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Jones wins Honda Classic by 5 shots, earns spot in Masters
Jones won the Honda Classic by five shots Sunday, a final round of 2-under 68 good enough to finish the week at 12-under 268 at PGA National. J.B. Holmes was in the final group with Jones, three shots back to start the day, and his chances were gone very quickly. He ended up with a costly final-round 79 for Holmes; second place, where he started the day, paid Hagy $763,000 while the tied-for-46th finish paid Holmes $19,070. AdHe went on to make double bogey there, and when Jones birdied the par-5 third Holmes’ deficit had gone from three to eight shots in about 45 minutes. “You can't get a tougher golf course to win on than this one, in these conditions," Jones said.
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Jones survives a challenging day, takes 3-shot lead at Honda
“I'm happy to go low with the ball flight and I'm probably a little more conservative when the wind is up," Jones said. That’s when his woes started, and what became a nine-shot turnaround between he and Jones began. Jones grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie at the par-4 14th. And when Wise made bogey at the par-3 15th, Jones was the outright leader again. “Just keep doing what I'm doing," Jones said.
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Wise takes three-shot lead at midway point of Honda Classic
Wise shot his second straight 6-under 64 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Honda Classic. The 128 total is the lowest 36-hole score at PGA National since the tournament moved there 15 years ago — and marks the first 36-hole lead of Wise’s PGA Tour career. Wise birdied the last to finish off the 64, the eighth round of 64 or lower surrendered by PGA National this week. He opened with a 69, then shot 62 — the fourth score that low in Honda history at PGA National — Friday. Jones (61), Wise (64) and Russell Henley (64) had the 64s or better Thursday; Hagy, Ryder, Wise, Brice Garnett (64) and Stewart Cink (64) had them Friday.
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Steele takes lead with 61 to get another chance in Sony Open
Brendan Steele lines up his putt on the ninth green during the third round at the Sony Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)HONOLULU – Brendan Steele knows he can play well at the Sony Open whether it's windy or calm, in sunshine or rain. One year after Steele lost a late lead at Waialae and lost in a playoff, he delivered the lowest score of his career Saturday in ideal conditions with a 9-under 61 that gave him a two-shot lead going into the final round. “You hope that you come back and you play well and erase whatever negative memories there are,” Steele said. It was wide open on Saturday, and it's not likely to be any different in the final round.
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Jason Kokrak wins CJ Cup to get PGA Tour title in 233rd try
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Jason Kokrak was playing for the 233rd time in his 10th season on the PGA Tour without ever having won, so he didn’t need any reminders Sunday in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek that anything would come easily. Schauffele answered with three straight birdies, the last one a 45-footer that made it feel as though he was going to claim another PGA Tour victory by coming from behind. Kokrak played bogey-free on a course where trouble was never too far away. Making it even tougher on Kokrak and Schauffele was Jason Day, the third in their group, withdrew with a neck injury on the second hole. Kokrak earned a spot in the Masters next month from reaching the Tour Championship a year ago in August.
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Jason Kokrak wins CJ Cup to get PGA Tour title in 233rd try
Jason Kokrak makes his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the CJ Cup golf tournament at Shadow Creek Golf Course Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in North Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. – In his 10th season, in his 233rd tournament, Jason Kokrak can finally call himself a PGA Tour winner. Kokrak earned every bit of it Sunday in the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. The CJ Cup moved from South Korea this year to Shadow Creek because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kokrak earned a spot in the Masters next month from reaching the Tour Championship a year ago in August.