
Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, J.T. Poston
2:40 p.m.
Will Gordon, Nate Lashley, Nick Taylor
2:50 p.m.
Chris Kirk, Andrew Putnam, Si Woo Kim
3 p.m.
Hayden Buckley, David Lipsky, Ben Taylor

10th tee

Tee time Players
1 p.m.
Michael Thompson, Chez Reavie, Nico Echavarria
1:10 p.m.
Cam Davis, Brian Stuard, Danny Lee
1:20 p.m.
Augusto Nunez, Taiga Semikawa, Kelly Kraft
1:30 p.m.
Greyson Sigg, Brendon Todd, Eric Cole
1:40 p.m.
Brice Garnett, Joseph Bramlett, Adam Long
1:50 p.m.
Tom Hoge, Adam Svensson, Brian Harman
2 p.m.
MJ Daffue, Ryan Palmer, Joseph Winslow
2:10 p.m.
Aaron Rai, Brendan Steele, Ryan Brehm
2:20 p.m.
Russell Knox, Anders Albertson, Harris English
2:30 p.m.
Davis Thompson, Kazuki Higa, Troy Merritt
2:40 p.m.
Zac Blair, Patton Kizzire, Kurt Kitayama
2:50 p.m.
Adam Schenk, Chad Ramey
3 p.m.
Zach Johnson, Austin Smotherman

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.

Sunday, Jan. 15

TV

NBC: 4-6 p.m.
Golf Channel: 6-8 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 1-8 p.m.
Peacock: 4-8 p.m.

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First-round co-leader Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim highlight group of players headed back to mainland early at the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii

Jordan Spieth made history Friday, and not for a good reason.

No one wants a stay in Hawaii cut short, but Friday brought an end for a number of golfers at the Sony Open. This doesn’t mean some won’t hang around the island of Oahu for a couple more days, but their work week is done after 36 holes.

The first full-field event – and therefore first cut – of 2023 featured 19 of the 39 players who competed in the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua last week.

A number of notable names failed to advance to the weekend at the Sony, including one of the first-round co-leaders.

Check out the full list below.

Cut line: 2 under

Sony Open: 5 things to know from the first round including Jordan Spieth’s confidence, Tiger’s advice for Taylor Montgomery & the Short Game Chef is cooking

Jordan Spieth is tied for the lead heading to Friday in Hawaii.

HONOLULU — On another glorious day of sunshine on the island of Oahu, Jordan Spieth shot 6-under 64 at Waialae Country Club to share the opening-round lead at the Sony Open in Hawaii with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery when play was halted by darkness.

Spieth said he drove it well, hit a bunch of good wedges and his putter was more friend than foe. What a difference a boost of confidence can make. The 29-year-old Spieth put the field on notice that he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with this week, saying that he’s got plenty more in the tank.

“I would say like I started really well in 2018, ’19, maybe a couple events in ’20 where a day like today where I shot 5 or 6 under to start — I think I remember doing it at Travelers one time and the PGA in ’19. I just remember thinking, I know where my game is at and I can maybe fake it as best I can, but I don’t really have great control,” he explained. “I used my hands really well for a couple days. Conveniently the first two in a row. So it’s not like I didn’t believe, it’s just I have a good idea of where things are at and if I have that shot or don’t have that shot.

“This is different. The last couple years have been a little different where off to a good start and I’m like, OK, I think I can improve a little to gain just a little bit more control, but I was in really good control. And for me, it’s about freedom. It’s not separating arms from the body and having to save shots. It’s feeling like I’m in front of them and being able to hold them off and nice fluid strokes on the greens.

“That’s really all it comes down to. Seems simple, but when you’re still fighting the urge to want to hit it hard or get over some bad habits, days like today I’m not surprised, but what I will say is I’m confident relative to other time periods I’ve been off to similar starts, which is a really good place to be. I believe I can shoot 5- or 6-under each day out here. Not to say that that means it’ll happen, but there are other times I would be sitting there going, how do I hold this (stuff) together, to be honest. Seriously.”

Here are four more things to know from the first round at Waialae Country Club.

2023 Sony Open in Hawaii Friday tee times, how to watch

Everything you need to know for Friday’s second round.

For the second consecutive week the PGA Tour is teeing it up in paradise, as Waialae Country Club plays host to the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.

