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Saturday at Waialae: Several players vying for first win, jam-packed leaderboard and more from the third round of Sony Open in Hawaii

Riley Hamel
·3 min read

With 18 holes to play at Waialae Country Club, the Sony Open title is up for grabs.

The finish in Hawaii is set to come down to the wire with 15 players at or within five shots of the lead including many looking for their first career win or first in several years.

Hayden Buckley created some separation late in his round when he stuck his 222-yard approach to a few feet and converted the eagle to finish the day at 15 under, two shots ahead of the pack. The 2023 Sony would be Buckley’s first win on the PGA Tour.

If you missed the third-round action, no worries, we have you covered. Here’s everything you missed from Saturday on Oahu.

Winless leaders

Hayden Buckley lines up his putt on the third hole during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Hayden Buckley (15 under), David Lipsky (13 under), Ben Taylor (13 under) and Will Gordon (11 under) are all looking for their first wins on the PGA Tour.

Chris Kirk (13 under), who played in the final group Saturday with Taylor Montgomery and J.J. Spaun, hasn’t won in eight years.

Odds are Sunday at the Sony Open is going to be life changing for someone near the lead.

The back-nine boys

Andrew Putnam lines up his putt on the third hole during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Taylor and Andrew Putnam started on the back nine Saturday thanks to play being called late Friday night. With much of the pressure off their shoulders, they took advantage.

Both players fired 8-under 62s, tying for the round of the day.

Taylor is now 10 under for the week (made the cut on the number) and five back while Putnam is firmly in contention at 12 under, three back.

“Played great on the front my first nine,” Putnam said after his round. “Think I was 5-under. Couple loose swings, couple bogeys that I typically don’t make, and then the putter heated up. Made some long putts. Pretty sure my strokes gained putting is pretty high for this round.”

Indeed it was. Putnam gained 4.459 strokes on the greens Saturday. For the week, Putnam is first in SG: Putting.

Taylor will need something special Sunday to claim the title, while Putnam is in a great spot to win his second Tour title and first since 2018.

Shot(s) of the Day

Hayden Buckley was tied for the lead when he stepped to the 10th tee box. When he walked off the green of the par 4, he had a two-shot lead thanks to a hole-out eagle from 132 yards.

Buckley immediately gave a shot away at No. 11 with a bogey at the par 3. After making six straight pars, he striped a long iron into the par-5 last. Perfect swing at the perfect time.

Odds to win

Story originally appeared on GolfWeek