Hoge shoots to Sony lead
Missile scare precedes round
A false missile alert didn’t bother Tom Hoge, and he was just as steady on the golf course with two late birdies yesterday for a 6-under 64 and a 1-shot lead in the Sony Open in Honolulu as he goes for his first PGA Tour victory.
GOLF ROUNDUP
Hoge holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to tie for the lead, and then got up-and-down from 40 yards away in a bunker on the par-5 18th. He once shared the 36-hole lead with Tiger Woods at the Wyndham Championship, the last tournament Woods played before two back surgeries in the fall of 2015. This will be the first 54-hole lead for Hoge, a 28-year-old from North Dakota.
But if there was uncertainty about the accidental push alert about an incoming ballistic missile that unsettled the islands, a different variety awaits at Waialae Country Club. No one can be sure what to expect in a final round with so many players right in the mix.
Hoge was at 16-under 194, 1 shot ahead of Brian Harman (68) and Patton Kizzire, who recovered from a double bogey on his opening hole and shot 64. Another shot behind was Kyle Stanley (65).
Seven players were separated by 4 shots, a big difference from a year ago when Justin Thomas led by 7 going into the final round of his wire-to-wire victory.
“There’s a lot of birdies out there,” Kizzire said. “You just have to make the most.”
Thomas had a wild start — bogey on No. 1, holing out from 175 yards for eagle on No. 2, another bogey on No. 3. He settled down for a 66 and was 6 shots back, behind eight players.
“You can go shoot 8- or 9-under in a heartbeat out here,” Thomas said. “It’s hard if you’re 5 back and you’re in 15th or 20th as opposed to 5 back and you’re in sixth or seventh.”
The late starting time meant hardly anyone was at Waialae when the push alert warned of an incoming missile with orders to seek shelter. There was panic across the island. J.J. Spaun tweeted that he was in the basement of his hotel. John Peterson tweeted that he was in a bathtub with his family covered by mattresses.
Hoge? He was more upset watching his alma mater, TCU, losing a basketball game to Oklahoma.
“I don’t know what you do for a missile,” he said.
Paisley fashions lead
Chris Paisley led by 1 shot over home favorite Branden Grace going into the final round of the South African Open in Johannesburg.
Paisley remained calm in a 2-under 70 in the third round to move to 15-under overall and took the outright lead after sharing it with Adrien Saddier overnight. The leader is in position for his maiden European Tour title but will face a challenge from the in-form Grace on the last day.
Grace surged into contention with a third-round 66, with seven birdies and just one bogey.
Three players — Saddier, Chase Koepka and Jacques Blaauw —were tied for third on 12-under and 3 shots off the lead. Koepka is the younger brother of U.S. Open champ Brooks Koepka.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen was tied for fourth after the second round, but his search for a first win since 2009 took a hit with a 1-over 73 yesterday. He was tied for 20th.
Asia regroups
Asia staged a comeback to maintain its slim lead over defending champion Europe, 61⁄2-51⁄2, on the second day of the EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Europe took the lead after winning its first three foursomes, but Asia pulled level before Li Haotong and Nicholas Fung beat Ross Fisher and Bernd Wiesberger 3 and 1 to secure the advantage.
Gavin Green, who clinched the Asian Tour Order of Merit last month, and Yuta Ikeda started the comeback, beginning with a 1-hole victory over Rafa Cabrera Bello and Alexander Levy. Buoyed by that win, Phachara Khongwatmai and Hideto Tanihara combined to beat Paul Dunne and Alex Noren 2 and 1 to draw the teams level.
There are 12 singles matches today as Asia seeks its first win in the third EurAsia Cup.