Nick Taylor and Kevin Roy start with perfect rounds in a tight field at the PGA Tour Sony Open. Matti Schmid has a mixed round.
Mission to Defend PGA Tour Title by Nick Taylor
The first round of the PGA Tour Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club centered around the defending champion. Nick Taylor builds on his last year’s performance and is well on track to defend his title after day one. The Canadian knows the course well. With a flawless day and eight birdies, Taylor shot a perfect 62 (-8) to take the lead on the leaderboard.
The weather was particularly in his favor: \”I think we were lucky with the weather this morning. I expected more wind,\” Taylor said after the round. Last year at the Waialae Country Club, he won the Sony Open Hawaii with a total score of -16, playing all four rounds under par and posting his best round of -5 on the third and fourth days, while only recording five bogeys overall.
Tight Chase Group at the Top
Kevin Roy also had a perfect start, carding a 62 (-8). With five birdies on the front nine, he laid a solid foundation for a successful opening round.
Nick Taylor and Kevin Roy are chased closely by Ben Griffin, who also completed his round bogey-free with seven birdies. Griffin started with a birdie and reached -4 after nine holes, finishing with two birdies on the last holes for a total of -7. Alongside Griffin, S.H. Kim made a birdie spree on holes 16-18 with seven birdies in total, joining the chase pack. Overall, nearly 80 players finished the round under par.
Highlight Shots by Matti Schmid and J.J. Spaun
Germany’s involvement in Hawaii is limited to Matti Schmid. He opened with a mixed round consisting of five birdies, three bogeys, and a double bogey. Schmid’s highlight came on hole 11 with a perfect bunker shot that spectacularly went in for birdie. Despite this highlight, his even-par round currently places him tied for 80th amid many low scores.
Bunker game strong 💪
Matti Schmid playing in the sand early @SonyOpenHawaii
📺PGA TOUR LIVE pic.twitter.com/Ao7txqGLm2
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 15, 2026
J.J. Spaun also delivered highlights: after a shot off the green hit the stands and ricocheted into the green-side bunker, he made a precise bunker shot for a somewhat surprising