Andres Gonzales leads Sony Open qualifiers

Andres Gonzales shot a 6-under-par 66 to earn medalist honors at the Sony Open in Hawaii’s Monday qualifier at Hoakalei Country Club.

Gonzales, a Korn Ferry Tour member whose Twitter profile reads “Half man, half amazing,” shot 3 under on both sides of the Ernie Els-designed course in Ewa Beach to top the 75-player field and earn his third start in the Sony Open. He carded his lone bogey on the par-3 12th hole, but responded with an eagle on the par-5 13th.

Gonzales made his debut at Waialae Country Club in 2013 and returned in 2017, when he tied for 36th.

Matthys Daffue of South Africa and In Hoi Hur of Korea finished a shot behind Gonzales and will make their Sony Open debuts on Thursday.

The last of the four berths available in the event went to Nick Hardy, who shot a 68 and won a playoff with JJ Kileen and Luke Schniederjans. Hardy, a two-time Big Ten champion at Illinois, had five top-10 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020.

This year’s Sony Open tees off on Thursday and will be played without fans in attendance at Waialae Country Club. Cameron Smith of Australia returns as defending champion after winning the 2020 tournament in a playoff with Brendan Steele.