Matt Kuchar has the benefit of a recent win to draw upon going into the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Although he’s flowed through three rounds relatively stress-free, recent history would indicate today’s final 18 holes won’t be a cruise to the title.
Kuchar continued his chase for this first win at Waialae Country Club — a course ranking among his favorite PGA Tour stops — with a round of 4-under-par 66 on Saturday to enter today’s play at 18 under for the week, two shots ahead of Andrew Putnam.
Kuchar followed up twin 63s on Thursday and Friday with a bogey-free round on Saturday to protect his spot atop the leaderboard and post the lowest 54-hole score of a career highlighted by eight PGA Tour wins at 192.
“It was good steady golf. … It felt easy out there,” Kuchar said.
The 40-year-old ranks among the most successful players without a win at Waialae, with four top-10s in his past five visits, and enters today’s round looking to pair two wins in a season for just the second time in his career.
He’s won three of the previous seven times he held the 54-hole lead, including his victory at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico in November. Kuchar went into the final round at Mayakoba with a four-shot lead, and a 69 was just enough to fend off Danny Lee by one shot and end a 4 1/2-year drought between PGA Tour wins.
Finishing the deal in Mexico a couple of months ago should calm some of the nerves inherent in playing in the final group on a Sunday.
“I think it’s going to be a big plus for me,” Kuchar said. “It’s not often you get in a final group Sunday afternoon. … I tell people the nerves in golf are kind of like public speaking. The more often you do it the better you deal with it. They may always be there, but you get more comfortable with it.”
Last year at Waialae, Patton Kizzire was a shot out of the lead and James Hahn began the final round seven back before they finished regulation tied at the top. They went six more holes before Kizzire emerged from the playoff with the victory.
Just a week ago, Xander Schauffele overcame a five-shot deficit to catch and pass Gary Woodland for the Sentry Tournament of Champions title at Kapalua.
While Putnam — who held the solo lead for two holes early in Saturday’s round — enters the day as Kuchar’s closest pursuer, Keith Mitchell and Chez Reavie aren’t far off at 14 under.
“I’m going to need to make birdies,” Kuchar said. “Just there are enough birdie holes out there and enough good players that I know that I can’t just coast. I need to continue playing well.”
If he can hold on today, Kuchar would become the third player to pair a win in Mexico with a victory at Waialae. Johnson Wagner was the first in 2012 and Kizzire accomplished that double last year on courses that bear similar features.
“Both courses are very tight, very demanding driving golf courses,” Kuchar said. “That would probably be the biggest similarity. The state of my game has felt similar — I’ve felt very much in control of what I’ve been doing with the golf ball.
“I feel like I’m in good control of the hitting. It’s so crucial here, particularly off the tee. If you somehow miss fairways, even with shots to the green, it’s so hard to get close. You’re really hoping for par when you miss fairways. So I feel like I’ve driven the ball well and been in nice control of what I’m doing.”
He’s also given himself chances to score with his iron play, hitting 16 greens in regulation on Saturday. On one of his few misses, he saved par on the par-3 17th with a deft touch out of the greenside bunker to set up a 4-foot putt. It was his lone sand save of the day.
Kuchar did head to the clubhouse a bit disappointed with a closing par at No. 18, where his drive into a fairway bunker led to a layup into the fairway. His putt of just over 16 feet came up short and he tapped in for par on a hole where birdie is needed to keep pace.
Putnam drained his birdie putt from inside 9 feet to finish his round at 3-under 67 and 16 under for the tournament.
“Kuch is playing well, so I feel like I’ve got to get out there and make some birdies if it’s not too windy,” said Putnam, who also had a breakthrough, securing win No. 1 of his career at the Barracuda Championship in Reno, Nev., last August.
“If it’s like today it’s going to be scorable — have to to stay aggressive.”
Kuchar and Putnam will be joined by Mitchell in today’s final group, set to tee off at No. 1 at 12:20 p.m. Mitchell, who had an ace on No. 7 to highlight his round of 65 on Friday, matched Bryson DeChambeau and Emiliano Grillo for the low round on Saturday with a 63 to fall to 14 under.
Reavie was tied with Putnam for second, two shots behind Kuchar, at 15 under at the turn. But he fell off the pace with three consecutive bogeys from No. 11 to 13.
