GOLF: Defending champ Nick Taylor tied for Sony Open lead

Nick Taylor kicked off his title defense at the Sony Open with a brilliant 8-under-par 62, tying for the first-round lead alongside Kevin Roy at the PGA Tour’s season-opening event Thursday at Waialae Country Club.

Both Canadians carded bogey-free rounds of 62, holding a one-shot lead over Ben Griffin, Chris Gotterup, John VanDerLaan, and South Korea’s S.H. Kim as the final groups finished their rounds. England’s John Parry, Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart, and Alex Smalley are tied for seventh at 64.

Taylor, 37, started on the back nine and birdied five of his first eight holes. He hit his tee shots to 7 feet on the par-3 11th and 6 feet on the 17th, setting up two easy birdies. He added three more birdies on holes 2, 7, and 9.

“Honestly, we got lucky with the forecast this morning. I expected more wind,” Taylor said. “I hit it really well, the course suits my eye, and the irons were sharp. I was able to read the greens well today.”

Taylor won last year’s tournament after a dramatic chip-in eagle on the 72nd hole forced a playoff, where he defeated Colombia’s Nico Echavarria on the second playoff hole.

Roy, 35, ran off four consecutive birdies from holes 8 to 11 to anchor his round. He posted three top-10 finishes last season but is still seeking his first PGA Tour title.

“I had a couple of butterflies on the first hole, being the first tournament of the season,” Roy said. “It’s huge to see those putts go in. I just carried that momentum for the rest of the round.”

Griffin and Gotterup enjoyed breakout seasons in 2025, with Griffin earning three titles and a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, while Gotterup won the Scottish Open.

“I felt pretty fortunate to be bogey-free,” Griffin said. “I hit a lot of greenside bunkers, but my sand saves were solid. I had plenty of looks at birdie and took advantage of the calm conditions early in the round.”

Other notable scores included Russell Henley at 5-under 65, J.J. Spaun at 66, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre at 67, and Collin Morikawa at 72.

—Field Level Media/Reuters