This time, Joaquín Niemann had absolutely no regrets about his performance on the 18th hole.
Four days earlier, he resigned himself to par twice on the last hole at Kapalua, resulting in a tiebreaker. On Thursday, the Chilean hit a 50-foot shot for an eagle, signing a 62-shot card, eight under par.
With this, he shares the tip of the Sony Open with Jason Kokrak and Peter Malnati, after the first round
“It was a good way to close,” said Niemann. “I spent a few days thinking about that last hole, but I also talked about all the positives from last week, and I prepared for this one.”
The last days weren’t easy for Nieman, 22. He is too young to have been hardened by the experience of the defeats that are inherent in this sport.
On Sunday, he played in Kapalua with Spain’s Sergio Garcia, who has accumulated enough travel to have given him advice. He recommended, for example, that he think about everything that had gone well for him.
He then has a lot to think about after what good he did on a breezy afternoon in Waiaalae, on a course with dry fairways and smooth greens, which favored low markers.
Niemann’s only bogey came on the 12th hole, when it took three putts to resolve.
Instead, its ending was exquisite.
Kokrak played bogey-free and was satisfied with a 15-foot putt for par on hole 1 — his 10th of the round. He valued that shot more than his nine birdies.
Malnati was the only one of the leaders who played his round in the morning, although the conditions were practically identical throughout the day.
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