Nick Taylor Picks Up Right Where He Left Off at Sony Open
The 2026 PGA Tour season teed off with a familiar sight: Nick Taylor lighting up Waialae Country Club. The defending Sony Open champ looked every bit the part again on Thursday, opening his title defense with a bogey-free 62 to grab a share of the lead with Kevin Roy.
It’s not just a hot start-it’s a continuation. Taylor’s round marked his 17th consecutive score of par or better at Waialae, and 12th straight round under par. He’s clearly at home on this course, and it showed in every part of his game.
“I think we got lucky with the forecast this morning. I expected more wind,” Taylor said after the round.
“A lot of the wind was working with the doglegs, so some of the tee shots weren’t as tough. I hit it great, but again, this course fits my eye.
Irons were really sharp, and I was able to read the greens well.”
Taylor wasted no time setting the tone. He picked up two early birdies, stayed steady with a string of pars, then caught fire down the stretch with six birdies over his final 10 holes.
It was the kind of round that looked effortless-because Taylor made it that way. He hit 10 fairways, found 15 greens in regulation, and never really looked in trouble.
It was clean, confident golf from a guy who knows how to win here.
And he’s not flying in cold. Taylor played a DP World Tour event in South Africa last month, and that decision looks like a smart one. It gave him a competitive tune-up, and he arrived in Hawaii with his game sharp and his mindset dialed in.
“I kind of timed the offseason well,” Taylor said. “I didn’t want to play nothing for four months.
I had a couple tournaments after two months off to gear up and take time off. Felt like my game was sharp coming over here.
You never know, but coming to a course I’m comfortable with definitely helps.”
Right Behind Him: Griffin, Gotterup, and a Stacked Leaderboard
Taylor’s 62 wasn’t the only eye-opener. Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup both posted 63s to sit just one shot back at 7-under, joined by John Vanderlaan.
For Griffin, it was a strong return to the grind after closing out 2025 with a win at the World Wide Technology Championship. He admitted there’s always some uncertainty when starting a new season, but his ball-striking was crisp and his game felt solid overall.
“You never really know what the first round back is going to feel like,” Griffin said. “It’s been a couple months since I’ve competed out here.
When you tee up in a Tour event, it always feels a little bit different. But I was really happy with my ball striking.
Need to clean up a couple things, but overall, really happy.”
Gotterup, meanwhile, is trying to flip the script on his early-season struggles from past years. In his first two seasons on Tour, he didn’t notch a single top-10 finish during the first three months.
That didn’t sit well with him. So this offseason, he made a move-literally-relocating from Oklahoma to Florida to train in more favorable winter conditions.
“I made a move this offseason down to Florida for hopefully reasons like this,” Gotterup said. “Feel like my game is in better shape just because I’ve been putting in more work at home.”
That work is paying off early. Gotterup carded eight birdies and just one bogey, using his power off the tee-averaging north of 310 yards-to overpower Waialae. He also credited recent appearances in TGL and other offseason events for keeping his competitive edge sharp.
“I felt like, the last couple years, I started the tournaments really rough out of the gate,” Gotterup added. “I loved living in Oklahoma, but 40 degrees and 40 mile an hour winds in December is not ideal for coming to Palm Springs or Hawai’i.
So I just figured that was the smart move to make. One round through, it looks good.”
Afternoon Wind Brings Resistance
As the day wore on, so did the conditions. The wind picked up in the afternoon, and so did the bogeys. Scoring average jumped by more than a stroke, and some big names found themselves grinding.
Hideki Matsuyama, a past champion here, posted a 69. U.S.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and Jordan Spieth each shot 68. Not disastrous, but certainly not the fireworks we saw from the morning wave.
All three will need a strong Friday morning to work their way into contention heading into the weekend.
Leaderboard Snapshot
- T1. Nick Taylor, Kevin Roy (-8)
- T3. Ben Griffin, Chris Gotterup, John Vanderlaan (-7)
- T6. Alex Smalley, John Parry (-6)
- T8. Denny McCarthy, Kurt Kitayama, Harry Hall, Russell Henley, Nick Dunlap, Adam Svensson (-5)
Kevin Roy quietly matched Taylor’s 62, flying under the radar but showing tremendous poise. He’ll be one to watch as the pressure ramps up.
Odds Update: Who’s Trending?
The early odds movement reflects what we saw on the course:
- Ben Griffin: 5-1
- Nick Taylor: 6-1
- Russell Henley: 8-1
- Chris Gotterup: 11-1
- J.J. Spaun: 19-1
- Maverick McNealy, Kevin Roy, Harry Hall: 20-1
Spaun at 19-1 is worth keeping an eye on. He shot 66 without much help from the putter-if that club heats up, he could make a serious move. Daniel Berger, also in at 66 and having played in the tougher afternoon conditions, sits at 45-1 and could be a sleeper pick heading into Friday.
Looking Ahead
Waialae has a way of rewarding precision and punishing hesitation. With the wind expected to be a factor again, players who can control their ball flight and stay mentally sharp will have the edge. Taylor’s in the driver’s seat, but with a tightly packed leaderboard and plenty of firepower chasing him, the Sony Open is shaping up to be a fun one.