"I guess he watches Scottie Scheffler" - Tom Hoge jokes about his caddie's 'high standards' after holing out at the Sony Open

Tom Hoge joked about his caddie having high standards when it comes to his performance. The American golfer joined the stellar field of this week's Sony Open in Hawaii, which kicked off with its first round on Thursday, January 9.

During the opening round, Hoge was impressive on the 14th hole when he made a hole-out eagle. Following the round, during a press conference, he opened up about his game and shared his caddie's reaction to the amazing shot. He said (via ASAP Sports):

"It's funny, my caddie James started with me in Maui last year, and he's been giving me a hard time because I hadn't holed a shot from the fairway with him at all. I feel like I'm a pretty good wedge player, short iron player, so I've certainly had plenty of opportunities and haven't made one. He's been on me for that, and for that one to be the one that goes in was pretty funny."

Following this, the reporter asked if his caddie had 'high standards', to which Hoge humorously said his caddie might be watching Scottie Scheffler's game.

"I guess he watches Scottie Scheffler or something, sees him holing out all the time," he added.

It was a good start for Tom Hoge at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He played the opening round of 64 and took the early lead in the game.

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Tom Hoge reflects on his performance at Sony Open 2025

Tom Hoge started his campaign at the Sony Open in Hawaii by winning the first tee hole. He made a birdie on the second hole and then made pars. On the par-5 ninth, Hoge managed to make an eagle followed by a birdie on the tenth hole.

He continued with his good game and carded an eagle on the 14th. With a total of 6-under 64, he tied for the lead in the game.

During the press conference, Tom Hoge opened up about his performance in the first round, saying (via ASAP Sports):

"Just tried to keep it going from last week, I guess. A little bit different challenge here this week trying to get the ball in some tighter areas off the tee and then that's kind of the key for me is getting the ball in the fairway and trying to go from there," Hoge said.

Notably, the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii was suspended due to darkness on Thursday. Meanwhile, following the semi-finished round, Hoge took the lead in a tie with Harry Hall, Adam Schenk, Eric Cole, Denny McCarthy, and Paul Peterson.

Adam Hadwin shot 65 and tied for seventh place with Henrik Norlander, Ben Griffin, Patrick Fishburn, Ben Kohles, Sam Ryder, and Adam Hadwin.