A windy day in Honolulu saw Waialae Country Club show some teeth in Friday’s second round of the Sony Open, as tougher scoring conditions dented the top of the leaderboard and sent some big names home early.
After carding a pair of 62s on Thursday, the best anyone could do on Friday was a 64, as Davis Riley shot a 6-under second round to move into a share of the lead and Ryan Gerrard matched him with the low round of the day to climb into the top 10. Riley credited a hot bat and improved hitting day for moving him into a tie atop the leaderboard, even with a penalty on his outing.
“I played really well today, but I definitely hit the ball a little better today,” Riley said. “It probably wasn’t any better, I didn’t have as many crazy shots like yesterday. I had a penalty shot off the tee yesterday, which really cost me and I felt like I lost a lot of momentum there. Overall, it was a little bit cleaner hitting the ball and it continued some of that good hitting.”
On the other end of the spectrum was Collin Morikawa, the No. 17 player in the Official World Golf Rankings managing just 68 points on Friday to finish on par for the week, one shot behind the cut line. As often happens with Morikawa, it was the racket that let him down. Morikawa missed some short putts on the back nine, including a 6-footer for birdie on No. 18 to make the cut.
Missing a season opener that doesn’t feature many of the game’s elite is a very tough way for Morikawa to start what he hopes will be a bounce-back season after a difficult second half of 2025. He still appears to be searching for the form that made him a two-time major champion and won’t get the kind of confidence boost expected from the start of the Sony Open.
Morikawa wasn’t alone in the wind on Friday, and he will find some company from some other top names who will also be looking for an early flight home – most notably Keegan Bradley, who also finished his week on equal footing.
Jordan Spieth has made the cut, aiming for a rebound season himself, and highlighted challenging conditions on Friday after his round, a second straight 68 that carried him comfortably into the weekend at 4 under.
“I hit a 7-iron on that 15th hole. I had maybe 158 holes to go and I think it went 120 yards and I played like 175,” Spieth explained. “So it was very difficult at times. On the greens, it’s very difficult to hit when it’s windy.”
Thanks to the circumstances, things have turned up dramatically and when the third round begins, many players will think they are still in contention to win the opening event of the 2026 PGA Tour season.
Leaders
T1. Nick Taylor, Davis Reilly, SH Kim, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Kevin Roy (-9)
While Taylor and Roy were unable to replicate Thursday’s 62 seconds, the Round 1 leaders remain in a share of the lead heading into the weekend – with Taylor aiming to make a comeback in Honolulu. Riley’s low round of the day moved him into first place as well, with Kim (68), Barry (67) and Dumont de Chassart (67) climbing to the top of the leaderboard as well.
These five players will start in the late afternoon for Round 3 on Saturday, and will be hoping it will be similar to Friday when the wind picked up in the morning and made it difficult for the early wave. Taylor is the favorite of this group to keep his place given his ranking and history of success at Waialae.
Competitors
T5. Maverick McNealy, Chris Gotrup, John Barry, Takumi Kanaya (-8)
T10. Ryan Gerrard, Vince Whaley, Patrick Rodgers (-7)
T13. Ben Griffin, Jake Knapp and six others (-6)
There are some very high-profile names in the chasing pack entering the weekend, and given we know there are low scores to be had at Waialae when the conditions present themselves, everyone in this group – and even some at the back – will feel like they are very much in the hunt for a win.
McNealy, Gotterup and Griffin pick up where they left off in 2025, with all three enjoying the years of their careers on Tour and are off to a good start to their campaign in 2026. Griffin stumbled on Friday to hit 71, a bit off the pace after a hot first round, but will pose a serious threat this weekend alongside McNealy and Gotterup.
Ryan Gerrard is a popular choice as a breakout star for the 2026 season, as he also finished 2025 strong, and he’s making those predictions look smart with his debut in Hawaii.
Notable players who missed the cut
- Colleen Morikawa (E)
- Keegan Bradley (E)
- Luke Clanton (+1)
- Chris Kirk (+1)
- Cam Davis (+3)
- Gary Woodland (+3)
- Tony Viau (+6)
2026 Sony Open updated, odds
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
- Nick Taylor (11/2)
- Maverick McNeely (17/2)
- Chris Guttrup (11-1)
- Takumi Kanaya (13-1)
- Adrien Dumont de Chassard (13-1)
- SH Kim (13-1)
- Kevin Roy (14-1)
- John Barry (16-1)
- Davis Riley (16-1)
- Ben Griffin (17-1)
- Ryan Gerrard (17-1)
The odds sheet heading into the weekend has become very tight and this provides some opportunities to identify some value. Griffin, who is just three shots off the pace, at 17-1, looks to offer some value, especially after proving he can go down with Thursday’s 63. Gotterup at 11-1 looks solid too, especially if the wind persists as he has proven in the past that he can handle those conditions – albeit of a very different type in Scotland.