Spaun takes lead at Sony Open with wide-open chase

HONOLULU — J.J. Spaun got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th hole Saturday for a 5-under 65, the final birdie giving him a one-shot lead at the Sony Open going into a final round where more than a dozen players remain in the mix.

Spaun mixed bogeys with birdies over the final four holes at windy Waialae, the dropped shots costing him and Patrick Fishburn a chance to create some separation.

Instead, it’s the same old scene along the shores just east of Waikiki Beach. This old-school course with its doglegs and deep bunkers and unpredictable Bermuda rough has a way of staying bunched until the very end.

Stephen Jaeger, the German best known as the only player to beat Scottie Scheffler in the Houston Open during Scheffler’s most dominant stretch last year, had nine birdies in a 62 and wasn’t sure where that would leave him when he finished.

He was one shot behind, along with Fishburn (68) and Eric Cole (67).

Jaeger was six shots behind going into the third round. He also had 40 players between him and the two players atop the leaderboard.

“You’re in limbo at that point,” Jaeger said. “You’re either going to have a great round and have a chance or … to shoot a great round and be in contention is nice.”

Fishburn, in his Sony debut as a second-year player out of Utah, was the only player to reach 14 under with his birdie on the par-5 ninth to go out in 31 and create some separation. But he made only one birdie the rest of the way, blasting a drive 360 yards with the wind at his back and hitting a flip wedge that rolled over the cup. He also made three bogeys, and he failed to birdie the par 5 closing hole.

Spaun was at 13-under 197.

“I’ve felt pretty calm and relaxed out there. It’s been a fun week here in Hawaii,” he said. “It’s always laid back and easygoing. I’ve been carrying that mindset on the course, and it’s easy to feel that way when things are going your way and you’re playing well. Just try to hone in on that tomorrow and see what happens.”

Fishburn dropping a few shots brought many back into the tournament.

Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley birdied his last two holes for a 64 and was in the group two shots behind that included Nick Taylor of Canada (65), former British Open champion Brian Harman (66) and Nico Echavarria of Chile, the Zozo Championship winner in Japan last fall who played bogey-free in the wind for a 66.

“As soon as we made the turn there, the conditions got quite a bit harder,” Fishburn said. “A lot of the wind was hard off the left with pins on the left, so it was a tricky setup.”

The group three shots behind included Lucas Glover and Gary Woodland, who returned from brain surgery at the Sony Open a year ago and took until later in the year before he got his brain functioning the right way through breathing and meditation exercises.