Even after a blistering start, Derek Tolan thought he’d need one more red number to finish off Monday’s Sony Open in Hawaii qualifier.
Tolan, a fifth-year pro from Denver, tore through the front nine at Turtle Bay’s Palmer Course with a 6-under-par 30, leveled off on the back and arrived at No. 18 at 5 under.
His tee shot on the par 5 went into a fairway bunker, and he pulled out a 7 iron for his approach.
"I kind of figured I needed to make eagle there," Tolan said. "A little bummed when I saw my ball rolled in the bunker, but I had a good lie and lots of green to work with. Just hit a nice full 7 iron. … I was pretty excited. I knew I hit it well."
He lasered his shot to the middle of the green and drained his eagle putt to finish with a 65 and earn medalist honors in the qualifier and a Thursday tee time at Waialae Country Club.
"I know what’s at stake and thought, ‘Do what you practice.’ Pick a line, commit to it and just hit it," Tolan said of the clinching putt.
Four spots in the 144-player Sony Open field were up for grabs for the 69 players entered in the Monday qualifier and Tolan was joined by three who shot 66.
Eric Dugas, a former head pro at Kukio Golf and Beach Club on the Big Island, carded seven birdies to play his way into his second Sony Open. But he credited a par save early in the round for getting him on track.
"I had a buried bunker shot on No. 13 (he started on No. 10) and got up and down, so I kept the round going instead of going the other direction," said Dugas, who spent close to four years at Kukio before moving to the mainland to pursue his playing career. "Those holes are sometimes more important than the birdies to keep the round going."
Former Pac-12 champion Martin Trainer qualified for his first Sony Open, while Frank Lickliter II, who tied the Waialae record with a second-round 62 in 2004, earned a return trip.
"Ultimately in the long run it’s nothing more than an opportunity, but if I capitalize then it might lead to something great," said Trainer. "But obviously you have to take it one step at a time and for now I’m in. …I can’t wait."
Trainer won the Pac-12 title in 2011, graduated from USC with a business degree in May and this week’s tournament will be his first PGA Tour event as a professional.
"I didn’t get through Q-School, so I’m just grinding and trying to get into a couple of these and this is a great start," Trainer said.
Speaking of great starts, Tolan’s was tough to match on Monday. After a par on No. 1, he birdied the next three holes and closed out the front nine with three more.
"I knew I was playing well … (but) I knew a lot of tough shots were ahead of me," Tolan said.
Tolan carded his lone bogey on No. 11 and settled for pars the rest of the way prior to his closing eagle.
Tolan played in the 2002 U.S. Open at age 16 and went on to a productive college career at Colorado before turning pro in 2009.
He’ll have some local knowledge on Thursday, with Leilehua and Hawaii Hilo graduate Nick Mason caddying for him. Mason, who also lives in Colorado, won the Hawaii State Open last month and shot 69 on Monday, including a 31 on the back nine. Mason lived with Tolan for a year in Denver and previously caddied for him at Web.com qualifying.
"I know he’s played in Sony a couple times, so it’ll be nice to have someone who’s familiar with it," Tolan said.
Lickliter, playing in the final pairing coming into No. 18, missed an eagle putt on No. 18. But his eighth birdie of the day was good enough to push him into the field at 66, keeping three players at 67, including Kauai’s TJ Kua, out of a possible playoff for the final spot.
"It’s always nice going back to the golf course you’ve played well on," Lickliter said of returning to Waialae.
"Gotta drive it in the fairway in the wind, nice little wicked greens. I’m looking forward to it."
