HONOLULU — Jordan Spieth played the way he expected Thursday, another sign of confidence in his game as he shot a 6-under 64 and opened up a share of the lead with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery at the Sony Open.
Harris English had a 65 on a beautiful day at Waialaa Country Club in bright sunshine and enough wind to keep players thinking every now and then. The big group behind him included Olympic silver medalist Rory Sabatinim of Slovakia.
South Korean Seonghyun Kim was 5 under with two holes to play when the opening round ended in darkness.
In the year Spieth ended a four-year streak without a win when he won the Texas Open in 2021, then added another win at Hilton Head last year. Missing on this day was a slow swing practice to internalize the changes he made in his swing.
The key word is freedom, and that’s how he saw it at Whyala. He had three birdies in four holes around the turn and, other than a lone bogey on the 13th hole, the only disappointment was having to settle on the par-5 ninth on the final hole.
KJ Choi, making a rare PGA Tour debut at age 52, was on a team that included Stuart Sink, who turns 50 in May at age 66.
Last year’s champion Hideki Matsuyama opened with a 68, 1 better than Adam Scott.
If there was a standout shot for Spieth, it was his drive on the 426-yard 12th hole that rolled 83 yards on the dry green. The distance was short, leaving him with a lob swing of about 12 feet for birdie.
“I call it the front of the fade,” Spieth said. “My sequence was just fantastic. It was in the plane. I was just working up. “And I just hit this 5-yard fade and it caught the wind in the middle of the fairway.
“When I hit that shot, I was like, ‘If I press that feeling, this could be a really good day,'” he said.
And so it happened.
Whyala holds fond memories for Kirk. After leaving to deal with alcoholism and depression two years ago, he had one last start with a medical extension to get his card, and he shot a 65 on the final day to finish second, earning full playing privileges.
Now he’s in a good spot, and makes birdies on two bogeys.
Kirk, like the first full-court tournament of the year, hasn’t played in seven weeks since the RSM Classic at Sea Island. But he has worked hard during the season, especially on his fitness, and he has made it to the field.
Kirk’s diligence includes some interesting moments. He hired a new coach named Jake Crane, who had a baseball background, and Kirk said he would swing during some of the breaks.
Not much opportunity for a career change. His fastball tops out at 65 mph, though he prides himself on his breaking pitch. But mostly, that’s about it.
“I’m always feeling better and better about this race,” Kirk said. “That’s my No. 1 goal this year, is to try to keep it up and work harder in the gym when I’m home in the off weeks.”
As for Montgomery, his biggest concern was the seven-week layoff from the fall schedule, where he played well. The Las Vegas rookie has finished in the top 15 in six of his seven races and doesn’t seem to miss a beat.
Most concerning were the 10 days he spent without a golf club while visiting family in Colorado and Nevada, which Montgomery said was the longest vacation he’s ever taken.
“When you’re on the golf course, you think about vacation, and then when you’re out on vacation, I feel like I’m thinking about golf,” he said.
But the save hasn’t given up, and he’ll get a fresh start on Friday morning.
Kapalua Club pro Michael Castillo, who qualified for his first PGA Tour event at age 60 while battling cancer, opened with a 79.
