DAVIS RILEY BIRDIED four of his last seven holes on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the US PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii.
The world number 101′s three-under-par round of 67 put him on 12-under, clear of a trio tied for second comprising England’s Harry Hall and fellow Americans Chris Gotterup and Kevin Roy.
“I felt like I was hitting some really good hold shots against the wind,” said Riley, who has one previous win on the PGA Tour, after gusty conditions at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
The 29-year-old Riley said the goal for Sunday would be to “do what I did on the back nine today”.
“It’s tough. There is wind. There are going to be bad shots. You got to make some gritty pars in these conditions,” he said.
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Defending champion Nick Taylor, who had been in a share of the lead after two rounds, slipped back to tied-fifth with a disappointing 70 that included four bogies.
“I feel like it’s always very bunched here,” said Canada’s Taylor.
“Obviously here I’ve had great success over the last few years. I can fall back on that tomorrow in any scenario starting out.”
Seamus Power studies the fairway. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Ireland’s Seamus Power is 12 shots off the lead, in a share for 62nd after a third-round 72.
The Waterford man’s 71 Friday saw him fall down the leaderboard after an opening 67. He struggled to recover on Saturday, with a double bogey on the second an early setback. He did birdie the fourth and 18th, but dropped further shots on holes 10 and 14.
The event is the PGA Tour’s first of 2026, after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua because of drought and water restrictions on the nearby island of Maui.
The 62-year-old former world number one Vijay Singh — having made the cut by two strokes in his first PGA Tour start since 2021 — carded a tidy 68, to sit eight strokes off the lead.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy are in final day action at the Dubai Invitational on the DP World Tour.
Lowry is one shot off the lead currently held by Nacho Elvira and Marcus Armitage at the time of writing, while McIlroy has moved to a shot further back, with an intriguing finish in store.
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Power down the leaderboard as Riley two shots clear at PGA Tour 2026 opener
DAVIS RILEY BIRDIED four of his last seven holes on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the US PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii.
The world number 101′s three-under-par round of 67 put him on 12-under, clear of a trio tied for second comprising England’s Harry Hall and fellow Americans Chris Gotterup and Kevin Roy.
“I felt like I was hitting some really good hold shots against the wind,” said Riley, who has one previous win on the PGA Tour, after gusty conditions at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
The 29-year-old Riley said the goal for Sunday would be to “do what I did on the back nine today”.
“It’s tough. There is wind. There are going to be bad shots. You got to make some gritty pars in these conditions,” he said.
Defending champion Nick Taylor, who had been in a share of the lead after two rounds, slipped back to tied-fifth with a disappointing 70 that included four bogies.
“I feel like it’s always very bunched here,” said Canada’s Taylor.
“Obviously here I’ve had great success over the last few years. I can fall back on that tomorrow in any scenario starting out.”
Ireland’s Seamus Power is 12 shots off the lead, in a share for 62nd after a third-round 72.
The Waterford man’s 71 Friday saw him fall down the leaderboard after an opening 67. He struggled to recover on Saturday, with a double bogey on the second an early setback. He did birdie the fourth and 18th, but dropped further shots on holes 10 and 14.
The event is the PGA Tour’s first of 2026, after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua because of drought and water restrictions on the nearby island of Maui.
The 62-year-old former world number one Vijay Singh — having made the cut by two strokes in his first PGA Tour start since 2021 — carded a tidy 68, to sit eight strokes off the lead.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy are in final day action at the Dubai Invitational on the DP World Tour.
Lowry is one shot off the lead currently held by Nacho Elvira and Marcus Armitage at the time of writing, while McIlroy has moved to a shot further back, with an intriguing finish in store.
– © AFP 2026
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