Barber rewarded for honesty
Blayne Barber didn’t have a straight path to the PGA Tour, but now that he’s an official member, the rookie is making the most of his chances.
KEY HOLE 18: PAR 5, 551 YARDS
» Easy 18: The easiest hole, for the first time in four rounds, was the par-5 18th with a scoring average of 4.371. There were three eagles, 39 birdies, 27 pars and one bogey. The previous three days, the easiest hole was the par-5 ninth.
» Unlucky 13: The hardest hole on Sunday was the par-4 13th with a scoring average of 4.271. There were only three birdies, with 45 pars and 22 bogeys on what many golfers consider the hardest hole on the course.
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He shot a 1-over 71 in Sunday’s final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii to finish at 3-under 277, some 20 shots off the pace of winner Jimmy Walker.
Teeing it up in his sixth tour event as a member, Barber played particularly well the first two days with rounds of 66 and 69, but tired somewhat over the weekend with a 70 and a 71.
Some folks might recall that Barber disqualified himself from the 2012 PGA Tour qualifying school for signing an incorrect scorecard. He was in a bunker and was unsure whether he brushed a leaf during his swing. While his caddie said he didn’t touch it, he still gave himself a one-stroke penalty and alerted his playing partners.
Nearly a week later, while hanging out with a former Auburn teammate, he pointed out that the rule Barber might have broken should have resulted in a two-shot penalty. It weighed on Barber enough for him to disqualify himself. Barber wound up on the Web.com Tour and eventually earned his card by finishing 16th at the Web.com Tour finals in 2014.
Coming into Hawaii, he had already managed two top-10 finishes in the 2014-15 wraparound season and feels comfortable with his choices.
"Yeah, from all that happened, I was like 22, I guess, and I’ve had to constantly remind myself that I’m on the PGA Tour and I’m only 25," Barber said. "It’s easy to get caught up with what Jordan (Spieth) is doing or Rory (McIlroy) or Rickie (Fowler), guys like that. But to be on the PGA Tour at 25, is just a huge blessing and it’s cool. I mean, I’ve gone through a lot. It’s taken a little bit longer than I thought to get here, but I’m just excited to be here and finally reach my goal."
Piercy cashes big check
Scott Piercy was so far behind Jimmy Walker by day’s end, it’s hard to imagine he finished alone in second to earn $604,800. He closed with a 66 to shoot a respectable four-day total of 14-under 266.
"I played really solid," Piercy said. "The middle of the back nine was a big momentum swing and maybe tried to put a little pressure on Jimmy. But he’s one of the hottest players in the world. … It was just a cake walk."
Piercy captured the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2011 and the Canadian Open in 2012. Injuries have slowed him somewhat recently, but he said Sunday he is fit for duty.
"I’m strong, but still in the recovery process," Piercy said of his elbow surgery last February.
Inside the numbers
There were six bogey-free rounds on Sunday, ranging from Walker’s 63 to Brendon Todd’s 67. Perhaps the best turnaround among this bogey-free group came from Rory Sabbatini and Chris Kirk.
Sabbatini fired a 63 in the final round, an 11-shot improvement from the 74 he had on Saturday. Kirk almost missed the secondary cut with his 74 on Saturday. He shot a 64 in the final round for a 10-shot improvement.
