Spieth's quad costly as Kirk, Johnson lead in Hawaii
Chris Kirk and Zach Johnson share the Sony Open in Hawaii lead as Jordan Spieth was left to rue a quadruple bogey.
Published : Jan 12, 2018 12:21 IST
A quadruple bogey cost Jordan Spieth at the Sony Open in Hawaii as Chris Kirk and Zach Johnson shared a first-round lead.
Spieth, a three-time major champion, should have been close to the lead, only to finish with a one-under 69 in Honolulu on Thursday.
The American was four under with two holes to play, but he endured a nightmare on the par-four eighth.
Spieth's tee shot went left as the first of four consecutive shots that would hit trees as he made an eight, finishing the day in a tie for 65th.
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Kirk and Johnson opened with seven-under 63s to share the overnight lead.
The two Americans went through bogey-free at Waialae Country Club to hold a one-shot advantage on a congested leaderboard.
Vaughn Taylor, Kyle Stanley, Talor Gooch and Brian Harman are among those tied for third a shot back.
Peter Malnati, Daisuke Kataoka, Matt Every and Tom Hoge opened with five-under 65s.
Defending champion Justin Thomas carded a three-under 67 in his first round, going through bogey-free.
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The American, a former Alabama golfer, handed ex-Georgia golfer Kevin Kisner (68) a jersey to wear on the 17th hole.
Thomas won a bet between the pair thanks to Alabama's dramatic 26-23 victory over Georgia in the College Football Playoff national championship.