Tyler Loree is not even old enough to vote yet, but he still fared better than 100 players during Thursday’s first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
The 17-year-old fired a 3-under 67 and currently sits in a tie for 26th after day one — an incredible accomplishment, considering he’s the only teenager in the field.
“I had a lot of fun out there today,” Loree said.
“I was really nervous to start, a few rocky shots here and there, but we came back and had a good process all day.”
His scorecard reflected those nerves, as Loree made two early bogies on the 2nd and 5th holes, both par-4s. The bogey at the 5th resulted from a three-putt from about 15 feet. But then Loree, who will play collegiately at UCLA, rattled off four straight birdies beginning on the par-3 7th.
“I just kept stacking good shots,” Loree explained.
“Nothing really changed that much. I just kept focusing on what I was doing, making sure I was present at the moment, you know, just kept working on just hitting good shots and having a good pre-shot routine, calming myself down as much as I could. It worked out the way it did.”
After pouring in a 28-footer from in front of the green on the par-4 10th, Loree made par at 11 and then went birdie-bogey-birdie on the 12th, 13th, and 14th holes. He then finished with four consecutive pars to tally his 67.
“It was awesome,” Loree emphasized.
“I had a blast.”
Loree added that he felt more nervous during the Sony Open qualifier in November and said the same about his state championship.
“Not going to lie, the state championship high school I was pretty nervous,” Loree said.
“But I feel like for me, just playing this week I’m just super grateful. It’s like I made it out here, which is so great. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment. I feel like it’s a little less pressure.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
