Hoge Misses out on Missile Alert, But Grabs Lead in Sony Open

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- On Saturday morning, in a glitch of frightening proportions, some guy who was just ending his shift at the U.S. Pacific Command headquarters pushed a wrong button at 8:07 (local time). As a result, a notice went out on cell phones all over Hawaii warning of an incoming nuclear missile. The notice ended with: "This is not a drill."

It caused a panic, needless to say. At 8:20, another message went out saying that the warning was a false alarm. A second false alarm notification went out at 8:45.

Fortunately for Tom Hoge, he never got the original -- wrong -- alert. He was busy, albeit somewhat frustrated, watching his alma mater, TCU, in a basketball game that the Horned Frogs ended up losing to Oklahoma. 

But things got better for Hoge as the day went on. 

The 28-year-old former Minnesota State Amateur champion (2009, '10) made three birdies on the front nine and three more on the back nine at Waialae Golf Course and posted a 6-under-par 64, which moved him into sole possession of first place in the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Hoge's 54-hole total of 194 (16 under) has him one stroke ahead of Brian Harman, the 36-hole leader, and Patton Kizzire. Kizzire matched Hoge's 64. Harman shot 68. 

Kyle Stanley is another stroke back, in fourth place at 196, after a 65, and Chris Kirk is alone in fifth at 197, following a 67. 

In all, there are 13 players within six strokes of the lead, including the defending champion -- and the 2017 PGA Tour Player of the Year -- Justin Thomas, who shot 66 and is part of a five-way tie for ninth at 200.   

Hoge, who was an All-American at TCU and finished third in the 2009 NCAA, turned professional in 2011 and won the first tournament he played in as a pro, the Canadian Players Cup, a Mackenzie Tour event. He also won the Bobcat North Dakota Open last fall. But he has never won on the PGA Tour, and this weekend is the first time he's led after 54 holes.

He has, however, demonstrated that he can play under pressure. Last fall, he was in danger of losing his PGA Tour exempt status, having finished wll out of the top 125 on the money list (he was No. 167). He needed a low round in the last last event of the Web.com Finals, and things weren't going all that well through the first six holes. But Hoge played the last 12 holes in 7 under and thereby earned his way back onto golf's biggest stage -- with no strokes to spare.

He followed that performance a few weeks later by playing the last six holes of the final round at the daunting TPC Summerlin course in Las Vegas to gain a tie for seventh place, which was worth $211,933. So he's currently No. 55 on the money list for 2017-18, with $303,710 in five events.

Hoge got his round going in the right direction on Saturday with a birdie at the 423-yard, par-4 second hole at Waialae. He added a birdie at the 462-yard, par-4 sixth and could have shot a really low score on the front nine. But he missed a 12-foot birdie putt at the 460-yard, par-4 eighth, and then after a gorgeous 190-yard 6-iron at the 506-yard, par-5 ninth, he hung a 15-foot putt for eagle on the lip of the cup. 

A birdie at the nearly drivable -- for PGA Tour players -- 350-yard, par-4 10th got him to 4 under for the round. Then came six pars in a row. It looked as though it would be seven pars in a row when he hit his 7-iron tee shot at the 176-yard, par-3 17th 40 feet long and right, but he made the putt for a birdie, and got up and down from the front left front greenside bunker at the par-5 18th (551 yards), for another birdie.     

PGA TOUR

Sony Open in Hawaii

At Waialae Golf Course

Par 70, 7,020 yards

Honolulu, Hawaii

Third-round results 

1. Tom Hoge                  65-65-64--194

T2. Patton Kizzire           67-64-64--195

T2. Brian Harman           64-63-68--195

4. Kyle Stanley               64-67-65--196

5. Chris Kirk                   63-67-67--197

T6. Russell Knox           69-64-65--198

T6. Ollie Schneiderjans 66-65-67--198

8. Cameron Smith         66-67-66--199

T9. Justin Thomas         67-67-66--200

T9. Sam Saunders        67-67-66--200 

T9. Webb Simpson       67-70-63--200

T9. Brian Stuard           67-66-67--200

T9. Talor Gooch            64-66-70--200

Missed cut -- 138

Troy Merritt                   73-68--141