Morikawa grabs Sony Open lead at wind-whipped Waialae

Rising US star Collin Morikawa defied strong winds sweeping across Waialae Country Club to seize a two-stroke first-round lead on Thursday in the US PGA Tour Sony Open.

Morikawa, 22, made the most of the experience he gained playing at windswept Kapalua in last week's Tournament of Champions, firing five birdies in a five-under par 65 -- an impressive effort in tough conditions in Honolulu.

"Really good," said Morikawa, who finished the day two shots in front of Australian Matt Jones and Americans Ted Potter, Ryan Palmer and Sam Ryder.

With Morikawa safely in the clubhouse, Ryder applied the most pressure, reeling off four straight birdies at 16, 17, 18 and the first to reach four-under.

He gave a stroke back with a bogey at the second, but was four-under with five to play after a birdie at the fourth -- his 13th hole of the day.

Ryder's charge ground to a halt with bogeys at the seventh, where he was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker, and the eighth, before a closing birdie boosted him back into the group sharing second.

Jones and Palmer both moved to 67 with back-to-back closing birdies. Potter nabbed his fifth and final birdie of the day at his last hole, the ninth.

"It blew, it gusted a lot and it was tough to judge your distances," Jones said of the unusually strong winds that wreaked havoc on the scenic Hawaiian course.

"But I kept the ball low, kept it in play and I think I hit a fair few greens -- which was my goal today."
- 'pretty brutal'-
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