Sony Open in Hawaii, Round 1

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Ernie Els is looking for his third-career win at Waialae, where he was victorious in 2003 and 2004.

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Sony Open in Hawaii

PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report has all the news and notes from the Sony Open in Hawaii, and we'll be providing updates all day long for each round, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.) PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | Live Scoring | PGA TOUR Network | Facebook | Twitter | FanZone | TOUR iPhone app

FIRST ROUND WRAP-UP (11:15 p.m.): The first round of the first full-field event of the season is done, at least for the day. Play was suspended due to darknes ... with only Tom Gillis left on the golf course. How one guy -- not one group -- is left to finish the last hole is a little odd, but that's where we're at.

Here's what we know: It's almost anybody's tournament. Robert Allenby was the last one to add his name to the top of the leaderboard, grabbing a six-way share of the lead at 5-under 65. Among that group is defending champion Zach Johnson and veteran Davis Love III.

One shot back from that is a group of 10 players, including Masters champ Angel Cabrera, veteran Tom Lehman and Steve Stricker. The winds were all over the place in the first round -- sometimes they were blowing, sometimes it was calm -- and the results just as scattered. -- Brian Wacker

ROOKIE WATCH (10:45 p.m.): Don't look now, but another of the rookies is making a statement. Martin Flores, 27, is playing in just his second PGA TOUR event and is moving up the leaderboard. He is bogey-free through 15 holes and playing through a rather fierce afternoon wind. Every time he gets in trouble, he seems to get out. We will see if he can keep that up. -- Brian Katrek

FIVE BY FIVE (10:30 p.m.): It's becoming crowded atop the leaderboard ... with a brick wall seemingly at 5 under. Five players are now tied for the top spot after Robert Allenby just rolled in a short birdie putt on the par-5 ninth to cap off a round that included seven birdies and two bogeys. It was a good day on the green for Allenby, who took 28 putts. Not bad considering he finished 182nd on the PGA TOUR in putting average in 2009. -- Brian Wacker

ELS IN WITH A 69 (10:10 p.m.): Ernie Els has twice won at Waialae. Since his last Sony Open in Hawaii victory, however, the Big Easy has only won once on the PGA TOUR, at the 2008 Honda Classic.

It was his first victory in 3 years, 4 months and 29 days -- a hugely long drought for a player of Els's ability.

This year? He's off to a 1-under start -- a solid, but unspectacular result -- but more importantly will focus most of his efforts here in the States. In the past, Els admitted to stretching himself thin with all the worldwide travel he's done. In 2010, he'll forego the Middle East and keep the goal simple.

"Winning," Els, who is going it alone without the services of Butch Harmon, told GOLF CHANNEL. "And trying to get confidence going."

No doubt Els will need that confidence. At 40 years old, you have to think time isn't on his side. -- Brian Wacker

NEVER TOO OLD (9:50 p.m.): You have to give Michael Allen credit. He's been on the PGA TOUR seemingly forever, playing in 344 TOUR events prior to this week and coming up without a win in all 344. He came close at last year's AT&T National before fading in the final round, and he's 3 under after his first round today, and he won't quit.

Allen, who turned 50 last January and won the Senior PGA Championships in his first Champions Tour start, says he'll play about 20 TOUR events this year, compared to about seven on the Champions Tour.

"This is where I want to be," Allen told GOLF CHANNEL after his round. "I love competing out here and really want to win out here. That's my No. 1 goal."

More like No. 344 and counting. -- Brian Wacker

FROM THE INTERVIEW ROOM (9:20 p.m.): Question to PGA TOUR rookie Troy Merritt, who shot 65 and is tied for the lead as the first round starts to wind down from Waialae: "When you thought about playing your first round on the PGA TOUR, was this anything like you would imagined?"

Merritt's answer: "You know my fiancee asked me --"

Interviewer: "You couldn't have a fiancee, you are only 12, aren't you?" (Laughter)

Merritt: "That's why I don't clean shave."

Merritt's fiancee, though, asked him what he wanted to accomplish in his first round, to which he replied that he'd be "ecstatic if I could go out and shoot 3 under par."

