A little luck

Watch this tour pro make the Sony Open cut in the most dramatic (and unusual) of ways

January 14, 2023
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Adam Svensson poses with the trophy after winning the RSM Classic for his first PGA Tour title last November.

Mike Mulholland

The math was simple and yet still challenging for Adam Svensson as he played the final few holes of his second round at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The projected cutline was two-under 138, and the 29-year-old Canadian, who had claimed his maiden PGA Tour win last fall at the RSM Classic, was at even par with three holes to play.

OK, so make two birdies and you’re playing the weekend. It’s just that Svensson, coming off a 37th-place finish out of 38 finishers at last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, didn’t have momentum on his side having made just two birdies in his first 15 holes Friday at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Plus, he was coming of a bogey on the sixth hole (his 15th) as he stood on the tee box at the par-3 seventh.

But then, well, sometimes the Golf Gods come baring gifts.

Svensson used a 7-iron to one-hop his ball into the cup from 175 yards. Suddenly, the weekend was firmly in his grasp.

Here’s another angle:

Suddenly, things were looking very much up. And sure enough, Svensson made pars on his last two holes to finish with a second-straight 69. He sits nine shots off the lead of Chris Kirk, but with the chance to get out early on Saturday and see if he can find a little magic in his bag.

To help you appreciate Svensson’s late charge to make the cut is the tale of what happened to Jordan Spieth on Friday. Spieth had a share of the lead after 18 holes when he shot a six-under 64. But then he came out flat on Friday and shot a five-over 75 to miss the cut by one shot. The 11-stroke difference in first- and second-round scores is the biggest ever for Spieth in 256 career PGA Tour starts.