HONOLULU — J.J. Spaun got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th hole Saturday for a 5-under 65, the final birdie giving him a one-shot lead at the Sony Open going into a final round where more than a dozen players remain in the mix.
Spaun mixed bogeys with birdies over the final four holes at windy Waialae, the dropped shots costing him and Patrick Fishburn a chance to create some separation.
Instead, it’s the same old scene along the shores just east of Waikiki Beach. This old-school course with its doglegs and deep bunkers and unpredictable Bermuda rough has a way of staying bunched until the very end.
Stephen Jaeger, the German best known as the only player to beat Scottie Scheffler in the Houston Open during Scheffler’s most dominant stretch last year, had nine birdies in a 62 and wasn’t sure where that would leave him when he finished.
He was one shot behind, along with Fishburn (68) and Eric Cole (67).
Jaeger was six shots behind going into the third round. He also had 40 players between him and the two players atop the leaderboard.
“You’re in limbo at that point,” Jaeger said. “You’re either going to have a great round and have a chance or … to shoot a great round and be in contention is nice.”
Fishburn, in his Sony debut as a second-year player out of Utah, was the only player to reach 14 under with his birdie on the par-5 ninth to go out in 31 and create some separation. But he made only one birdie the rest of the way, blasting a drive 360 yards with the wind at his back and hitting a flip wedge that rolled over the cup. He also made three bogeys, and he failed to birdie the par 5 closing hole.
Spaun was at 13-under 197.
“I’ve felt pretty calm and relaxed out there. It’s been a fun week here in Hawaii,” he said. “It’s always laid back and easygoing. I’ve been carrying that mindset on the course, and it’s easy to feel that way when things are going your way and you’re playing well. Just try to hone in on that tomorrow and see what happens.”
Fishburn dropping a few shots brought many back into the tournament.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley birdied his last two holes for a 64 and was in the group two shots behind that included Nick Taylor of Canada (65), former Open champion Brian Harman (66) and Nico Echavarria of Chile, the Zozo Championship winner in Japan last fall who played bogey-free in the wind for a 66.
2025 Sony Open in Hawaii: Tee times, groupings, how to watch the final round
Tee times, groupings and how to watch the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
“As soon as we made the turn there, the conditions got quite a bit harder,” Fishburn said. “A lot of the wind was hard off the left with pins on the left, so it was a tricky setup.”
The group three shots behind included Lucas Glover and Gary Woodland, who returned from brain surgery at the Sony Open a year ago and took until later in the year before he got his brain functioning the right way through breathing and meditation exercises.
Woodland, who had a second straight 66, has played at Waialae enough to know it’s usually bunched — Justin Thomas was the exception in 2017 when he set the PGA Tour’s scoring record at 253 — and that a winner can come out of nowhere.
“If you can get hot, you can make a run,” Woodland said. “It wouldn’t shock me if someone came from behind and posted a number. Everything is trending in the right direction. A couple of guys posted a good number. Hopefully, that’s me tomorrow.”
Jaeger stood out with the low round of the tournament. He made a pair of 20-foot birdies on the front nine — he started on No. 10 — and got a big boost with a birdie from just under 60 feet on the eighth hole. He finished with a wedge to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 ninth.
“I played pretty aggressively off the tee, a lot of drivers. If I can get them in the fairways I’ll have a lot of shorter shots in,” Jaeger said. “If you miss the fairways, you’re going to have to be creative to get those balls on the greens and get good birdie putts. Nothing will change. Game feels nice, so I’m excited about tomorrow.”