He did better than that by two, making just one bogey in the process. Not a bad debut. -- Brian Wacker

SHOT OF THE DAY CANDIDATE? (8:55 p.m.): The opening round of the Sony Open in Hawaii is still in full swing and Rory Sabbatini, after a double bogey on the opening hole, seems to be riding the momentum of a runner-up finish from a week ago. The South African is 2 under through 12 holes with five birdies, including the one in the video at left, where he chipped in at the 10th hole. Sabbatini has twice been a runner-up here, but if he shoots another round of 10 under at any point this week that may change. -- Brian Wacker

TOUGH START (8:45 p.m.): Players teeing off on the front nine at Waialae couldn't exactly ease into the round Thursday. The 480-yard par-4 first is currently playing as the second-most difficult hole on the course, while the 423-yard par-4 second ranks as the hardest hole on the course. Things don't get much easier, either, with the 204-yard par-3 fourth ranked third and the 176-yard par-3 seventh fifth. -- Brian Wacker

GLOVER'S STRUGGLES (8:15 p.m.): The most surprising round of the day? It might be Lucas Glover's 5-over 75. The defending U.S. Open champion, who also struggled in the final round of last week's SBS Championship, hit just six fairways, nine greens in regulation and took 31 putts in the opening round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Glover really struggled down the stretch with three bogeys and a double bogey over his last four holes at Waialae. Over his last 36 holes, Glover now has eight bogeys and three double bogeys. Not exactly the kind of numbers anyone expected for Glover. -- Brian Wacker

MORE GROOVES TALK (7:50 p.m.): Players are still getting adjusted to the USGA's new grooves rule and no doubt there will be a learning curve for some. Davis Love III, however, is not one of those players who will need to adjust much -- mostly because his irons and wedges were already pretty close to conforming before the rule change.

"I was actually surprised today on a few wedge shots that they actually stopped as well as they did," said Love, who had to change only two clubs and opened with a 65 for a share of the lead today.

The one thing all players will have to do it seems, though, is bounce the ball to the hole more often, especially from the rough.

"That's what I worked on in the pro-am," Love said. "[Waialae] is that style of course where you got a lot of greens that slope from front to back, and you have to keep it underneath the hole. So you have to play a little bit of that.

"It's not really Scottish golf, but it's similar ... I left a couple short of the green today that was better than being past the hole and having to putt downhill or chip downhill." -- Brian Wacker

MORNING WAVE VS. AFTERNOON WAVE (7:30 p.m.): Defending champion Zach Johnson finished the best of those in the morning wave with a 5-under 65. He told our Fred Albers that the morning wave dealt with more wind than normal. He said it was up to a three-club wind at one point early in the round. But, the wind died down toward the end. Johnson thought the guys in the afternoon might wind up getting a bit of a break with regard to the wind. Time will tell. -- Brian Katrek

FRONT-RUNNER (7:18 p.m.): Troy Merrit has never been out of the lead in a PGA TOUR event. While that might be a slight exaggeration, the 24-year-old did lead the final stage of q school wire-to-wire (six rounds) and his scrambling birdie at the par 5-18th moved him into a share of the lead in Hawaii. This guy is a born leader. -- Brian Katrek

BIG NAMES, BIG STRUGGLES (7 p.m.): On the bright side, Rickie Fowler birdied the 18th hole. So did John Daly. That's about where the good news ends for arguably the two most-talked about players in the field. They were a combined 8 over -- Fowler 5 over, Daly 3 over -- Daly hit just four fairways and took 31 putts. Fowler hit five fairways and took 32 putts -- 23 of which came from inside 10 feet with Fowler making just 18 of them. -- Brian Wacker

ROOKIE IMPACT (6:50 p.m.): Add Troy Merritt's name to the growing list of leaders. The PGA TOUR rookie shot a 5-under 65 that included six birdies and just one bogey, in his first round ever on TOIUR. Merritt, who had an outstanding collegiate career at Boise State and Division II Winona State, got here by winning q-school. With 11 one-putts, it looks like he plans on staying. That included a nearly-perfect 15-for-16 effort from inside 10 feet. Of course it helps to have 16 putts from within 10 feet in a round. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Merritt's scorecard from today (click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker).

STAT OF THE DAY (6:30 p.m.): Why Ryan Palmer has a share of the lead at 65: 10 one-putts and an 11th that came from just off the green. With numbers like that, you don't need to hit many fairways.

