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The Sony Open 2024 began on Thursday, January 11, with Cameron Davis shooting a low 8-under 62 to take the two-stroke lead after the opening round. Defending champion Si Woo Kim fired a 1-under 69 and was placed at joint 47th after the first round.
Besides Davis' brilliance, the first day of the Sony Open witnessed several highlights. In this article, we will delve into the three top highlights of the opening day at the Waialae Country Club.
Top three highlights of Sony Open 2024, day 1
#1 Tyler McCumber returns to the PGA Tour after 21 months
Tyler McCumber carded an even-par 70 in the opening round of the Sony Open on Thursday. While he was placed T67 after the end of play, the round was quite significant for him, given that it was his first competitive round on the PGA Tour since the 2022 Honda Classic.
McCumber suffered from shoulder and hip injuries, for which he underwent surgery that kept him out of action for almost two years.
"It feels great teeing it up on the first tee," said McCumber about his comeback round. "It's been a while doing that, but all good feelings coming back. It's been quite the journey to get here. Very happy to be on Hawaiian turf."
McCumber first underwent shoulder surgery in 2017 and then went on to do another one five years later. He revealed that he put some anchors in his labrum and in the hip to repair the posterior labral. The American said that it was an emotional journey, but he always had a belief in himself.
"I've always sort of had belief in myself. Definitely had belief in myself as a player. I knew it wasn't going to be from a lack of effort and belief," McCumber said.
#2 Gary Woodland returns after brain surgery
While McCumber played his first event in two seasons, Woodland returned to the PGA Tour after four months. After undergoing brain surgery in September, he carded a 1-over 71 on his first day at Waialae Country Club.
"Probably the happiest I've ever been shooting over par, tell you that," he said. "At the end of the day the goal this week was to see how I was mentally, and I was really, really good."
Woodland added that it was an emotional moment for him to take the first tee shot at the Sony Open.
"Took an extra second being deep breath," he continued. "Hearing Topeka, Kansas, hearing my name called, there was a time when I didn't know if that was going to be called again, so it got me a little more than I thought it was going to."
#3 Cameron Davis shot a low 62
Cameron Davis took the two-stroke lead after the first round as he shot 8-under-62 with the help of nine birdies. Five of his birdies came in the final six holes of the day.
He is two strokes ahead of Tyler Montgomery, who fired a 64 for the second straight time at the Sony Open.
