Henley closed with five birdies to claim his maiden PGA Tour title.

As the first full-field event of the season, the Sony Open in Hawaii inaugurated the PGA Tour careers of most — but not all — the 2013 rookies. Generally, the tournament is won by a Tour veteran, but not this year: two rookies, Russell Henley and Scott Langley, stole the show.

How did they do it? For the mathematically inclined (and inept), here’s your statistical breakdown of the week in Waialae. (continue reading…)

These kids are good

I’m still reeling from flu-like symptoms and the tragic loss of the Seattle Seahawks to the Atlanta Falcons, but I’m trying to put aside my qualms for the back-nine battle at the Sony Open.

Rookies Russell Henley and Scott Langley posted 17-under 193 to break the 54-hole scoring record at Waialae Country Club. The 23-year-olds entered the final round three shots clear of the closest contender, Tim Clark. (continue reading…)

The Wells Fargo Championship wasn’t the only hang-on-to-the-edge-of-your-seat finish on Sunday. About 200 miles southwest of Charlotte at University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, the Nationwide Tour’s Stadion Classic had an ending perhaps just as compelling.

Former UGA golfer and NWT rookie Hudson Swafford followed in the footsteps of his ex-teammate Russell Henley, who captured the title in 2011, to win at his former college golf home course. (See, it’s not overrated!) Heading into the final round, Swafford was three shots back and teed off an hour before the final pairing. However, he holed out for birdie from the greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to fire a course-record nine-under 62, which turned out to be enough to hold off good friend Luke List, who won the NWT event a week earlier.

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