Golf

Jordan Spieth goes from share of Sony Open lead to missing cut

Chris Kirk holds one-shot lead at tournament’s midpoint

Jordan Spieth at the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club. Photograph: Andy Lyons/Getty
Jordan Spieth at the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club. Photograph: Andy Lyons/Getty
Sat Jan 14 2023 - 12:22

First-round co-leader Jordan Spieth stumbled badly in the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii on Friday, and he missed the cut at the Honolulu event.

He became just the second player in the past four years to fail to reach the weekend after holding a piece of the opening-round lead.

Chris Kirk, another of the first-round co-leaders, holds a one-shot lead at the tournament's midpoint. Kirk shot a 5-under-par 65 in the second round at Waialae Country Club, leaving him at 11-under 129.

The third first-round co-leader, Taylor Montgomery, is tied for second with J.J. Spaun at 10 under. Montgomery carded a 66 on Friday, and Spaun moved up with a 64, though he bogeyed his final hole when he had a chance to match Kirk for the overnight advantage.

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Spieth, who opened with a 64, produced a 75 in the second round. He had one bogey and one birdie through his first four holes on Friday, then was doomed by a stretch of four consecutive bogeys on either side of the turn.

Spieth added one more bogey at No. 15 and couldn't make up any ground the rest of the way, finishing one stroke below the cut line. On the par-5 18th hole, he two-putted from 12 feet to finish with par when a birdie would have sent him to the weekend.

"Just a bad day," Spieth said. "Didn't feel like it was much different. Felt like I had a really bad deck of cards today. Made a couple ... bad swings from off the tee. Other than that, I didn't play that different. I just ended up a foot into the rough here, right behind a tree here. It was a weird, weird day."

Kirk began with three consecutive birdies, then bogeyed the par-4 sixth hole before adding three more birdies on the back nine.

Kirk, 37, owns four career PGA Tour wins, the most recent occurring in May 2015 at the Colonial. In 2019, he sought help for problems with alcohol abuse and depression, and he was back to playing a full schedule in 2021.

Following his Friday round, Kirk talked about the difference in his life on and off the course.

"I'm able to not judge myself for who I am as a professional golfer. I'm able to have my life as a person and my life as a professional golfer. Two completely independent things. I'm able to wake up every day and know that I'm doing the right things, that I'm working hard, that I love my family and I'm doing the best for them, and that's all that really matters.

"Whether you shoot 65 or 75 ... the 65s are a lot more fun, I won't lie. But it puts everything into the right perspective."

Montgomery's round include four birdies, one of them at No. 18, and two bogeys.

Montgomery credited his bunker play as a key to his round.

"I like the sand out here, I guess," he said. "It was really good. ... I had a few that the lies weren't that great and still managed to hit them close and get them up and down."

Spaun had seven birdies and 10 bogeys heading to his last hole of the day, the par-5 ninth. He knocked his drive into the water and eventually made a two-putt bogey that left him one stroke behind Kirk.

Canada’s Adam Svensson shot his second consecutive 69 and made the cut on the number exactly thanks to a hole-in-one on the 175-yard seventh hole, his 16th hole of the day. He followed with two pars to remain in the tournament.

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