Davis Riley takes the lead after the third round at the PGA Tour Sony Open in Hawaii as the title defense remains closely contested.
Davis Riley takes lead despite mixed round
Seventy-four players made the weekend cut at -1 for the PGA Tour event in Hawaii. On Moving Day, Davis Riley surged to the top of the leaderboard thanks to multiple birdies. Despite an early bogey, the American remained composed and finished an up-and-down, but effective round. He carded three bogeys against six birdies, including one on the final hole.
After the round, Riley spoke about the challenging wind and putting conditions: ‘You have to try to hole some putts on these fast greens and in the wind when you get the chance.’
Riley shot a -3 for the day, putting him at -12 overall with a two-stroke lead over his closest pursuers Chris Gotterup, Kevin Roy, and Harry Hall going into the final round.
Harry Hall positions himself with strong round before final day
Harry Hall delivered an impressive performance on Saturday. With a round of -4, he moved up considerably before the finale. His five birdies highlighted solid play around and on the greens. He only dropped a bogey at the 15th hole. Hall had already secured a top-10 finish at last year’s Sony Open in Hawaii and could be in contention for even more this time.
Title defense remains in play
Defending champion Nick Taylor had to put his bid for the lead on hold Saturday. Matching four bogeys with four birdies, he finished the day at even par. At -9 overall, he slipped from the lead but remains within striking distance for the final day and potential title defense.
Right behind him is Corey Conners, who posted a strong -5 round with seven birdies and two bogeys, sitting at -8 after Moving Day. Conners found momentum especially on the back nine, making four birdies in a row starting at hole 9—the best round of the day. He welcomed the windy conditions: ‘I like it when it’s windy here.’
PGA Tour: Vijay Singh impresses across decades
Perhaps the story of the tournament, 62-year-old Vijay Singh made the cut in four different decades at the Sony Open. This marks his 25th appearance at the event. The 2005 champion shot a -2 on Saturday and improved to -4 overall, entering the final day currently tied for 32nd place.