In addition to seeing his name at the top of the leaderboard after finishing his second round on Friday, Carl Yuan relished the scenery at the Sony Open in Hawaii as he was set to begin his PGA TOUR career.
If not for Jon Rahm, the 26-year-old Yuan wouldn’t have qualified for the Sony Open.
Yuan finished at No. 126 in the FedEx Cup last November by one point and was getting ready to earn his card again through PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Rahm then signed a contract with LIV Golf. Rahm was suspended by the PGA TOUR and was taken out of the FedExCup standings.
Yuan went up one rank to No. 125, earning his full card and got into the Sony Open. Then, on Friday at Waialae Country Club, he shot a 5-under 65, taking the lead early with a two-putt birdie.
“I was ecstatic. It offers me another opportunity to develop and get better.” Yuan said.
At 9-under 131, Yuan was 1 shot ahead of 50-year-old Stewart Cink, who will play in the PGA TOUR Champions event on the Big Island the following week as part of his 2 week Hawaii swing. Two players moving in the opposite direction were also one shot behind the early starters. Cam Davis shot 62 in the opening round before settling for a 70. Ben Gryphon shot 62 and began with a 70.
Keith Mitchell joined the huge group at 8-under 132 after capping his 64 with a 45-foot eagle putt on the 9th par-5. More players had an opportunity to join them at the end of the day when the wind lessened, however it was not blowing at the 30 mph speed from the first round.
Although Yuan had a difficult first season, the Chinese player at least managed to salvage himself in the autumn. Despite finishing the regular season ranked No. 151, he managed to at least give himself a shot throughout the final 3 months of play. However, Ryan Moore edged him out in the last round.
To prepare for Q-School, he played a practice round at TPC Sawgrass’s Dye’s Valley.
It was pouring when his wife was supposed to caddy for him, and later that evening he received the news that Rahm had been suspended and he had been onboarded.
Yuan didn’t worry too much because his status would have been restricted. It turns out that not all of the rookies who had complete cards were able to enter the Sony Open.
“Fortunately, I received full status, but I’m still trying to do the same thing and come out here and play as well as I can. Prior to hearing the news, I was really trying to get myself ready, come out and play well in Hawaii and on the West Coast, and try to earn myself back on tour.” Yuan said.
Cink started dividing his time between the two tours after turning 50 last year. He anticipates playing in roughly 20 events this year, a combination of the 2. He may play on the Champions Tour when it’s the best option, but he isn’t in the $20 million Signature Events.
Cink stated that he is not concerned about taking home the Charles Schwab Cup or the FedExCup. Over the course of 2 days at Waialae, he looked the part. He simply wants to play as good as he can. He closed out the round with a bogey-free 65.
Those two shots behind the early starters included Keegan Bradley and Harris English. With the weather easing, English wasn’t sure where that would place him in the end. All that mattered was that he was part of the mix.
