Davis Love III joins Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer among six tied for early lead in Hawaii

Six-way tie for early lead at Sony Open

HONOLULU — The first full-field event of the PGA Tour season produced quite a log jam, with Robert Allenby and John Merrick the latest to join the six-way tie for the lead Thursday at the Sony Open.

Allenby was among the many surprises, having twisted his ankle so badly on Monday that he would have withdrawn had he not traveled so many miles to get to Oahu. For Davis Love III, it was his first time competing in two months.

And perhaps the most stunning name in the lead was Troy Merritt, who had never played a PGA Tour event in his life until he calmed his nerves, stuck a tee in the ground and shot a 5-under 65.

They were joined by defending champion Zach Johnson and Ryan Palmer, while 10 other players were one shot behind.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

HONOLULU (AP) — Davis Love III went two months without competing, the last month without even feeling grass under his feet. He played Thursday at the Sony Open like he had never been away from the game.

Love played bogey-free in more wind than he was expecting at Waialae, making birdie on his last hole for a 5-under 65 that put him into a four-way tie for the lead among early starters with defending champion Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer and PGA Tour rookie Troy Merritt.

“It’s a nice way to start the year,” Love said.

The relative calm on Oahu during practice rounds gave way to swaying of palm trees at sunrise along the shores of Waikiki, providing tough conditions for the morning.

Johnson, playing in the same group with Love, made seven birdies over his final 11 holes to join him atop the leaderboard.

The biggest surprise was Merritt, the wire-to-wire winner of Q-school last month who had never played in a PGA Tour event. Merritt felt the butterflies on the first tee, then played like a veteran.

“Things went way better than I thought,” Merritt said.

Johnson had no idea that he inspired another player to get off to a calm start. Palmer was looking for something to read earlier in the week when he came across an article about Johnson that dealt with taking golf one day at a time. He didn’t look at leaderboards or worry about the weekend until he signed for his 65.

“Best start in my seven-year career,” Palmer said.

Johnson followed his own advice. Asked if this was the start of an encore from a year ago, he quickly replied, “No.”

“I’m trying to forget about those results from last year, but I’m trying to remember the positive vibes … some of the feelings that I had with my shots,” Johnson said. “But if I dwell in the past too much, I usually start backing up in the wrong direction.”

Merritt is one of four players at the Sony Open who had never teed it up on the PGA Tour. He played alongside 21-year-old Rickie Fowler, who brought loads of expectations into his rookie season. But it was Merritt who shined, plodding his way along and finishing with a birdie on the par-5 18th to join the leaders.

Fowler opened with a three-putt double bogey from 8 feet and wound up with a 75.

Masters champion Angel Cabrera hit wedge into the par-5 ninth, with a strong breeze at his back, and finished with a birdie to join the group at 68 that included Pat Perez.

Love again needs another big start to the year to get into the Masters. He played so much last year that he felt like he was spinning his wheels, and the end came after he withdrew at Disney after one round.

With cold weather in Sea Island along the Georgia coast, and his vacation to the slopes, he couldn’t wait to get on grass. After checking into the hotel at Waialae on Saturday night, he rushed out to the 11th green in twilight and began putting.

Of all the practicing he did in his garage, it was his putting that left him curious. Love, however, decided to give each putt one read and hit it like it was a pro-am round, and he was pleasantly surprised to see so many of them go in.

“I was optimistic,” Love said. “But I was anxious about competing. Once I got it going, once I got under par … I’ve been out here a long time. You don’t forget.”

DIVOTS: Charles Howell III said his wife, Heather, is expecting their first child on May 30. … Tadd Fujikawa, who made the cut at the Sony Open when he was 16, opened with a 72. He celebrated his 19th birthday last week. … Sean O’Hair has a stress fracture in his left arm and said he would take the next few weeks off to get tests. He didn’t practice this week but still opened with a 68. … John Daly, competing on a sponsor’s exemption, struggled with his putter and a birdie on the par-5 18th gave him a 73.