Honolulu: Arjun Atwal shrugged off a bogey at the start and a double bogey close to come back with a three-under 67 to lie tied 13th place at the Sony Open, the first full field event of the year on the PGA Tour.
Atwal's 67 on the par-70 course, put him three behind the leader, Stuart Appleby who had no bogeys on his card.
Appleby carded six-under 64, which included an eagle on par-4 16th and a 35-foot putt on the next green. He shot 30 on his back nine, including a chip-in from the front of the 12th green.
Atwal, who had a good top-15 start last week, opened with a bogey and then birdied fourth, seventh and ninth to turn in two-under.
Birdies on tenth and 12th made him four-under. Then came a double bogey on par-3 17th. But a birdie on 18th lessened the pain and he finished with a 67.
Appleby had a one-shot lead over nine players, who shared second place. That included Matt Kuchar and Justin Rose and a pair of rookies in Nate Smith and Ben Martin.
In soft condition and a light breeze, 65 players in the 144-man field broke par.
No one could catch Appleby in the afternoon. Shigeki Maruyama, a popular figure in these parts, was at 5-under through 12 holes until he dropped a few shots on the back and had to birdie the 18th for a 65.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 15, 2011, 19:50