Pro Golf Now
Fansided

Sony Open Recap: How eight of the PGA TOUR’s best fell short

By Bill Felber

HONOLULU, HI - JANUARY 12: Stewart Cink of the United States plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 12, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - JANUARY 12: Stewart Cink of the United States plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 12, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 9
Next
HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 10: Adam Scott of Australia putts on the 16th green during the first round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 10, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 10: Adam Scott of Australia putts on the 16th green during the first round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 10, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The Sony Open was Adam Scott’s third start of 2019; he finished 25th at the CJ Cup and tied for 18th at the WGC-HSBC Champions.

So there was a reasonable basis for expectations coming into the Sony Open, expectations his 72-75-147 and ‘see ya’ Friday cut failed to meet.

Scott displayed no strengths at Waialae. He gave the field nearly a half stroke per round off the tee, nearly a full stroke approaching the greens, and nearly another full stroke around the greens. The cumulative effect made his very average putting look sensational by contrast.

Presumably the Sony was an aberration. At age 38, there is no reason to view him as past his prime, and while he hasn’t won a tournament in coming on two years, his 2018 scoring average of 70.42 ranked among the top third on tour.

That average, for the record, has accelerated alarmingly – to 71.27 – so far in 2019. But hey, it’s early.

Besides, Scott actually did show some improvement at Waialae from the weak statistical resume he had built to that point. As unlikely as it sounds, he actually improved his scores in Strokes Gained Off The Tee, Approaching the Green and Around The Green. So while Sony may not have looked like progress, it might actually have been.

Home/PGA