LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Tom Hoge seized the third-round lead at the Sony Open on Saturday as US PGA Tour golfers shook off the panic caused by mistaken missile alert and got down to business in Hawaii.
“For sure, to get that missile threat on your phone, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Hoge said of the early morning scare, in which an alert was sent to cellphones warning of ”BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII”.
But Hoge, a 28-year-old graduate of the developmental Web.com Tour who is seeking a first US PGA Tour title, showed no sign of any residual nerves as he put together a bogey-free round of six-under par 64 at Waialae in Honolulu.
His 16-under total of 194 put him one stroke in front of overnight leader Brian Harman, who carded a 68, and Patton Kizzire, who climbed up the leaderboard with a 64 for 195.