‘Comfortable’ Semikawa eases into contention at Sony Open

Taiga Semikawa gives himself a genuine chance of claiming a dream PGA Tour title as he heads into the deciding day of the Sony Open in Hawaii, just three shots adrift of the leaders.

The four-time JGTO winner impressed yet again at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu when he carded a third-round four-under-par 66 to be tied for fourth position- 10 rungs higher than where he started on Saturday.

After a modest start where he sandwiched two birdies in between two bogeys through the first 11 holes of the day, Semikawa brilliantly birdied four of his last five to reach the penultimate stage at 11-under 199.

American duo Keegan Bradley and Grayson Murray fired 63 and 64, respectively, to grab a share of the top spot at 14-under.

After managing a tied 67th position last year, Semikawa was thrilled to contend for a victory on the final day, of which if he succeeds, he would follow in the footsteps of compatriots Isao Aoki and Hideki Matsuyama, who emerged triumphant in 1983 and 2022.

"I'm feeling pretty comfortable, especially after the play I had last year. I feel like I came into this week pretty good," said Semikawa, whose highlight of the day came on hole 16 when he rolled in a birdie from 29 feet.

Semikawa's brilliance this week has certainly made the fans stand up and take notice of his talent, more so with his name being inspired by PGA Tour legend Tiger Woods.

Semikawa told PGA Tour during his post-round interview: "Yes, I was named after Tiger Woods, and I kind of took in his style, growing up watching his aggressive style, and I think that kind of fits my personality and what I tried to do playing golf here today."

Among the other four Japanese players who advanced to the weekend, Ryo Hisatsune came in second-best, tied for 27th thanks to a 66 that moved him to seven-under overall.

Matsuyama carded his best effort of the week, a 67, to be tied for 50th at five-under, while Yuto Katsuragawa struggled with a 76, dropping to 80th at two-over.

Ends.