2023 Sony Open leaderboard, day 2 highlights and updated odds

Day 2 of the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii ended with Chris Kirk in the lead. The American played some good rounds on Friday to take the lead, pushing Taylor Montgomery behind. While Kirk’s score of -11 was interesting, it wasn’t the big highlight of the day.

In a shocking development, first-round leader Jordan Spieth missed the cut on Friday. The golfer crashed out of the Sony Open after a strong first round. The American missed the cut by a single stroke and has left the game to Kirk and Montgomery, whom he shared the Day 1 lead with. Apart from Spieth, tournament favorite Tom Kim was also unable to get the ball rolling at Waialae Country Club.

2023 Sony Open leaderboard

With Jordan Spieth out of the way, Chris Kirk sat comfortably on top of the 2023 Sony Open leaderboard at the 36-hole mark. The former Georgia Bulldogs player held a narrow lead over Taylor Montgomery and new contender J.J. Spaun. It is safe to say that Kirk might be aiming for his first Tour title in 2,791 days at the Waialae Country Club.

Montgomery and Spaun sit second on the leaderboard. The duo are closely followed by Hayden Buckley and David Lipsky at T4. T6 has a three-way tie with Ben Taylor, Austin Eckroat and S.H. Kim. All three tied positions are differentiated by single points. Meanwhile, things got interesting at T9 where Denny McCarthy, Stephan Jaegar, J.T. Poston, Brendon Todd, Ben Griffin and Maverick McNealy shared a six-way tie.

While Spieth headlines the shock demises after the first round, there are two other golfers who surprisingly crashed out as well. South Korean stars Tom Kim and Sungjae Im failed to make the cut in their second starts of the new year.

Kim had a more surprising exit as he was hailed as a favorite at the event. The young golfer fell marginally short. This was his first time missing the 36-hole mark cut since the PGA Championship in May 2022. It will be interesting to see how the 20-year-old bounces back quickly at next week's The American Express in Palm Springs.

2023 Sony Open updated odds

Following a highly eventful Friday, betters have updated their 2023 Sony Open odds. It’s safe to say that Tom Kim and Jordan Spieth’s exit from the 144-player field has made a big difference to the odds. With the favorites out of the way, several experts and betters now have their money on Montgomery and Kirk.

Spaun, Hayden Buckley and David Lipsky are the other golfers on the updated list.

Here are the updated odds for the Sony Open (as per Caesars Sportsbook):

• Taylor Montgomery: 4-1
• Chris Kirk: 9-2
• J.J. Spaun: 11-2
• Hayden Buckley: 12-1
• David Lipsky: 16-1
• J.T. Poston: 18-1
• Maverick McNealy: 22-1
• Denny McCarthy: 30-1
• S.H. Kim: 35-1
• Brendon Todd: 35-1
• Ben Taylor: 35-1
• Stephan Jaegar: 35-1

It is pertinent to note that the event is bound to get more interesting on Saturday with newer names coming into play. While Kirk is a safe bet, the event so far reveals that there are no clearer favorites.