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Aloha: Kokrak at -1
Photo
Graham DeLaet of Canada blasts out of a bunker on the 13th hole during the first round of the Sony Open golf tournament Thursday at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. DeLaet shot a 7-under-63 to claim the top spot on the leaderboard.
PGA Tour rookie shoots 69 in debut performance at Sony Open in Hawaii
Staff/wire report
HONOLULU
Graham DeLaet has never been happier to be on the PGA Tour, and it showed Thursday in the Sony Open.
One year after back surgery that made him wonder if he could ever play golf again, DeLaet chipped in for eagle and twice holed 35-foot birdie putts for a 7-under 63 that gave the Canadian a two-shot lead among the early starters.
PGA Tour rookie Jason Kokrak, a 2003 graduate of Warren JFK High, shot a one-under-par 69 in his debut.
“I was a bit nervous on the first tee,” Kokrak said. “But I hit a good tee shot, and that was the end of the nerves.
“It helped that I was paired with two buddies I have played with before.”
Kokrak’s round included three birdies (holes 18, 4 and 7) and two bogeys (11 and 9). Kokrak’s first birdie came on a par five; the others were on par 3s.
“I was surprisingly calm today — no emotions,” Kokrak said. “But I lost a bit of concentration at times”
His first bogey came on a par 3 hole while the other came on his final hole of the round, a par 5.
“The front nine was a grind to get going,” Kokrak said. “I made some good shots. I just couldn’t get the putts to fall on either side.
“I started feeling better my game on the back nine holes. I just didn’t get the putts to drop.”
Carl Pettersson and former Sony Open champion K.J. Choi were among those at 65, while Webb Simpson was in the group at 66.
“I’m just so excited to be back out,” DeLaet said. “I had a good season my rookie campaign, and then it was all basically just taken away. And I realize now how fortunate we are to be playing golf for a living. My whole attitude is definitely better.”
His game looked to be in pretty good shape, too.
Thursday was a gentle start of the season in the first full-field tournament of the year on the PGA Tour, with the ocean breeze barely strong enough to move fronds on the palm trees that line the fairways. Just under half of those with early tee times broke par.
Kapalua winner Steve Stricker was among those who played in the afternoon.
DeLaet surged to the top of the leaderboard when he chipped in from just short of the green on the par-5 ninth, then holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the 10th and hit his approach to 6 feet on the 12th for another birdie. He took the outright lead with birdies on the last two holes, getting up-and-down from just short of the green on the par-5 18th.
At this time a year ago, he was a week removed from surgery on his lower back, which included shaving part of his disk to keep it from pressing against a nerve. The Sony Open offers pleasant scenery on TV, but he couldn’t stand to watch.