An improved fitness routine has also helped Palmer. "The way I go down each shot, with my weak hip, I dip, I slide," Palmer said. "I end up flipping a lot of shots. If I stay strong and taller it helps me through the ball more." -- Brian Wacker

LOVE-ING WAIALAE (6:15 p.m.): That 65 that Davis Love III turned in a short while ago to earn a share of the clubhouse lead? His best score since last year's HP Byron Nelson Championship, where he had a second-round 64 before finishing in a tie for 52nd. Love had just two top-10s all of last year, but did win the Children's Miracle Network Classic in 2008. -- Brian Wacker

THREE TIED AT THE TOP (5:50 p.m.): Earlier in the week, Davis Love III talked about how much he enjoys opening up the season in Hawaii. Though he's never won at Waialae, he does have two career runner-up finishes. This year, he's off to a good start, too, with a 5-under 65 that has him in a tie for the clubhouse lead.

Maybe hitting fairways here isn't so important after all, either. Like co-leader Palmer, Love was wild off the tee, hitting just six fairways. He recovered well enough to hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation, though.

Joining Love and Palmer atop the leaderboard? Defending champion Zach Johnson -- hit 11 of 14 fairways -- who is taking a different approach this week.

"According to my sport psychologist, I'm defending nothing," Johnson said this week. "Last year is last year."

Last year is looking a lot like this year, so far. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Davis Love III's scorecard from today (click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker)

Below is a look at Zach Johnson's scorecard from today (click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker)

EARLY LEADER (5:25 p.m.): It's still early in the opening round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, but Ryan Palmer has posted a number everyone else is chasing right now after shooting a 5-under 65. It's wasn't exactly a tidy 65, but hey, whatever works. Palmer hit just five fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation, but still found a way to get the ball into the hole in a reasonable number of strokes. That's what happens when you make a bunch of putts, though. In all, Palmer had seven birdies and two bogeys while taking 25 putts. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Palmer's scorecard from today (click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker).

TOMS'S TURNAROUND (5:06 p.m.): Which David Toms will we get this week -- the one who won at Waialae in 2006, or the one who had just one top-10 in 2008? If last season is any indication, probably closer to the former. After battling through injuries two years ago, Toms bounced back, so to speak, with seven top-10s last season, ending the year 19th in the FedExCup standings and 42nd in the Official World Golf Rankings. Waialae will also be a welcome sight: Toms won here by five strokes in 2006. See below for more. -- Brian Wacker

ROOKIE MAKING A MOVE (4:45 p.m.): Rickie Fowler -- he's still struggling, by the way -- isn't the only rookie in the field this week. And unlike Fowler, Troy Merritt is having some early success. Playing in his first career PGA TOUR event after earning medalist honors at q-school last year, Merritt is 5 under through 11 holes and hovering atop of the leaderboard.

Merritt, who won 21 times in a college career split between Boise State and Division II Winona State, has hit every fairway and seven of 10 greens in regulation so far. As much hype as Fowler has received, Merritt shouldn't be overlooked. In addition to those collegiate wins -- which included five in a row at Bosie State -- Merritt led the nation in scoring average his senior season. He also won the 2009 Mexico Open on the Nationwide Tour, where he finished 39th on the money list in his rookie season on that tour. (Click here to follow Merritt live with Shot Tracker.)-- Brian Wacker

RESTED AND READY (4:30 p.m.): Y.E. Yang is apparently fully recovered from what's been a busy five weeks that included stops in China, Dallas (twice), Los Angeles and Maui. After struggling in last week's season-opening SBS Championship, Yang is off to a good start today with four birdies and no bogeys through his first 13 holes. He's also missed just one green in regulation and two fairways -- two stats that are much more important this week with some of the smallest greens and narrowest fairways on the PGA TOUR schedule. -- Brian Wacker

HAWAIIAN FORTNIGHT (4:15 p.m.): With the first full-field event of the season now under way, there's always a concern of rust among the competitors who tee it up at Waialae. Maybe that's why eight of the past 11 Sony Open champions played in the limited-field event at Kapalua the week before.

