Snedeker sets early pace in second round at Waialae

Pádraig Harrington maintained his good start to the season at the Sony Open in Hawaii with a second round 68 to sit six under par, six shots behind leader Brandt Snedeker.

Kevin Kisner hits off the third fairway during the second round of the Sony Open golf tournament, Fr …

Blair had a chance to take sole possession of the lead in the $5.8 million tournament at Waialea Country Club in Honolulu, but missed a birdie putt from inside three feet at the 18th.

Brandt Snedeker carded a five-under-par 65 to earn the outright lead at the halfway stage of the Sony Open on Friday.

British Open champion Zach Johnson had a 66 and is two shots back, along with Luke Donald (65), Zac Blair (65) and Chez Reavie (63). The group at 9-under 131 included 49-year-old Jerry Kelly.

Vijay Singh, a co-leader after the first round and seeking to become the oldest PGA Tour victor, shot a three-over par 73 and dropped out of contention. That beats the way he finished the up a year ago.

The three-time major victor and 2005 Sony Open champion is level alongside Daniel Summerhays (65), James Hahn (65) and Danny Lee (66).

Blair drilled a 3-wood into the par-5 closing hole at Waialae to just over 40 feet, lagged it short and pulled the short birdie.

He made a full commitment to an overhaul of his setup, and Snedeker said he worked hard with swing coach Butch Harmon and showed up in Maui early, playing practice rounds with top-ranked Jordan Spieth. “But at the end of the day, I think it just kind of comes down to getting the ball in the hole, and if you’re able to do that, you obviously seem to be finding yourself at the top of the leaderboard more often than not”.

Kisner’s frustration was starting to get noticeable when he bent over so far that his hands almost touched his shoes on the fifth, but with that eagle on the ninth, he still was only one shot out of the lead. A slightly quieter back nine saw him add two more birdies, including a 42-foot putt for a birdie-three at the 13th.

“It wasn’t that favorable that I took a month-and-a-half off after it”, Kisner said.