Luke Clanton is the headline amateur in this week’s Sony Open field.
But for the moment, Tyler Loree is low amateur.
The 17-year-old Loree, who is from Kula, Hawaii, earned his PGA Tour debut after winning the Hawaii State Golf Association’s amateur qualifier, which is different from the regular Monday qualifier and open only to top Hawaiian amateurs. He fired 5-under 67 on Nov. 18 to win by four shots at Waialae Country Club, where he returned Thursday to open the Sony Open with another 67, though this time a 3-under score as Waialae plays as a par 70 for the Tour pros.
Loree is three shots back of a six-player logjam for first, which includes Denny McCarthy, Tom Hoge and Eric Cole.
“I was more nervous for the qualifier honestly,” said Loree, whose six birdies on Thursday included four straight starting at No. 7. “Getting here, it’s a great opportunity. I’m just so grateful to be a part of this tournament. … I’m not really trying to focus on the results. I’m just trying to stack good shots.”
(Clanton, by the way, shot 1 under as he aims for another top-5 finish, which this time would come with a PGA Tour card that he could activate this summer.)
A senior at Seabury Hall High on Maui, Loree has won two straight Maui Interscholastic League individual championships and last year added a HHSAA state individual title. He is ranked No. 86 in the AJGA national junior rankings and signed last November to play college golf at UCLA beginning this fall.
“He has really caught my attention with his relentless work ethic,” said Bruins coach Armen Kirakossian when Loree signed. “He is constantly working to get better. He asks good questions, and you can really see that he’s always trying to improve his game. He wants to maximize his game, and we feel that those are the types of guys who play well and make it in this sport. Golf is a tough game with so many ups and downs, and Tyler is a young man who really perseveres through those things.”
Kirakossian was scheduled to fly to Hawaii to watch Loree compete, but due to the fires in the Los Angeles area, Kirakossian stayed with his family back home, where he is currently under an evacuation warning.
The Sony Open has seen high-schoolers have success before. In 2007, 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa, at the time, became the youngest player in 50 years to make a PGA Tour cut. He’d eventually tie for 20th. Kyle Suppa was also 16 when he made the Sony cut in 2015, though he’d miss the 54-hole cut at T-76. And of course, Michelle Wie, at age 14, nearly made the cut at the 2004 Sony, firing a second-round 68 and missing the weekend by a single shot.
Loree isn’t getting ahead of himself.
“I mean, who knows what can happen tomorrow,” Loree said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the moment as much as I can. … Maybe a little bit of relief. It’s just knowing I can compete out here. But we have another round tomorrow, so see how it goes. Just have fun tomorrow and count them at the end.”
