Defending champ Nick Taylor tied for Sony Open lead

Field Level Media|published: Thu 15th January, 22:02 2026

Jan 15, 2026; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Nick Taylor, of Canada, follows his drive off the 11th tee during the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

Nick Taylor began his title defense at the Sony Open in Hawaii with a stellar 8-under-par 62, and the Canadian finds himself tied for the first-round lead at the PGA Tour's season-opening tournament Thursday in Honolulu.

Taylor and Kevin Roy shot bogey-free 62s at Waialae Country Club and held a one-shot lead over Ben Griffin, Chris Gotterup and John VanDerLaan as the last several groups were finishing their rounds.

Taylor began his round on the back nine and birdied five of his first eight holes. He stuck his tee shots at the par-3 11th and 17th holes to 7 feet and 6 feet, respectively, setting up two simple birdies. He added birdies at Nos. 2, 7 and 9 coming in.

Taylor, 37, won the tournament last year by forcing a playoff with a chip-in eagle at the 72nd hole, then defeating Colombia's Nico Echavarria on the second playoff hole.

Roy, 35, ran off four straight birdies at Nos. 8-11 to anchor his round. Roy had three top-10 finishes last season but is seeking his first PGA Tour title.

Griffin and Gotterup had breakout seasons in 2025, with Griffin claiming three titles and making the U.S. Ryder Cup team and Gotterup winning the Scottish Open.

Notable names included Russell Henley at 5-under 65, J.J. Spaun at 4-under 66, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre at 3-under 67 and Collin Morikawa at 2-over 72.

--Field Level Media

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