HONOLULU – Joaquin Niemann did not regret the 18th hole at the Sony Open.
Four days after a pair of pars at the final hole in Kapalua led to a playoff loss, Niemann pocketed a 15-meter chip for Eagle on the 18th hole on Thursday by 8 under 62 and a part of the lead with Jason Kokrak and Peter Malnati.
“It was a good way to end,” said Niemann. “I spent a few days thinking about that last hole, but taking all the positive aspects of the week and pulling them into this week.”
It was not an easy day for Niemann. The 22-year-old Chilean is still too young to have suffered the inevitable defeats that accumulate in this sport. He played Sunday at Kapalua with Sergio Garcia, who went through many failures, and who told him to think about what went well.
A lot has happened on an airy afternoon in Waialae on a field with dry, soft green fairways and a low score. Niemann’s only bogey was when he fell asleep on a birdie putt 25 feet above the hole at No. 12, ran 10 feet through the hole and three putts. The finish was excellent.
Kokrak played without a bogey and was just as satisfied with a 15-foot par at No. 1 – his tenth hole of the round – than any of his nine birdies. He took a 25-foot eagle stroke to 61 on his final hole that narrowly missed.
Malnati was the only 62-year-old who played in the morning, although conditions were similar most of the day.
The group of 64 included Daniel Berger, among the 31 players in the Sentry Tournament of Champion last week in Maui, and Jim Herman, who was supposed to be there.
Herman arrived in Hawaii a week later than he expected and was happier than ever. He recovered from the coronavirus and had his lowest score on his 10th participation in the Sony Open to start the year well.
He qualified for Kapalua, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, winning the Wyndham Championship, his third career victory. But his COVID-19 test was positive as he prepared to go to Maui, and self-isolation for 10 days left him with no time to reach Kapalua.
“I feel really good,” said Herman. “Obviously, today’s low score helps you feel a little better. I didn’t know what to expect this week.”
Herman said he spent four miserable days dealing with the virus and has not yet recovered the full flavor and smell. The biggest concern was a slight inflammation of the lungs, which pressed against his back and made it difficult to sit. He finally managed to hit some golf balls last weekend and played just one game.
The score was ideal for reasons other than Kapalua on a very different course. The wind on the Pacific coast at the edge of the course is normal. But it’s dry enough for the ball to roll, useful for tee shots on the fairway, not so much when it’s out of line and going rough.
There was another twist at Waialae – out-of-bounds stakes about 350 meters below the left side of the 18th fairway. The tour lifted them this year safely for those heading down the 10th fairway, and without the stalls and bleachers and spectators, it might have been tempting for more players to make their opening shot on the 18th on the 10th.
It never crossed Niemann’s mind. He hit a high draw that still fell from the field to the rough, fell a little short and finished on a good note.
It sure was different from last week. Niemann missed a 6-foot birdie in regulation (and kicked 64), and then in a playoff on par 5 18, he pulled a little and went down a slope to the left of the green, leaving a tough chip and a pair. Harris English won with a birdie putt.
“It was the first time that it really hurt, like finishing a golf tournament,” he said. “Probably a day or two I just wonder how I couldn’t birdie at 18 and do it. I was talking to my coach, to my psychologist. We talked for an hour about the whole tournament, not that 18th hole. It was a good way to take all the positive aspects out of that week. “
English, hoping to be only the third player to sweep Hawaii’s swing, had three bogeys on a four-hole stretch in his second nine and had to birdie on two of the last three holes for a par 70.
The score was so low that only 30 players from the 144-player field were above par.
“They play fantastic,” said Webb Simpson, one of 22 players aged 65 and over. “I think all of us golfers love it when we see a good shot and the ball bounces from 3 meters in height, it feels good.”