HONOLULU (AP) — Jordan Spieth played about the way he expected Thursday, another sign of growing confidence in his game, as he opened with a 6-under 64 for an early share of the lead with Chris Kirk at the Sony Open.
Harris English had a 65 on a gorgeous day at Waialae Country Club, with a blazing sun and just enough wind to make players think every now and then.
Spieth ended nearly four years without a victory when he won the Texas Open in 2021, and then added another win at Hilton Head last year. Missing on this day was the slow swing rehearsal to ingrain the changes he made to his swing.
His key word is freedom, and it sure looked that way at Waialae. He had three birdies in a a four-hole stretch around the turn, and outside of his lone bogey on 13th hole, his only disappointment was having to settle for par on his final hole at the par-5 ninth.
K.J. Choi, making a rare PGA Tour start age 52, was in the group at 66 that included Stewart Cink, who turns 50 in May.
If there was a shot that stood out to Spieth, it was his drive on the 426-yard 12th hole that rolled along the dry turf and finished 83 yards away. It wasn’t so much the distance, that left him a lob wedge to 12 feet for birdie, but the swing.
“I call it ‘in front of fade,’ meaning just my sequence was fantastic. It was on plane. It was just exactly what I’ve been working toward,” Spieth said. “And I just hit this 5-yard fade that held the wind up the middle of the fairway.
“When I hit that shot I walked off saying, ‘This could be a really good day if I keep pressing how that just felt,’” he said.
And it turned out to be just that.
Waialae holds happy memories for Kirk. Two years ago, after stepping away to deal with alcoholism and depression, he had one last start on a medical extension to keep his card…