Sony Open 2021: Brendan Steele Leads at 18 Under Entering Final Round
January 17, 2021
Brendan Steele shot a nine-under 61 on Saturday to lead the Sony Open field at 18 under heading into the final round.
Steele leads Kevin Na and Joaquin Niemann by two strokes. Five golfers sit at 15 under, including 2009 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink.
Nick Taylor, who led the tournament after two days at 12 under, fell into a ninth-place tie at 14 under with three others. Overall, 38 golfers sit at 10 under or better heading into Sunday at Waiʻalae Country Club in Honolulu.
Steele had a perfect round Saturday with nine birdies and nine pars. All aspects of his game from tee to green were on fire. Per PGATour.com, he hit 92.86 percent of fairways and 83.3 percent of greens in regulation. In addition, he gained 3.377 strokes putting, which included this 27-footer:
Overall, Steele played complementary golf, with his drives and approaches on point and his putter on fire:
Na finished just as hot as Steele, making seven birdies and an eagle alongside 10 pars. The PGA Tour listed his eye-popping stats:
Na went five under through five holes at one point:
Joaquin Niemann rounds out the top three, shooting a seven-under 63 to finish 16 under through three rounds. The 22-year-old, who was tied for first after Thursday with an eight-under 62, finished Saturday with a birdie and an eagle on the final two holes.
Television coverage of the final round will begin at 4 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel. SiriusXM Radio will start coverage at 3 p.m.
The three-man final group, featuring Steele, Na and Niemann, will tee off at 3:20 p.m.