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Taylor Montgomery likes to drive to the North Shore and watch the surfers hang 10 and to shoot 64 in the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club.
Making his second career appearance at this event, he opened with 6-under 64 for the second straight year, which left him alone in second, two strokes off the pace.
“I just like being here,” he said. “Month and a half without a tournament you don’t really know what is going to come out because you start working on things and just practicing, and to come out here, it was nice to have this kind of start.”
Montgomery is still in the midst of a swing change under the watchful eye of Butch Harmon. Montgomery made 10 consecutive cuts during his rookie season but in the middle of his season he missed five cuts in six starts as his ballstriking suffered.
Taylor Montgomery plays his shot from the fifth tee during the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 11, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“It was never going to work,” he said of his swing. “My hands are in about a foot different spot than they were in the middle of the season.”
And what exactly is he trying to do? “Compressing the ball a little bit more,” he said. “Hitting it with less loft. I was kind of scooping everything and wasn’t really a consistent strike.”
He worked hard on it during the off-season and said he’s still getting comfortable with it. Thursday’s round lifted his confidence.
“I was telling myself to commit to it, stick with it and let’s see what happens,” he said.
There were a few hiccups along the way, including a three putt at the first, but he settled down to make three birdies in a four-hole stretch beginning at the third. Montgomery chipped in for birdie at 15, a shot he classified as 1-in-100.
“So nice to get that one,” he said.
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