HONOLULU – Joaquin Niemann did not regret the 18th hole at the Sony Open.
Four days after a pair of bets in the last hole in Kapalua led to the loss of the playoffs, Niemann punched a 50-foot chip for the eagle in the 18th hole on Thursday for an 8 under 62 and a odds of led by Jason Kokrak and Peter Malnati.
“It was a good way to finish,” Niemann said. “I spent a few days thinking about the last hole, but taking all the positives out of the week and taking it out for this week.”
These were not easy days for Niemann. The 22-year-old from Chile is still too young to have experienced the inevitable losses that accumulate in this sport. He played on Sunday in Kapalua with Sergio Garcia, who suffered many failures and who told him to think about what went well.
So much happened on a windy afternoon at Waialae on a field with dry and smooth green fairways and low scores. Niemann’s only bogey was when he fell asleep on a 25-foot well above the hole at no. 12, ran 10 feet on the hole and with three wells. The finish was refined.
Kokrak played without a hitch and was just as happy with a 15-foot stinky hair on the number 1 – 10th hole of the round – as any of his nine birds. He had a 25-foot putt eagle for 61 on his closing hole that missed narrowly.
Malnati was the only one at 62 to play in the morning, although the conditions were similar for much of the day.
The 64-year-old group included Daniel Berger, one of the 31 players in last week’s Champion Sentry Tournament on Maui, and Jim Herman, who should have been there.
Herman arrived in Hawaii a week later than he had hoped and was happier than ever. He recovered from the coronavirus and got the lowest score in his 10th appearance at the Sony Open to start his year well.
He qualified for Kapalua in the Sentinel Champions Tournament by winning the Wyndham Championship, the third victory of his career. But his COVID-19 test came back positive as he prepared to go to Maui, and self-isolation for 10 days did not allow him to reach Kapalua.
“I feel pretty good,” Herman said. “Obviously, today’s low score helps you feel a little better. I didn’t know what to expect to come out this week.”
Herman said he had four miserable days facing the virus and still didn’t have his taste and smell back. The biggest concern was a slight inflammation of his lungs, which pressed against his back and made it difficult to sit. Finally, he managed to hit a few golf balls last weekend and only played one round of golf.
The score was ideal for different reasons than Kapalua on a very different course. The wind from the Pacific shores at the edge of the course is normal. But it was dry enough for the ball to roll, helping the shots on the tee into the fairway, not so much when it’s off line and heading for the crash.
There was another turn at Waialae – the stakes out of bounds for about 350 meters on the left side of fairway 18. The tour lifted them safely this year for those descending on the 10th fairway and without tents and gardens Due to a lack of spectators, it could have been tempting for more players to take their 18-yard touchdown run.
That never crossed Niemann’s mind. He hit a high draw that still fell through the fairway hard, came just short and finished with a good grade.
It must have been different from last week. Niemann missed a 6-foot bird in regulation (and shot 64), then in a playoff on par-5 18, pulled it lightly and went down a slope to the left of the green, leaving a hard face and a par. Harris English won with a well of birds.
“It was the first time it really hurt, like I finished a golf tournament,” he said. “Probably one or two days I’m still thinking about how I can’t make birds at 18 and do it. I was talking to my coach, my psychologist. I talked for an hour about the whole tournament, not for that 18 It was a good way to take all the positive aspects of that week. “
The Englishman, who hoped to be only the third player to sweep the swing in Hawaii, had three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on his second new and had to pass two of the last three holes for a 70-yard touchdown.
The score was so low that only 30 players from the field of 144 people overcame their hair.
“They have a fantastic game,” said Webb Simpson, one of 22 players at age 65 or better. “I think all golfers love the most when we see a good move and the ball bounces 10 feet in the air, it’s a good feeling.”