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

Among those challenged with forecasting winners for fantasy freaks, Leishman was a popular pick prior to the Sony Open. There was good reason for this. He was coming off a strong T4 showing at the TOC , and his first two starts of the season included a victory at the CIMB and a runner-up to Justin Thomas in the CJ Cup.

Leishman lived up to those expectations at Waialae, tying for third at -17, 263. He now has four starts, none resulting in worse than a tie for fourth place.

At Waialae, Leishman continued his excellent play. He gained more than a half stroke per round on the field off the tee, an area that had been a modest weakness. He was also significantly improved on and around the greens. The result was a net improvement of about 3 strokes per round on his recent solid performances.

So why didn’t Leishman win? The simple answer is that the two men ahead of him, Kuchar and Andrew Putnam, played measurably better on that particular weekend. As noted previously, Kuchar out-played his performance resume by nearly 4.7 strokes per round. Putnam didn’t step up quite that high, but he did outplay his resume by more than 2.8 strokes per game.

The lesson for Leishman is simple: Come back next week – whenever next week is on Leishman’s schedule – and try again, confident in his ability to compete.