Maruyama leads Hawaii’s Sony Open after two rounds

Associated Press

HONOLULU

Shigeki Maruyama had another 5-under 65 and found himself atop the leaderboard in the Sony Open on Saturday, allowing him to look ahead to the final round.

He is more concerned about stamina than nerves.

Maruyama, winless on the PGA Tour since 2003, hit a bunker shot that banged into pin and dropped for birdie on the par-3 seventh to break out of a tie, and a two-putt birdie on the short par-5 ninth gave him a two-shot advantage over the early starters.

Stuart Appleby, the 18-hole leader, was among those who played Waialae in the afternoon.

Because the opening round was washed out by rain, the Sony Open is to be decided by a 36-hole final round. The 41-year-old Maruyama looked at his shoes and said with a laugh, “My feet. It’s a problem.”

“I’m getting older, and 36 holes is going to be a struggle,” said Maruyama, who was at 10-under 130.

He was two shots clear of Steve Marino (67) and Roland Thatcher (65), whose runner-up finish at Disney in the final PGA Tour event last year enabled him to keep his card and book a trip to Hawaii.

Matt Kuchar, coming off a PGA Tour money title and the Vardon Trophy, had a 67 and was at 7-under 133. The group at 134 includes Boo Weekley (66) and Chris DiMarco (67), who are looking to turn their fortunes around.

Anthony Kim had the best score of the morning group, a 64 that got him back into the picture.

The cut was to be the nearest number of players to 60th place to keep the field small for the 36-hole final. Anyone finishing in the top 70 will still receive credit for a cut, along with money and FedEx Cup points.

“Anybody who’s made the cut has got a decent change to play for the championship tomorrow,” Thatcher said.