KAPALUA, Hawaii — The views off the west coast of Maui give the PGA Tour’s season opener at Kapalua a calming vibe. Contained in the ropes, The Sentry is much more hectic.

Chris Kirk ran off three straight birdies on the again 9 simply to maintain tempo with 21-year-old Akshay Bhatia. Xander Schauffele had eight birdies in 11 holes to remain within the combine. Jordan Spieth, who hit the primary foul ball of the yr Thursday for double bogey, is now bogey-free in his final 51 holes and has made sufficient birdies for an opportunity.

Kirk gave himself slightly separation Saturday with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 closing gap on the Plantation course for a 7-under 66.

He leads by one shot over Bhatia (66), with a bunch of others — previous Kapalua champions, main champions and newcomers alike — proper behind.

“You definitely can’t defend something out right here, that’s for positive,” Kirk stated. “When it’s a shootout like this and the scores are actually low, you simply keep aggressive and simply go do your factor.”

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 play, didn’t see many putts go in and took a step again with a 71 that feels quite a bit greater on this match. He nonetheless was solely three behind.

Throw in Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa, and 12 gamers had been inside 4 photographs of the lead. That was completely different from final yr, when Morikawa took a six-shot lead into the ultimate spherical solely to be caught by Jon Rahm; the yr earlier than, Rahm and Cameron Smith shared the 54-hole lead and had been 5 away from everybody else.

Kirk was at 21-under 198 in his first time again at Kapalua in eight years. He was the PGA Tour’s comeback participant of the yr in 2023 from profitable the Honda Traditional after having stepped away for a giant a part of 2019 to take care of alcoholism and melancholy.

He begins the brand new yr with what seems like a dash on the aspect of a mountain.

Bhatia, who secured his PGA Tour card by means of the minor leagues after which gained the Barracuda Championship, took solely 27 putts for the second straight day. His solely lapse was three-putting from 60 toes for par on the 667-yard closing gap.

The group two photographs behind included Schauffele (65), who closed with a 62 5 years in the past to rally for victory at Kapalua; and Spieth (67), who gained by eight photographs at Kapalua in 2016. They had been joined by Byeong Hun An (68).

Schauffele and Spieth know the drill. Most leads should not secure it doesn’t matter what the rating reveals, notably due to a dynamic closing stretch of par 5s and a reachable par 4.

“Undoubtedly maintain your head down,” Schauffele stated. “There’s actually no level a leaderboard early on a property like this.”

Spieth made birdie from a bunker some 40 yards wanting the flag on the reachable 14th, one of the crucial troublesome photographs in golf, and closed with a 6-iron into the inexperienced for a two-putt birdie.

He first got here to Kapalua a decade in the past and understands the move of scoring. The trick is to keep away from bogeys on the more durable holes and attempt to choose up just a few birdies earlier than the motion begins on the reachable par-4 14th.

“Then impulsively it’s a dash and also you see who makes 4 out of the final 5,” he stated. “That appears to be the case and it in all probability would be the case tomorrow.”

That was Kirk’s plan Saturday with one wrinkle. The completely different wind fooled him on his tee shot down the par-5 fifteenth, and he performed it too far to the correct and into the weeds. He took a penalty drop, needed to lay up wanting the elevated inexperienced after which hit wedge slightly too sturdy, onto the perimeter dealing with a putt downwind, barely downhill and with the wind at his again.

He holed the putt for a par, ending his streak of three straight birdies and but nonetheless feeling that he had the wind in his sails.

“To make that one after a pleasant run of birdies earlier than that undoubtedly stored the momentum going,” Kirk stated.

Scheffler by no means had a lot momentum in any respect. He made his first birdie on the par-5 fifth, the simplest gap at Kapalua. However he had a three-putt bogey on No. 7, and hit right into a bunker under the inexperienced on the par-3 eighth that led to a different bogey.

Scheffler completed with a three-putt par on the 18th from slightly below 40 toes. The upside was being solely three photographs out of the lead, together with Harris English (64), Jason Day (67) and Sahith Theegala (68).

“The again 9, something can occur,” English stated. “I bear in mind getting off to a tricky begin the ultimate spherical of that 2021 yr and acquired it occurring the again 9 and performed very well coming down the stretch. I believe having a few of that persistence will assist tomorrow.”