Golf VAVEL

PGA Tour: Sony Open Round Three Review

Grayson Murray is vying for his second tour win after taking the Barbasol Championship in 2017; Keegan Bradley, a former major champion who has played in two Ryder Cups, is striving for his third PGA Tour title in the last 16 months.

PGA Tour: Sony Open Round Three Review
General view of the Sony Open flag during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
jbstack91
By Johnathan Stack

In the lead going into Sunday's fourth and final round of the 2024 Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Keegan Bradley and Grayson Murray are tied for the lead with one stroke.

Keegan Bradley of the United States plays his shot from the tenth tee during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Keegan Bradley of the United States plays his shot from the tenth tee during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Bradley fired a seven-under 63 on Saturday, while Murray shot a six-under 64. Together, they shared the lead at 14 under.

Bradley had an excellent round overall, making eight birdies, including two at Nos. 17 and 18, but had to settle for a bogey on the par-3 11th when his tee ball found the bunker in front of the putting surface.

Those were crucial:

"Those were crucial holes to finish up the day and hopefully get in the last group," Bradley said.

"Then 18, kind of hit a bad drive and got a good break and hit a beautiful 6-iron onto the middle of the green, two-putted for birdie. That was huge.

 Hideki Matsuyama of Japan plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

"I'm trying to just worry about myself. If I go out and shoot a good round (Sunday), it's going to be tough to beat. There (are) a lot of great players and a lot of players within a handful of shots of the lead, so (it will) be difficult as usual."

At the beginning of the day, Murray was one shot behind the three co-leaders, but he played a bogey-free round and made an eagle at No. 9.

Bradley, a previous major champion who has participated in two Ryder Cups, is vying for his third PGA Tour victory in the past sixteen months, while Murray is attempting to win his second tour championship following his victory at the Barbasol Championship in 2017.

 Stewart Cink of the United States plays his shot from the tenth tee during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Stewart Cink of the United States plays his shot from the tenth tee during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

"Hit a lot of fairways, greens and just a lot of stress-free things. At the end of the day, it adds up to I would like to say an easy 64. I don't think 64s are ever easy, but sometimes they're a little easier than others," Murray said.

Sam Stevens made seven birdies and remained clear of bogeys, finishing one stroke behind the lead with a score of 63. The 27-year-old is still chasing his first career PGA Tour triumph.

"I was in this position a couple of times last year with a chance to win," Stevens said.

"Sometimes I played well and gave myself a chance; other times, not so much. Hopefully (Sunday) I can keep putting the ball in the fairway."

Si Woo Kim of <strong><a  data-cke-saved-href='https://www.vavel.com/en-us/more-sports/2024/01/06/golf-en/1167785-pga-tour-the-sentry-championship-day-two-review.html' href='https://www.vavel.com/en-us/more-sports/2024/01/06/golf-en/1167785-pga-tour-the-sentry-championship-day-two-review.html'>South Korea</a></strong> putts on the eighth green during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Si Woo Kim of South Korea putts on the eighth green during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

At 11-under 199, Ben Silverman of Canada (64 on Saturday), Taiga Semikawa of Japan (66), Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (67), Chris Kirk (67), and Byeong Hun An of South Korea (68) are tied for fourth place.

 Patton Kizzire of the United States plays a shot on the ninth hole during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Patton Kizzire of the United States plays a shot on the ninth hole during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

An Austin Eckroat, and Carl Yuan of China were among the co-leaders going into the action on Saturday. After round three, Eckroat shot 69 to tie for ninth place, while Yuan shot an even-par 70 to tie for thirteenth.

Emiliano Grillo, an Argentine, shot up 46 spots to level for ninth place with Eckroat on the leaderboard after his 63.