HONOLULU B次元官网网址� Ocean views along the golf course seem to suit Canadian Adam Svensson.

A year after his victory in the Bahamas that paved his way to the PGA Tour, Svensson capped off a rookie round to remember Thursday with a 10-foot birdie putt on his final hole for a 9-under 61 and a one-shot lead in the Sony Open.

B次元官网网址淚t was all a blur,B次元官网网址� Svensson said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 even remember which holes I birdied.B次元官网网址�

Throw in an eagle, too, a 6-iron on the par-5 ninth that he caught thin and was hopeful would clear the bunker. It did better than that, rolling out to 5 feet. But it was the back nine, as the wind began to calm along the shores just west of Waikiki Beach, where the 25-year-old from Surrey made his move.

It started with a 50-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole. He hit it to 2 feet on the 12th, holed an 18-foot birdie on No. 13 and finished his run with a 10-foot birdie on the 14th. A tough up-and-down from right of the green on the par-5 18th gave Svensson the lowest round of professional career.

He did shoot a 61 while at Barry University, where he won the Jack Nicklaus Award in 2014 as the Division II player of the year.

His only significant victory as a pro was the second event last year on the Web.com Tour at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, and he held his position in the top 25 on the money list the rest of the year to reach the PGA Tour.

Adam Svensson: Leader of Sony Open after a 61, and once drove a golf cart into a pond as a toddler. "My dad was trying to grab his clubs, but it ended up sinking to the bottom." Sources confirm his dad did grab the kid, too.

B次元官网网址� Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1)

Andrew Putnam shot a 62 in the morning and looked tough to beat until Svensson came along.

It was the first time Putnam had played Waialae all week because of a bee sting, and it apparently didnB次元官网网址檛 bother him. He made birdie on half of his holes, none of them tap-ins, and took only 23 putts for the lowest score of his PGA Tour career.

Putnam had a four-shot lead among the early starters. By the end of the day, Matt Kuchar had a 63, and 75 players from the 144-man field were under par.

That did not include Jordan Spieth, who made his 2019 debut with a little rust, and it showed. He had to wait until his 16th hole, the par-3 seventh, for his first birdie of the year. And that was all he made in a round of 73 that left him needing a low round just to make it to the weekend.

He still managed to keep it entertaining, especially with the new rules.

Spieth, like most players, doesnB次元官网网址檛 understand the visually awkward change of dropping from knee-height instead of shoulder-height. Six holes into his round, his tee shot came up inches short of a sprinkler head. He called for a ruling and was given relief because of the potential of injury or damaging the club. Then, he did what he has done his entire golfing life B次元官网网址� he held the ball at the level of his shoulder.

Slugger White, the tourB次元官网网址檚 vice-president of competition, stopped him. Had he dropped and played the shot, it would have been a penalty. If not, he could have dropped again from the proper height.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 like, B次元官网网址榃ouldnB次元官网网址檛 it just be a re-drop anyway?B次元官网网址� WhatB次元官网网址檚 the big deal?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Spieth said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 unusual.B次元官网网址�

He caught himself from dropping shoulder-height behind the 18th green. He also tapped in for par on the opening hole with the flagstick still in the cup, another change that is getting plenty of attention early in the year. And he tapped down a spike mark in the line of a 4-foot putt.

B次元官网网址淎ll in all, I got a test of most of the new rules today,B次元官网网址� he said.

Justin Thomas, who set the PGA TourB次元官网网址檚 72-hole record at the Sony Open two years ago, opened with a 67 by playing the last five holes in even par B次元官网网址� a birdie, three straight bogeys and holing a bunker shot for eagle.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., shot a 2-under 68 and Roger Sloan of Merritt is 1-under. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., are even. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., (71) and AbbotsfordB次元官网网址檚 Adam Hadwin (72) are both well back of SvenssonB次元官网网址檚 lead.

Putnam, among 23 players who were on Maui last week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, made it all look so easy. This is his third year playing the Sony Open, so the course is not new to him. But itB次元官网网址檚 unusual for him not to at least get in a practice round.

He was poolside Tuesday when the bee stung him in the foot.

B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 walk, so I had to withdraw out of the pro-am,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 was just sitting around all yesterday and couldnB次元官网网址檛 even hit a shot. Yeah, kind of bizarre how it all worked out.B次元官网网址�

He shot his 62 despite a bogey on the 15th hole when his pitch came up 12 feet short and he missed the putt.

Putnam didnB次元官网网址檛 miss many in the opening round. Statistically, he made just over 174 feet of putts, from a 5-footer on the closing hole (his shortest birdie putt) to his longest birdie on the 14th at just under 30 feet.

B次元官网网址淭he hole was very large and the ball was going in,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t was fun.B次元官网网址�

Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press