That bodes well for the 20 players (from the field of 28) at the SBS Championship who have made the short trip from Maui to Oahu to play this week. SBS winner Geoff Ogilvy isn't among them, but seven other top-10 players from last week are at Waialae, including runner-up Rory Sabbatini. -- Mike McAllister

Here's the list of last week's SBS participants who are playing this week:

THE JOHN DALY WATCH (4:05 p.m.): One of the other more anticipated debuts of 2010 this week is that of John Daly. Like rookie Rickie Fowler, Daly is off to a slow start at 2 over through his first eight holes. That's not terribly surprising given Waialae's tight fairways. Daly hits it long off the tee, of course, but not very straight at times (he's 3 of 7 in fairways hit today). His putter can sometimes be balky, too (see: 16 putts through eight holes). Daly played in just six PGA TOUR events in 2009 with a season-best finish of T27, and is playing this season with virtually no status (past champion), instead relying on sponsor's exemptions. (Click here to follow Daly live with Shot Tracker.)-- Brian Wacker

FAST STARTERS (3:55 p.m.): The marquee group of the day? That would be Ernie Els, David Toms and Steve Stricker. They won't tee off until 5:30 p.m. ET today, but all have had past success at Waialaee -- Els and Toms are past champions. And all have a history of getting off to a good start, according to PGA TOUR stat guru Alex Turnbull. Well, almost all anyway (see the chart below). In what's probably the statistical oddity of the week, Els ranks 168th in first-round scoring average on TOUR in 2009. Stricker, by the way, has yet to win the Sony Open in Hawaii (his best finish was a tie for fourth in 2007 and 2008). -- Brian Wacker

THE RICKIE FOWLER WATCH (3:42 p.m.): There's no player in the field this week with more hype than Rickie Fowler. In Stimp meter terms, he'd be about a 14 right now. As college football's Lee Corso would say, though, not so fast my friend. There's no one aware of the adjustment period a rookie will go through more than Fowler himself and so far we're seeing that first-hand. Fowler is off to a rocky start at 4 over through his first six holes, which includes a double bogey on the opening hole at Waialae.

While this is Fowler's rookie year, he did play in seven events last year. Two of those were top-10s -- Las Vegas and Scottsdale -- and that's a big part of why the hype machine was red-lining coming into this season. Another reason: Fowler has a complete game, including the feel that not a lot of young players exhibit. During the Shark Shootout, for example, Mark Calcavecchia was impressed how Fowler was able to stick a 6-iron to 10 feet ... from 143 yards. Obviously, that's not a normal 6-iron. It was about controlling the shot and that's what Fowler did.

Now the reality: New courses, new schedule, the added pressure of being one of the most-hyped players on TOUR. Thankfully though, for Fowler's sake, it's still early. (Click here to follow Fowler live with Shot Tracker.)-- Brian Wacker

ROUND 1 UNDER WAY (3:30 p.m.): The first round of the first full-field event of the season is under way at Waialae, where Carl Pettersson and Stephen Ames are both off to good starts so far. Two guys to keep an eye on, though, are Ernie Els and Charles Howell III. Els, of course, is a past champion at the Sony Open in Hawaii, while Howell has a handful of career top-10s. How good have Els and CHIII been in this event? They're 1-2 in scoring average at Waialae since 1992 (which is a big part of the reason I nabbed Howell with the last pick of our Expert Draft this week). See the chart below for more.

What's a little odd about that, by the way, is that Els and Howell aren't exactly known as the straightest hitters off the tee. Both have a penchant for being wild, at least on occasion. The guys right behind them on that career-scoring list for Waialae? They're a bunch of fairway finders, short on length but long on accuracy. -- Brian Wacker

Lowest stroke average at Waialae since 1992 (minimum 20 rounds)

Player Stroke average No. of rounds Ernie Els 67.08 24 Charles Howell III 68.07 30 K.J. Choi 68.33 30 Luke Donald 68.36 22 David Toms 68.62 26

Groups We're Watching

Tee time Players   1 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Y.E. Yang, Zach Johnson, Davis Love III Love makes his 2010 PGA TOUR season debut with a first-round pairing that includes a pair of recent major champions. 5:30 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Ernie Els, David Toms, Steve Stricker Toms enters this week as one of the favorites; his steady play makes him a yearly threat at tight, narrow Waialae. 5:40 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Bo Van Pelt, Brian Gay, Rory Sabbatini This trio of 2009 winners all played last week; Gay's accuracy off the tee makes him a solid fantasy pick.

MORE ROUND 1: Tee times | Inside the field | Inside the course | Field analysis
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