Brian Stuard first glimpsed the Waialae Country Club golf course and the Sony Open in Hawaii as a wide-eyed high schooler from in front of the family television in Jackson, Mich.
That can make for a particularly impressive sight in early January when you live in a place where the average high temperature for the month is 29 degrees.
But Stuard has since come to see the allure of Waialae as being more than palm trees, blue skies and gentle trade winds, especially when the view is from atop the leaderboard.
Now, the beauty is pin deep for Stuard, who takes a one-stroke lead over Marc Leishman of Australia and Japan’s Hideto Tanihara into today’s third round after shooting a 5-under-par 65 on Friday, punctuated with an eagle on the par-five ninth hole, for a two-day 130.
It is his fourth consecutive round of 65 — and seventh straight round in the 60s — here over two years, which says a lot about how he’s come to cherish visits to Waialae.
"I really enjoy it here, the way it is laid out … everything," Stuard said.
It was, Stuard will tell you, love at first sight.
"This was my first-ever PGA Tour event and, I think, I finished 25th or something (a tie for 25th in 2010)," Stuard said.
His 2013 return, after regaining his tour card, produced a tie for fifth place and a $204,400 paycheck.
So, no, Stuard didn’t have to think long or hard about where he wanted to start this 2014 season.
The 31-year old Oakland University graduate in his third PGA Tour season is seeking his first victory, something that eluded him in his best finish to date, a second to Harris English in the OHL Classic in Mexico two months ago. English is in third place, two strokes back.
"It would be great to get it here," Stuard said. "That would be something pretty cool."
For sure few places he’s played in 58 PGA Tour appearances come with the comfort level of Waialae, where a 215-yard second shot with a hybrid 3-iron led to a 2-foot putt for an eagle on Friday.
As for the confidence factor, "I think you feel that way when you play somewhere you enjoy," Stuard said. "I think you feel comfortable everywhere (here), on every tee shot. And, for the most part, I feel like (that) on every tee shot. I have a good plan, a good way to play it, I guess."
Stuard said, "The first time I played here the first impression I got, was that if you drive the fairways you are going to have a good opportunity to make birdies. But the fairways are going to be tough to hit because there are a lot of dog legs and they (the fairways) are pretty firm," Stuard said. "(But) I think that is the goal for everybody, to hit it in the fairway."
For him, however, the goals have been easier to reach in a place he once thought he might only glimpse on TV.
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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
