Henley sets rookie record in runaway victory
Jan. 13, 2013 - 10:35 PM ET
Russell Henley set his share of records when he brought home the hardware at the Sony Open with a final-round 7-under-par 34-29=63, finishing the week at 24-under 256.
He managed a moderate lead for most of the round, but when Tim Clark tried to make a run with birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes, Henley proved more than up to the task with birdies on 14, 15, 16 and 17 ranging in distance from 43'7" to 12 feet. When he reached the 18th, the verdict was secure but he went ahead and traded birdies with Clark one more time for good measure. It was his third start on the PGA TOUR, but rounds of 63-63-67-63 had him looking the part of a seasoned veteran. In his post-round interview on the Golf Channel, he credited his year of seasoning on the Web.com Tour as the difference. His 23-under total established a new low for the Sony Open, and the 63 was the lowest final round by a winner in this event. Henley established a new TOUR record for lowest aggregate by a rookie. His 256 matches the third-lowest in history by anyone. This win gets him into the Masters, THE PLAYERS Championship, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship.
