Former BYU golfer Zac Blair started Sunday tied for the lead at the Sony Open, tied with PGA Tour veteran Brandt Snedeker atop the leaderboard.
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The inaugural event in 2014 ended in a tie after Asia staged a big comeback on the final day, but there were no such heroics from the home team this time. Fabian Gomez of Argentina had a 65 and was four back. Cutting grass paid more. He won’t forget Sunday in the Sony Open. “You have to learn no matter what, because you have to win”.
The second-year PGA Tour pro hit an excellent shot with his hybrid from just off the green on the par-3 17th, but his birdie bid just missed. The Argentine was so dialed in that the next six birdies were all inside 8 feet.
Kisner, who played with Snedeker, kept pace with him on Thursday (both opened at 63) and on Friday until a two-shot swing on their 12th hole.
Snedeker struck a brilliant approach to three feet to set up a birdie on 16 and edge one ahead, before Gomez got back into contention by sinking a 10-footer on 17 followed by a sensational 22-foot putt from just off the green on 18. “And it makes me feel good and feel like I could win the tournament”.
Blair was still tied for the lead with Brandt Snedeker. “I never felt comfortable with the speed of the greens this week, but I still needed to get the job done”. ‘I just haven’t produced the scores that I want to produce but I’m always optimistic about my next day my next round my next tournament. His putt was tracking but died at the last second and stayed out. But when asked for his golfing hero as a kid, Gomez picked Jose Coceres, who also learned the game as a caddie in the Chaco province. This victory moves him to No. 55 in the world and greatly improves his chances of playing in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer.
“‘I’ve always struggled at this course” said Kisner who credited his improvement to having had a chance to shake off the rust at last week’s Tournament of Champions on nearby Maui. “I work hard to be able to win, but I know that by winning I will be able to reach that”.
Zac Blair finished a stroke back after a 67.
It was more like frustration for Snedeker.
Snedeker came out flat with seven pars and a bogey and twice fell three shots behind.
Snedeker made a foot-foot birdie on the 18th to force the play-off.
With birdies again likely to be plentiful, Snedeker said he would still try to resist the urge to keep track of what others were doing on Sunday. He said leaving his 12-foot putt to win on the first playoff hole “is going to sting today and tomorrow”.
Gomez landed his shot on the par-4 12th to nine feet and made the putt.
But not too bad. Reigning champion Jimmy Walker who is bidding for an unprecedented third victory in a row at Waialae carded a 69.
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He holed a ten foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and on the 18th made a 20-foot birdie for a round of 62 to finish at 20-under 260.
