Henley gets PGA Tour career off to record start

HONOLULU (AP) — Russell Henley became the first PGA Tour rookie in ten years to win his debut tournament, taking out the Sony Open on Sunday with a record-setting performance.

Tied for the lead with fellow rookie Scott Langley to start the final round, Henley seized control from the start with a birdie on the first hole. And then he really poured it on at the end of the round. Henley birdied his last five holes to close with a 7-under 63 for a three-shot win over Tim Clark.

Henley finished at 24-under 256, breaking the Sony Open scoring record by four strokes. It was the second-lowest score for a 72-hole tournament in PGA Tour history, one shot behind Tommy Armour III at the Texas Open in 2003.

Henley also set tournament records for the low 36-hole score after his 63-63 start, he shared the 54-hole record with Langley and set another tournament record with the lowest final round by a champion.

He became the first PGA Tour rookie to win his debut since Garrett Willis in the 2001 Tucson Open, which was held the same week as the winners-only event in Kapalua. And the way he putts, there's no telling where this will lead.

For starters, the 23-year-old can add to his schedule a local event in his home state of Georgia — he's going to the Masters in April.

"I don't really know what happened, honestly," Henley said. "This is the most nervous I've ever been. That's the hardest thing I've ever done. It's been my goal to make it to the Masters my whole life."

Clark, finally feeling healthy after a mysterious elbow injury after his runner-up finish at the Sony Open in 2011, shot 63. Charles Howell III closed with a 66 to tie for third with Langley, who birdied his last two holes for a 70.

For all the birdies Henley made, the biggest putt might have been saving par on the 12th. Henley was two shots ahead of Langley and Clark when he pulled his tee shot and did well to hit a punch shot through the green, followed by a downhill pitch to 10 feet. He made the putt look easy, and two holes later, he poured in a 45-foot birdie putt that sent him on his way. Except for the 18th, his last four birdie putts were all 12 feet or longer.

The win put Henley inside the top 50 in the world ranking. That should be enough to get him into the Match Play Championship for the top 64 in the world, with the qualifying date only a month away.

He should be set for the other World Golf Championships at Doral. The win also qualifies him for Firestone in August, along with the PGA Championship.

In his past five tournaments dating to end of September — four of those on the Web.com Tour — Henley is 73-under par. His scoring average in those five events is 67.15.