The par-70 layout was originally designed by Seth Raynor before being restored recently by Tom Doak (2017) and offers a different test compared to the one seen last week at Kapalua.

Jordan Spieth is tied for the lead after the first round with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery. Spieth and Kirk played in the morning wave. After his round, Spieth dabbled on his new way of live on Tour. Montgomery was one of the final finishers in the afternoon wave before play was suspended because of darkness.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s what you need to know for Friday’s second round of the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Tee times

1st tee

Tee time Players
12:10 p.m.
Kevin Tway, Aaron Baddeley, Brian Stuard
12:20 p.m.
Ryan Palmer, Kevin Streelman, Aaron Rai
12:30 p.m.
Keith Mitchell, Jimmy Walker, Byeong Hun An
12:40 p.m.
K.H. Lee, Tyler Duncan, Gary Woodland
12:50 p.m.
Chez Reavie, J.T. Poston, Brendon Todd
1:00 p.m.
Danny Lee, David Lipsky, Greyson Sigg
1:10 p.m.
Adam Long, Austin Cook, Ben Martin
1:20 p.m.
Joseph Bramlett, Zecheng Dou, Brandon Matthews
1:30 p.m.
Michael Gligic, Nico Echavarria, Jesse Mueller
1:40 p.m.
Robby Shelton, Andrew Novak, Joseph Winslow
1:50 p.m.
Scott Harrington, Brent Grant, Michael Castillo
2:00 p.m.
Tyson Alexander, Austin Eckroat, Blaze Akana
4:50 p.m.
Troy Merritt, Kyle Stanley, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
5:00 p.m.
Emiliano Grillo, Chesson Hadley, Alex Smalley
5:10 p.m.
Chris Kirk, Maverick McNealy, Kelly Kraft
5:20 p.m.
Stewart Cink, Si Woo Kim, Jim Herman
5:30 p.m.
Russell Henley, Tom Hoge, Matt Kuchar
5:40 p.m.
Billy Horschel, Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson
5:50 p.m.
Brian Harman, Russell Knox, Austin Smotherman
6:00 p.m.
Adam Schenk, Zac Blair, Kramer Hickok
6:10 p.m.
Justin Suh, Eric Cole, Matti Schmid
6:20 p.m.
Erik Barnes, Sam Stevens, Cole Hammer
6:30 p.m.
Davis Thompson, Tano Goya, Kaito Onishi
6:40 p.m.
Paul Haley II, Trevor Werbylo, Austen Truslow

10th tee

Tee time Players
12:10 p.m.
Peter Malnati, Denny McCarthy, Kurt Kitayama
12:20 p.m.
Patton Kizzire, David Lingmerth, Hayden Buckley
12:30 p.m.
Brice Garnett, Ryan Armour, Stephan Jaeger
12:40 p.m.
Robert Streb, Richy Werenski, Nick Taylor
12:50 p.m.
Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim, Mackenzie Hughes
1:00 p.m.
Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Adam Scott
1:10 p.m.
Corey Conners, Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly
1:20 p.m.
Nick Hardy, Ben Taylor, Harrison Endycott
1:30 p.m.
Taylor Montgomery, Carl Yuan, Taiga Semikawa
1:40 p.m.
Ben Griffin, Augusto Núñez, Keita Nakajima
1:50 p.m.
Harry Higgs, Will Gordon, Kazuki Higa
2:00 p.m.
S.H. Kim, Anders Albertson, George Markham
4:50 p.m.
Brendan Steele, John Huh, Matthias Schwab
5:00 p.m.
Michael Kim, Parker McLachlin, Doc Redman
5:10 p.m.
Andrew Putnam, K.J. Choi, Mark Hubbard
5:20 p.m.
Chad Ramey, Lucas Glover, Cam Davis
5:30 p.m.
Adam Svensson, Harris English, Michael Thompson
5:40 p.m.
J.J. Spaun, Ryan Brehm, Webb Simpson
5:50 p.m.
Ryan Moore, Sam Ryder, Max McGreevy
6:00 p.m.
Nate Lashley, Scott Piercy, Brandon Wu
6:10 p.m.
Kevin Yu, MJ Daffue, Vincent Norrman
6:20 p.m.
Trevor Cone, Kevin Roy, Kohei Okada
6:30 p.m.
Dylan Wu, Carson Young, Danny Guise
6:40 p.m.
Harry Hall, Kyle Westmoreland, Yuto Katsuragawa

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.

