Hoge takes a 1-shot lead on wild day at Waialae (Jan 14, 2018)

HONOLULU (AP) Tom Hoge was too caught up watching college basketball in his hotel room to be bothered with a push alert – a false alarm, as it turned out – that a ballistic missile was headed toward Hawaii.

He showed a steady hand on the golf course, too, even as the leaderboard at the Sony Open became increasingly crowded.

Hoge finished off a 6-under 64 by holing a 40-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th, and then hitting a 40-yard bunker shot to within 3 feet for a birdie on the par-5 closing hole at Waialae Country Club for a one-shot lead.

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Hoge was at 16-under 194, one shot ahead of Brian Harman (68) and Patton Kizzire, who recovered from a double bogey on his opening hole and shot 64. Another shot behind was Kyle Stanley (65).

Seven players were separated by four shots, a big difference from a year ago when Justin Thomas led by seven going into the final round of his wire-to-wire victory.

Hoge has never led going to the final round on the PGA T..

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Hoge takes a 1-shot lead on wild day at Waialae

HONOLULU (AP) A false missile alert didn’t bother Tom Hoge, and he was just as steady on the golf course with two late birdies Saturday for a 6-under 64 and a one-shot lead in the Sony Open as he goes for his first PGA Tour victory.

Hoge holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to tie for the lead, and then got up-and-down from 40 yards away in a bunker on the par-5 18th.

He once shared the 36-hole lead with Tiger Woods at the Wyndham Championship, the last tournament Woods played before two back surgeries in the fall of 2015. This will be the first 54-hole lead for Hoge, a 28-year-old from North Dakota.

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But it there was uncertainty about the accidental push alert about an incoming ballistic missile that unsettled the islands, a different variety awaits at Waialae Country Club. No one can be sure what to expect in a final round with so many players right in the mix.

Hoge was at 16-under 194, one shot ahead of Brian Harman (68) and Patton Kizzir..

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False alarm on missile creates uneasy moment at Sony Open

HONOLULU (AP) Charles Howell III was eating breakfast in his hotel when the restaurant at the Kahala started buzzing.

Everyone had their phones. Everyone received the same push alert.

”BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

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”All the alarms went off at the same time,” Howell said. ”It got everyone’s attention. I didn’t know what to do. We all stared at each other. It kind of shows you the world we live in now. Your whole life can change in a second.”

The push alert turned out to be a mistake.

The scare lasted only about 10 minutes, a little longer depending on the source of information.

Some players at least knew about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, whose tweet that it was a false alarm made the rounds quickly. But it was long enough to create an unsettling start to the third round of the Sony Open from the brief uncertainty and panic across the island.

When the Hawaii Emergency Agency tweeted t..

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False alarm on missile creates uneasy moment at Sony Open

HONOLULU (AP) Charles Howell III was eating breakfast in his hotel when the restaurant at the Kahala started buzzing.

Everyone had their phones. Everyone received the same push alert.

”BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

Article continues below …

”All the alarms went off at the same time,” Howell said. ”It got everyone’s attention. I didn’t know what to do. We all stared at each other. It kind of shows you the world we live in now. Your whole life can change in a second.”

The push alert turned out to be a mistake.

The scare lasted only about 10 minutes, a little longer depending on the source of information.

Some players at least know about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, whose tweet that it was a false alarm made the rounds quickly. But it was long enough to create an unsettling start to the third round of the Sony Open from the brief uncertainty and panic across the island.

When the Hawaii Emergency Agency tweeted t..

Read More

Paisley leads South African Open, Grace chasing hard (Jan 13, 2018)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) Chris Paisley leads by a shot from home favorite Branden Grace going into the final round of the South African Open.

Paisley remained calm in a 2-under 70 in the third round on Saturday to move to 15 under overall and took the outright lead after sharing it with Adrien Saddier overnight.

England’s Paisley is in position for his maiden European Tour title but will face a challenge from the in-form Grace on the last day.

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Grace won the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City in November, and surged into contention at the South African Open with a third-round 66, with seven birdies and just one bogey to go to 14 under.

”I’m sure the crowd is going to be on his side,” Paisley said. ”I’m just really excited about it.”

Three players are tied for third on 12 under and three shots off the lead. They are Saddier, Chase Koepka and Jacques Blaauw.

Koepka, the younger brother of U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, put together a 68 on Saturday and..

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Basketball ref gets hit in head with the ball, but it gets WAY worse for him

We rail on referees any chance we get, especially when guys like “TV Teddy” give them such a bad rap. But I wouldn't wish what happened to this poor basketball ref on my worst enemy.
From the video, it's not clear where this happened, or whether it was in a high school or college game. But that's pretty much irrelevant, because it made Sportscenter, which made this extremely unfortunate situation WAY worse for Mr. Official here. Now the entire world knows his secret:
https://twitter.com/BackAftaThis/status/952081763177844736
Under NO circumstances can you pick up that toupee off the ground and put it back on. You have to just cut your losses there and carry on, nothing to see here. Embrace the bald my man, there's no turning back now.

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Asia keeps 1-point lead at EurAsia Cup

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Asia staged a late comeback to maintain its slim lead over defending champion Europe, 6 + to 5 +, on the second day of the EurAsia Cup on Saturday.

”We came out of the session at 3-3 which wasn’t what we were looking for, but we live to fight another day,” Europe captain Thomas Bjorn said. ”We have got to go out and put some blue on the board and try to win the singles.”

Europe took the lead at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club after winning its first three foursomes on Saturday, but Asia pulled level before Li Haotong and Nicholas Fung beat Europe’s Ross Fisher and Bernd Wiesberger 3 and 1 for the lead.

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”No one was four or five down after six holes. When you’re one or two down in matchplay, you can easily flip that, and they did,” Asia captain Arjun Atwal said. ”If you asked me if I’m surprised or shocked, I’m not. My guys are all champions.”

After trailing 3 + to 2 + on Friday’s fourballs, Europe drew level through the fo..

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John Peterson has uncertain future and no worries

HONOLULU (AP) John Peterson has never felt so carefree amid so much uncertainty.

It’s not just the Waikiki Beach air, either. This peaceful feeling was in place long before he arrived on Oahu with his wife and infant son for this first PGA Tour event in seven months.

Peterson is using a golf bag from LSU, where he won the NCAA title in 2011. He has one brand for his shoes, another for his apparel. His cap is from Shady Oaks, the golf club in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.

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That alone makes him stand out at the Sony Open for all the wrong reasons.

”I don’t have a sponsor,” Peterson said.

He might not have much of a future if his fortunes don’t turn quickly.

Peterson is playing on a major medical extension for his recovery from hand surgery in 2016. He played only 15 tournaments last season until shutting it down in June. Under the extension, the 28-year-old Peterson has eight tournaments to make either $375,165 or 274 FedEx Cup points to keep ..

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