The PGA Tour leaderboard at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii has Zach Johnson leading with Jimmy Walker and Russell Henley in Maui as things go into the third round on Sunday and the 2015 tournament kicks off the golf season and Johnson is trying to defend his title against names like Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson.
Johnson has played well over the weekend, starting off in a four way tie for the lead through the halfway mark and he will look to stay there heading into Monday. Walker, Henley and Sang-Moon Bae all came into the day at 11-under overall and they led a group of players in the top 10 that included Watson, Matt Kuchar as well as Patrick Reed and Charley Hoffman.
Johnson hoped to get off to a good start after winning here last year and he had a strong second round, putting in birdies at each hole and he was accurate on the greens as well. Walker was also strong with five birdies, while Henley and Bae ended up in a four way tie to start things at the midway point in the tournament. The bunch up at the top saw Sunday start with 10 players within at least two strokes and that could make for a strong final days at the Maui tournament.
Johnson comes in with a win last year and he could become just the third back to back winner here. Johnson had his only win of last year here and the way he has started gives him a good chance of getting it done again. The wind was whipping around the course on Saturday and things could continue through the rest of the tournament. Hideki Matsuyama and Charley Hoffman had low rounds on Saturday and that put the two in position coming into the second half of the tournament.
Tiger Woods is not in Hawaii and he will be starting his year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Arizona and that will be the first time he has played there in over a decade. The tournament starts near the end of January and will be the debut for Woods in 2015 after he dealt with various injuries in 2014. Woods has not played here since 2001 and it is a course where he previously had a hole in one back in 1997.
Woods has played in the tournament twice, including once when he dealt with a spectator incident and now he makes a return. The tournament is known for its large galleries and he comes in after last missing the cut at the PGA Championship and playing last month at the Hero World Challenge. Woods also will play at Torrey Pines, which is a tournament that he has won seven times, including in 2013 and he has not won since back in the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Check here for the PGA Tour leaderboard at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.