Friday, Jan. 13

TV

Golf Channel: 7-10:30 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 5-10:30 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 12-10:30 p.m.
Peacock: 7-10:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 14

TV

NBC: 4-6 p.m.
Golf Channel: 6-8 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 1-8 p.m.
Peacock: 4-8 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 15

TV

NBC: 4-6 p.m.
Golf Channel: 6-8 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 1-8 p.m.
Peacock: 4-8 p.m.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

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Jordan Spieth joins RV life on PGA Tour, riding high after 6-under opening round at Sony Open in Hawaii

“I’m a dad now. Someone wants me to honk, I’ll honk.”

HONOLULU — Jordan Spieth’s new RV is waiting for him back on the mainland, but he’s still riding high at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Spieth carded seven birdies Thursday en route to shooting 6-under 64, one off his career low at Waialae Country Club, and tied for the lead with veteran Chris Kirk, who is winless on the PGA Tour since 2015, and rookie Taylor Montgomery when play was suspended due to darkness.

Now, what’s this about Spieth joining the many Tour pros that enjoy RV life on the road?

“Just glamping, you know. Slumming it,” he said. “The reason was kind of to have home on the road. Got the same mattress I have at home, and we’ll leave a lot of (son) Sammy’s stuff on the bus…Should make traveling and getting settled and packing up quite a bit easier.”

Spieth said his wife, Annie, has been pushing for them to get an RV ever since they rented one for the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco. Spieth’s inspiration to do so came from the dozen or so pros, including Jason Day, who recently purchased a new one, that in recent years all set up shop in RV parking and would grill out together. That number has dwindled a bit as several of the regulars, including Bubba Watson, have departed for LIV Golf, the upstart league, and sold their rigs.

“It’s hard to go Saudi to Chicago in a two-week stretch in an RV,” Spieth joked.

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Spieth broke in his new wheels at the CJ Cup in South Carolina at Congaree Golf Club in October, but hasn’t taken it for a spin yet. (They hired a driver.)

“I plan on driving it on an open-road stretch at some point when it’s not pulling out of Phoenix and not into Los Angeles, but maybe switch and do like an hour just because it would be fun,” he said. “I’m a dad now. Someone wants me to honk, I’ll honk.”

Traveling from glitzy resort to swanky tournament destination has its moments, but the travel can wear on golfers. Asked the last time he had flown in coach class, Spieth didn’t have to think for long. It was here at the 2019 Sony when Spieth flamed out of the tournament on Friday with a missed cut and the former World No. 1 said he felt as if his game had deserted him.

“My flight was set for Sunday, and I didn’t want to wait and there was a seat that was available,” Spieth recalled. “I was pissed because I was playing really badly. Didn’t know how to solve it and just missed the cut. I didn’t care where I was. I just feel bad for the people around me.”

On Thursday, Spieth stuffed a wedge inside 2 feet at No. 5 and drained a 27-foot birdie putt at No. 7. He gained more than three strokes to the field on the greens.

“The stuff I’ve been trying to work on in my stroke I decided to go full trust from the get-go today, and to see those go in was a nice confidence boost and led to a good putting day,” he said.

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2023 Sony Open: Aloha to great caps and other goodies at the Waialae CC pro shop

The island vibes are high in Waialae’s pro shop this week.

HONOLULU —A good hat can be hard to find, but when you find one that fits your head just right and has a message that fits your persona, you don’t want to take it off.

This is my first visit to the Sony Open in Hawaii and I must say the cap game is strong at the Waialae Country Club pro shop this week. Some are simple and some are clever but they are among the best I’ve seen without copying another tournament and just putting its own spin on it. (Note to merchandise buyers: enough of the area code and zip code shirts and hats.)

There are other colorful shirts, cool belts and all the usual suspects in the Sony Open photo gallery. Check it all out below, and with no further adieu, here are my top three favorite caps at the Sony Open:

  1. The Waialae W of the iconic palm trees at 16
  2. The Shaka
  3. WAI why not?

Sony Open: How to watch

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