Henley holds off Matsuyama's late charge at Sony Open

Russell Henley stood over a 12-foot putt on the 15th hole Saturday afternoon in Honolulu and made it. That shot, more than any other in his round, defined the day—a moment of precision when the lead he'd carried into the third round of the Sony Open was beginning to slip away.

Henley finished with a 3-under 67, which on the surface looked ordinary. He'd started with a three-shot advantage. The wind was light. He should have done better. But golf at Waialae doesn't always reward the obvious path, and Henley's late-round putting kept him ahead when it mattered most. After his birdie on 15, he avoided disaster on 16 by holing a difficult 8-footer for par, then added another birdie on 17 with a 15-footer that gave him breathing room. He reached 18-under 192 for the tournament.

Hideki Matsuyama, the Masters champion, was the one doing the chasing. His 63 was the kind of round that makes spectators shake their heads—he took only 25 putts, and by his own admission, some of them seemed to find the hole almost by accident. A 40-footer dropped on 13. A 15-footer for par on 14. An 8-iron to 15 feet on 15 for another birdie. He caught Henley briefly with a 15-foot birdie putt late in his round, but Henley's response on 15 pushed him back to two shots behind. Matsuyama was chasing his second win of the season, having won the Zozo Championship in Tokyo in the fall. An eighth career victory would tie him with K.J. Choi of South Korea for the most wins by any Asian-born player on the PGA Tour.

The leaderboard behind them suggested the tournament was far from decided. Seamus Power of Ireland birdied his final two holes for a 65, sitting four shots back. Matt Kuchar, Adam Svensson of Canada, and Haotong Li of China were also four shots behind. Li had been one shot back with four holes to play, but the 16th hole—the one that bends left around houses and opens toward the Pacific—undid him. His tee shot went left. His approach went right, 20 yards past the 17th tee. He hacked out, chipped long, and took two putts for a double bogey. The damage was done, though Li kept his composure. Standing on the 17th tee, he called out to the gallery loud enough for everyone to hear: "Hole-in-one, please." The golf gods didn't oblige. He finished with a two-putt birdie and remained four shots back.

Lucas Glover and Kevin Kisner were five shots behind. Kisner, watching Henley's performance, offered a quiet assessment: when Henley gets ahead and plays with confidence, he tends to rise to the moment. It was the kind of compliment that carried weight—recognition that Henley had done what champions do when the pressure arrives.

Waialae has a history of producing low scores, the kind that can erase deficits in a single round. The conditions on Sunday would be crucial. Henley was going for his second win at this course, having won here in his rookie season in 2013. Matsuyama looked ready to make him earn it.