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The third round of the 2026 Sony Open saw players again challenged by windy conditions in Honolulu, Hawai'i, and with 18 holes left to play, Davis Riley has taken the solo lead at Waialae Country Club. Riley was tied for the lead with three others after the second round, but on a difficult afternoon, his 3-under 67 was the best of the lead pack and moved him into first alone, two ahead of the field.

Riley spoke after his strong second round about how his putter was carrying him, and that continued Saturday with another terrific effort with the flat stick, picking up 2.614 strokes on the field in the third round on the greens. He leads the field in strokes gained putting for the week, and if he can keep the putter warm on Sunday, he'll put himself in position to pick up his third career win. 

Leading the charge behind Riley on the leaderboard are Harry Hall and Chris Gotterup. Hall shot one of the best rounds of the day with a 4-under 66 to move to 10 under and get one back of the lead going into Sunday. Gotterup matched Riley's 68 to stay attached as he carries momentum from a strong close to 2025 into the start of his 2026 season, making clear his surge wasn't a fluke. 

The round of the day belonged to Corey Conners and Hideki Matsuyama, as two of the top-ranked players and best ball-strikers in the field handled the challenging conditions better than anyone else to post 5-under 65s and climb the leaderboard. 

Heading into the weekend, there are nine players within three shots of the lead and 19 players within five shots, setting up an intriguing final round where plenty of players will feel like they have a legitimate shot at the first PGA Tour title of the 2026 season. 

Leader

1. Davis Riley (-12): Riley's hot putter has been the story of the week so far, but his ball-striking seems to be improving as the week goes on, which will be critical if he's going to convert a 54-hole lead into a victory. Saturday was the first round of the week Riley gained strokes both off the tee and approaching the green, and that part of his game will have to hold up under the final round nerves right alongside his putter. 

Contenders

T2. Harry Hall, Chris Gotterup, Kevin Roy (-10)
T5. Ryan Gerard, John Parry, Nick Taylor (-9)
T8. Corey Conners, Adam Svensson, Patrick Rodgers (-8)
T11. Si Woo Kim, S.H. Kim (-7)
T13. Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Robert MacIntyre and three others (-6)

There is a sizable chase group, headlined by Hall and Gotterup, but Roy has been near the top of the leaderboard since Thursday and hasn't shown any indication he'll simply fade away on Sunday. Taylor is the defending champion, and while a stumble early on his back nine caused him to slip out of the lead for the first time all week, a closing birdie kept him in touch. He's still got to be considered a significant threat to go back-to-back at Waialae. 

The rest of the big names in the top 20 will need something rather spectacular to win, but the likes of Conners and Matsuyama showed on Saturday that they're capable of it. Spieth has been the most consistent player of the week, which is not normally an attribute we think of first with Spieth, but three consecutive rounds of 68 have him in the hunt for at least a top 10 in his first start to an extremely important season for him. 

2026 Sony Open updated picks, odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Davis Riley (23/10)
  • Harry Hall (47/10)
  • Chris Gotterup (5-1)
  • Nick Taylor (10-1)
  • Kevin Roy (11-1)
  • Ryan Gerard (11-1)
  • John Parry (14-1)
  • Corey Conners (16-1)

Riley's birdie at the last made him the clear favorite going into Sunday's final round. Of the chase group, Gotterup and Roy are intriguing. Gotterup proved his ability to close out a win last year and is a strong wind player. Roy has been impressive all week, and just two back at 11-1, he offers some value as long as he continues his level of play from the first 54 holes.