Montgomery takes lead at Sony Open
Taylor Montgomery did better than he expected in his first competition in seven weeks, making birdie on half of his holes for a 6-under 64 and the early lead on a blustery day at the Sony Open in Honolulu.
Montgomery and Gary Woodland each had low expectations.
Montgomery, who had the 36-hole lead at Waialae last year as a rookie, last played in the RSM Classic a week before Thanksgiving. It helped that he was in the first group and got in six holes before wind from the toughest direction kicked in.
Woodland had far more reason to be anxious. The former U.S. Open champion had brain surgery on Sept. 18 to remove a tumor that had been causing bizarre and frightening spells of fear and anxiety centered around death.
He decided only in the last week or so that he was ready to play. And then found himself getting emotional when his name was announced on the tee.
“Hearing Topeka, Kansas, hearing my name called, there was a time when I didn’t know if that was going to be called again, so it got me a little more than I thought it was going to,” Woodland said.
The score was a 71, and in some respects, it was irrelevant.
“Probably the happiest I’ve ever been shooting over par, tell you that,” Woodland said. “The goal this week was to see how I was mentally, and I was really, really good. This was one of the hardest rounds I’ve ever had here. And got off to a rough start. I was excited and was doing a lot of breathing trying to slow everything down because I was moving fast. I settled in, especially the last nine holes, and played really, really well. A lot to build on.”
Montgomery had a oneshot lead over Aaron Rai, Austin Eckroat and Stephan Jaeger.
• Rory McIlroy is playing the Dubai Invitational as a favor to a friend and to get in some early-year practice in pleasant weather conditions. The way he has started, McIlroy might end up taking home the trophy.
The No. 2-ranked Northern Irishman marked his first competitive round of 2024 by making nine birdies in a bogey-free, 9-under 62 to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the European tour event.