The Daily Wrap-up, Rd. 1: Sony Open in Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP) -- A half-dozen years ago, when Shigeki Maruyama was a regular fixture on golf's leaderboards, there was a memorable photo of him crouching behind the tee box at Muirfield during a third round of 40 mph wind and rain in the British Open.
Maruyama emerged from PGA TOUR obscurity Thursday with a 5-under 65 for a one-shot lead in the Sony Open at Hawaii.
And if he thought the wind was bad in the opening round at Waialae, the Japanese star might want to seek shelter again.
Even as Maruyama was discussing his poor performance last year, his worst season of the decade, PGA TOUR officials were huddled around forecast monitors that showed potential gusts of up to 50 mph.
Public schools in Honolulu were closed for Friday. A few hours later, Waialae lost power.
If the wind is so strong that golf balls wouldn't stay still on the green -- or even the tee -- Maruyama might have the lead on the weekend if the second round can't be played.
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SIMPSON PROVES HE BELONGS
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Corresondents
HONOLULU -- Sleep came easy Wednesday night.
Earlier in the day, Webb Simpson had visited the famous North Shore on Oahu to watch the surfers. Then he spent the rest of the afternoon doing something he had a little more expertise in -- fine-tuning his game on the range at Waialae Country Club.
"I'd probably die on those waves," said Simpson, who is more used to the 4-footers off the North Carolina coast than those that rose 25 feet out of the Pacific Ocean.
Thursday morning, a well-rested Simpson made his first start as a PGA TOUR member. And he more than showed he belonged with a 4-under 66 that left him tied with Geoff Ogilvy, Brian Gay and Boo Weekley, one shot off the lead held by Shigeki Maruyama.
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| Thursday's Best |
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The par-5, ninth was the easiest with a Thursday scoring average of 4.160.
The par-4, first hole was toughest with a Thursday scoring average of 4.646.
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Chris Stroud drained a 41-foot putt for eagle on the 506-yard, par-5 ninth hole, one of two par-5s on the course. He finished with a 3-under 6. 
Shigeki Maruyama had the day's best round, a 5-under 65 that was nearly flawless. The six-birdie, one-boegy effort was good for a one-shot lead. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers offers these observations from Thursday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.com.
The beard is gone, but the game remains. Geoff Ogilvy shaved on Monday following his win at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. He had superstitiously kept the growth after playing well. Ogilvy arrived at the Sony Open with a freshly shaven face and will now superstitiously use the same razor every morning. You can't argue with success. Ogilvy began play with a 4-under 66.
Webb Simpson began his PGA TOUR career with a 4-under 66 -- quite a debut for the Wake Forest graduate who finished 7th at qualifying school. Simpson was admittedly nervous for the opening tee shot, but his best friend from high school, William Kane, is caddying and helped keep things calm.
Jerry Kelly had quite the gallery for the opening round. The University of Wisconsin swim team is competing against the University of Hawaii this week and came out to the Waialae Country Club to support the Wisconsin native and diehard Badgers fan. The Wisconsin men and women won their meet, Kelly opened with a 3-under 67 and is just two shots off the lead. It's the power of cheese.
| What the top finishers said... | ||||||||||||||||
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| Read full interview transcripts | ||||
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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII NOTEBOOK: FIRST ROUND
By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff
HONOLULU -- In the afternoon wave on Thursday, Shigeki Maruyama fired an opening-round 5-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead over four others. In a day defined by high winds and sporadic rain, Maruyama managed to post six birdies and give up just a lone bogey at the par-4 12th.
• Maruyama is coming off a particularly tough 2008 season in which he withdrew from five of the 18 events in which he entered. His best finish of 2008 was a tie for 25th here in Honolulu at the Sony Open in Hawaii. • This marks the 11th time Maruyama has competed in the Sony Open in Hawaii. Of the previous 10, he has missed just two cuts (1999, 2007). Of the eight cuts he did make, he has claimed three top-10 finishes at Waialae.
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