“I was last on the team” – Hayden Buckley reflects on his performances in Hawaii

US golfer Hayden Buckley has all eyes trained on him as he looks well on his way to pick up the title at the ongoing Sony Open in Hawaii.

Buckley entered the weekend with a two-shot lead over a jam-packed field of some incredible talent. He has maintained his lead and by the looks of it, is definitely getting closer to the trophy. If he achieves this feat, it will mark the 26-year-old's first PGA Tour win.

He is definitely no stranger to some memorable victories in Hawaii. Recently, he spoke to the PGA Tour and revealed that it was at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational in Kauai, Hawaii, some years back that he realised he could pursue golf professionally.

He added that he used to be the last man on the team a few years prior and after the win, recalled his entire journey up until that moment.

"61 in Hawaii. I will never forget that, it was a very gettable golf course. But, you know, it's one of those days where everything goes right and you dream about those days. And when that happened, I think that day it happened, I thought, 'Man I can really...four years ago, I was lucky to break par. I was last on the team. I think we had a 14-man team and I was last on the team every week."

Buckley also elaborated on the lightbulb moment where it struck him that playing golf could actually become his career.

"And just to see where I'd been in three years, three-and-a-half years, it's like if I can keep doing this and, you know, use this at the next level then, and if I start shooting 61s on the weekends and on pro levels like I can make a career out of this. That was the kind of point where I knew it was my time and there was a chance to change my life."

Well, not only is he playing golf professionally now, but he is playing it rather brilliantly.

---

"I pulled it so badly" - Hayden Buckley thought he had missed the green

Hayden Buckley with caddie Brian Mahoney at the Sony Open in Hawaii - Round Three (Image via Harry How/Getty Images)

Sports often draws out dramatic reactions from players. Hayden Buckley experienced something similar at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Saturday.

He hit a rather spectacular eagle. He tried to hit a 50-degree wedge from 133 yards as hard as he could. Immediately after hitting, Buckley leaned into right, an amusing habit most golfers have. They do this when they are hoping the ball would follow that direction.

Well, even if that works, Hayden Buckley didn't need that assistance as the ball landed a few feet right from the cup. It spun left and dropped in!

The phenomenal hit propelled Buckley to 14-under and established him as the leader of the pack. It was, in fact, so phenomenal that he himself was surprised that it landed so perfectly.

He celebrated the shot with his caddie Brian Mahoney, not before laughingly saying:

"I pulled it so badly."

Hayden Buckley later spoke about it to NBC Sports reporter Todd Lewis.

"Watching it, it looked like it was in trouble. I think I might have even said some words about it missing the green."

He also said that he believed that strike was "thin" even though that was exactly what he was trying to do to hit the ball further.

Well, Hayden Buckley has some brutal competition with the likes of former champion Chris Kirk, David Lipsky, and Ben Taylor. But if all goes well, Buckley might be picking up his first PGA Tour victory.