HONOLULU — Former LSU All-American David Toms added a 4-under-par 66 on Sunday to his stellar week of play to finish tied for second at the season-opening Sony Open at Waialae Country Club.
Toms (70-66-65-66 — 267) trailed by one stroke entering the final round and came up two shots short of capturing his 13th PGA title. It was his best finish since winning the 2006 Sony Open at 19-under.
His playing partner, 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson, shot a final-round 65 to win the Tour’s first full-field event of 2009 and $972,000.
Toms, a four-year letterwinner at LSU from 1986-89, recovered from a bogey on the par-4 fifth hole to post four birdies in the next five holes and tie for the lead. However, he was unable to grab the lead despite shooting 1-under over the final eight holes.
A professional since 1989 and PGA Tour member since 1991, Toms holds exempt status through the 2011 season based on his multiple tournament wins in multiple seasons.
With his 10th career runner-up finish, he’s now earned $29,184,211 in official Tour winnings.
According to his website, www.davidtomsfoundation.com, Toms will next travel to Palm Springs, Calif., for the five-round Bob Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer at PGA West starting Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Another former Tiger in the field, Scott Sterling, shot a bogey-free final round of 65 to jump from 62nd into a tie for 39th.
A third former Tiger on Tour, Brian Bateman, will also begin his season in Palm Springs this week.