A six way scrap for the lead emerged after the first round of the Sony Open, with one of the men involved being veteran American, Davis Love III. Love shares the lead after shooting a five-under par round of 65 to tie defending champion Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, John Merrick, Robert Allenby and Troy Merritt at the top of the leaderboard.
Love, who holds the course record of 60 which he shot 15 years ago, started his round with birdies on the opening and second holes en-route to a bogey-free round.
The first round was played amid high winds and blustery conditions and most of the early leaders were out early when the wind was strongest over the Waialae Country Club course. Merrick and Allenby started later in the day, when the wind began to swirl, making their rounds a little more admirable.
Steve Stricker, the current world number three finished in a tie for seventh place following a four-under par round of 66. He could have held the early lead had he not endured a two-over par start to his round before recovering. Stricker shares the seventh position with nine other golfers, including Angel Cabrera – the current US Masters champion, and another veteran in former Major winner and Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman.
Open Championship holder Stewart Cink carded a two-under par round of 68 on a day which saw 45 players break par despite the conditions.