Peterson tied for lead in PGA Tour debut at Sony

HONOLULU -- The Sony Open is the PGA Tour extremity wherever introductions are successful order, and Paul Peterson made rather the first impression. He opened pinch a 6-under 64 and shared the lead pinch 5 others Thursday connected a pleasant time astatine Waialae.

Harry Hall, Denny McCarthy and Eric Cole, each of whom sewage an early commencement successful Hawaii past week astatine Kapalua, besides opened astatine 64 on pinch Adam Schenk.

Tom Hoge, who tied for eighth successful Kapalua, had the only 64 successful the day successful a information that featured 2 eagles. The 2nd 1 Hoge described arsenic a gift -- an 8-iron retired of the unsmooth from 189 yards that deed the pin and dropped into the cup.

"I was conscionable hoping it would get down earlier it sewage complete the backmost of the green," he said.

Hideki Matsuyama, coming disconnected a grounds people to par astatine Kapalua, birdied 2 of his past 3 holes for a 67. He is trying to go the 3rd subordinate to expanse the Hawaii swing.

Peterson is nary mean rookie.

The lefty from Oregon State has 5 passport books pinch stamps from immoderate 44 countries. He has held cards from six tours astir the world, which doesn't see the mini-tours successful Arizona and the Dakotas erstwhile he was conscionable starting out.

"Whether I consciousness for illustration a rookie, no," Peterson said. "I've traveled a lot. I've seen a batch of play successful a batch of places. I consciousness for illustration each of that's helped hole maine to get here. ... Do I wish I was complete present a small spot earlier? Yeah. But do I regret immoderate experiences I've had on the way? No."

The Sony Open is the first full-field tourney of the twelvemonth connected the PGA Tour, attracting a large batch of rookies and graduates from the Korn Ferry Tour.

Peterson yet made his measurement backmost location by finishing among the apical 30 connected the Korn Ferry Tour, which included a triumph successful Tennessee. He felt bully each week, and had specified a bully scope convention Tuesday he wanted the tourney to commencement a time early.

The hold didn't wounded him. He was motoring on pinch 3 birdies successful 8 holes erstwhile he belted his 7-wood into a soft, tropical breeze connected the par-5 ninth spread to 5 feet for eagle. With birdies and 2 of the adjacent 3 holes -- six consecutive 3s connected his paper -- he was the subordinate to scope 7 under.

A fewer soft bogeys followed, and Peterson followed pinch different 7-wood to two-putt birdie scope connected the par-5 closing spread to subordinate the others.

Peterson near Oregon State and tried the Canadian circuit earlier getting his paper connected the Asian Tour. He picked up his first triumph astatine the Czech Masters complete Thomas Pieters connected the European tour, added different title successful Myanmar and figured a Japan Golf Tour rank mightiness thief him ace the apical 100 successful the world ranking.

He ne'er made it that precocious -- No. 120 was his champion -- and has yet to play a major.

But the travel, the various conditions wrong the ropes and civilization astatine night, helped him develop. And location were a fewer memories on the way. None was amended than successful 2015, erstwhile he received an exemption into the KLM Open.

"Tom Watson made his last European circuit commencement and we sewage paired connected Sunday," Peterson said. "It was the coolest. He was the coolest. He signed a play shot for me."

The recreation besides fto him cognize he didn't grip the upwind very well. When it blew successful Oregon, he conscionable didn't play. He has a location successful Arizona and conditions were excessively pure. So he moved to Sea Island connected the Georgia seashore conscionable northbound of Florida, wherever he besides had plentifulness of action pinch respective PGA Tour players.

So yes, he's a rookie. He conscionable doesn't consciousness for illustration one, and he surely didn't look for illustration one.

Cole, McCarthy and Schenk each played bogey-free. Hall had a much stressful time, astatine slightest erstwhile he wasn't making 10 birdies. The 27-year-old from England, who played assemblage play astatine UNLV and now lives successful Las Vegas, took 2 shots to get retired of a bunker connected No. 8 for a double bogey that slowed his momentum.