HONOLULU — Local hopes for a strong showing at the Sony Open in Hawaii dimmed Friday as Mid-Pacific head teaching pro Corey Kozuma and University of Hawaii junior Anson Cabello both missed the cut, falling short of the 1-under par line.
Local Golfers Struggle as Leaders Emerge at Waialae
Five golfers are tied for the lead heading into Saturday’s round at the potentially final Sony Open in Hawaii.
- Davis Riley, Seong-hyeon Kim, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Kevin Roy, and defending champion Nick Taylor lead the pack at 9 under par.
- Vijay Singh, 62, showcased his enduring skill, making the cut at 2 under despite a challenging round.
- Strong crosswinds presented a significant challenge for players throughout the day.
- Both Kozuma and Cabello expressed pride in the experience despite not advancing to the weekend rounds.
The leaderboard is tightly packed, with 22 golfers within four strokes of the leaders. Canadian Nick Taylor, aiming for back-to-back wins, expressed his fondness for the Waialae Country Club course. “I always love coming back here,” Taylor said. “It’s great to start off the year with some solid golf. You know, just because I’ve had a great history doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to play great, but it certainly helps and I’m excited to have a chance to win again.”
Players battled more than just their opponents on Friday. Some heavy crosswinds made for a difficult day on the course, impacting scores across the board.
Collin Morikawa, with family ties to Maui, spoke of his appreciation for the opportunity to compete in Hawaii, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the Sony Open and The Sentry tournament. However, a missed 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole dashed his hopes of playing the weekend.
Tony Finau, another golfer with strong connections to Hawaii, struggled to recover from a first-round 75, finishing at 6 over par.
In a display of remarkable consistency, 62-year-old Vijay Singh, the 2005 Sony Open champion, defied his age and secured his place in the weekend rounds. The Fijian completed a par round, finishing at 2 under, thanks to a birdie on his final hole and six birdies on Thursday to offset two double-bogeys.
Kozuma, an alumnus of Iolani and Hawaii Hilo, had briefly held promise after shooting an even-par 70 on Thursday. However, a difficult start on Friday resulted in a 4-over 74, leaving him five strokes short of the cut line. He birdied the signature No. 16 hole and saved bogey with a long putt on 17, but couldn’t sustain the momentum.
“A lot of the kids I teach and members from Mid-Pac came to watch, too,” Kozuma said, adding that he hoped the experience would inspire his students. “I think it helped the kids to see that you have to grind and you work for every shot.” He also shared a surprising connection with Tony Finau, who remembered playing with him in a tournament at Turtle Bay back in 2010. “We had a great conversation,” Kozuma said.
Cabello, a Wailuku native from Kamehameha-Maui, showed resilience despite a challenging start, going bogey-bogey on the first two holes. He rallied with four birdies in the next seven holes, but struggled on the back nine, with bogeys on Nos. 12, 13, and 15, finishing at 1 over for the day and 8 over for the week.
“I’m not going to lie, after those first two holes I thought I was going to shoot 80,” Cabello admitted. “I mean, to come back and start making solid swings down the stretch, it was big. Yesterday that kind of happened and just couldn’t get anything going. After that start and the way I finished, couldn’t be more proud of myself.”
Cabello, who has been dealing with back issues, plans to take some time to recover before resuming his UH tournament schedule. His participation marked the seventh time a University of Hawaii player has qualified for the Sony Open, but none have yet made the cut.
“Just being able to experience this kind of event just means the world because there aren’t that many opportunities for me to do this,” he said. “At least not right now. Hopefully more in the future. … If this event comes back I would love to play in it again.”
Corey Kozuma smiled at his caddie after sticking his approach shot on the green at No. 16.
Corey Kozuma chipped onto the No. 17 green.
Corey Kozuma acknowledged the crowd after sinking a long putt to save bogey on No. 17.
