It's deja vu for defending champion Kevin Na after Round 1 of the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii. Na matched his career low 9-under 61 (with last year's third round) and is the first defending champion to hold the first-round lead/co-lead in a TOUR event since Jon Rahm at the 2021 BMW Championship. He made seven birdies and had an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole on Thursday, one stroke ahead of past champions Jim Furyk and Russell Henley.
At age 51, Jim Furyk had a stellar first round while playing on a sponsors' exemption. Furyk who won this tournament in 1996 is the oldest player to post a 62 or better on record (since 1983). He's had five Top-10 finishes out of his 17 starts at Waialae. After collecting three consecutive birdies on the back nine, Furyk aced Waialae's par-3 17th hole, his sixth ace on the TOUR and first since the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone.
Making his 10th start in the Sony Open in Hawaii, Russell Henley, who won this event in 2013 as a rookie in his PGA TOUR debut, is T2 with Furyk at a 8-under 62, his fourth round of 63 or better in the event.
Of the 15 players inside the top 10, six are past champions of the event:
1st/Kevin Na (2021), T2/Jim Furyk (1996),T2/Russell Henley (2013), T4/Patton Kizzire (2018), T9/Ryan Palmer (2010), T9/Matt Kuchar (2019).
