Davis ends with eagle in Hawaii but loses lead

An eagle at the final hole has capped an otherwise frustrating second round for Australia's Cam Davis as he lost his lead in the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii.

The 28-year-old Sydneysider had opened with a sizzling eight-under 62 at Waialae Country Club, but slipped down a crowded leaderboard with a second-round 70 to sit joint-fourth after 36 holes.

American Austin Eckroat, South Korea's Byeong Hun An and China's Carl Yuan all birdied their final hole to share the overnight lead, with An posting the best second-round score of the trio with a six-under 64.

They have a a one-shot edge on Davis and Chris Kirk, who won The Sentry last week on Maui.

Others tied for fourth are Ben Griffin, Stewart Cink, Keith Mitchell, Taylor Montgomery, Kurt Kitayama, Grayson Murray, Germany's Stephan Jaeger and France's Matthieu Pavon.

World No.44 Davis, the lone Australian in the field, started on the 10th and dropped shots on the 13th and 16th before clawing a stroke back on the par-five 18th.

The second and fifth holes also proved troublesome for Davis but he was able to secure a birdie on the sixth and then finish with a bang, making an eagle from 16 feet at the ninth.

"I was struggling to hit two good shots in a row today," Davis said.

"I felt like I would get two or three in a row and then it would disappear, and then it would come back.

"But to finish strong, I just hit three or four really nice shots in a row and capitalised with some nice putts.

"It feels good to turn that (into) an even-par round and keep myself in it.

"Today was a little bit of a hiccup, but we still finished with birdie and eagle on the last few holes and some good stuff in there."

Of the leaders, the 24-year-old Eckroat is seeking his first career PGA Tour win in his 45th start, while An, 32, is winless in 181 prior prior tournaments.

Yuan, 26, has not finished in the top three in 34 previous starts.

He earned full playing status for the 2024 season when Jon Rahm signed with LIV Golf, bumping the Chinese player from 126th in the FedEx Cup standings to the crucial spot of 125th.

He posted a five-under 65 on Friday.

"Hopefully ... my score and performance will cover that part," Yuan said when asked if he expected to be known all year as 'the player who retained his status thanks to Rahm'.

"I'm just looking forward to another year on tour.

"With all the learning experience from my rookie year I definitely feel I'm more prepared for being out here."

Former US Open champion Gary Woodland - playing his first event since undergoing brain surgery in September - and Will Zalatoris, returning from back surgery that kept him out for nine months, missed the cut.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store