Justin Thomas dominated on his way to a victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii a year ago. The reigning Player of the Year will attempt to successfully defend his title against another loaded field this week. The Sony Open has been overshadowed in previous years as the second of two annual Hawaii events following the Tournament of Champions. However, that won’t be the case this year with an absolutely loaded field for this year’s Sony Open.
Event Details
Event: Sony Open in Hawaii
Category: PGA
Date: January 11th-14th
Location: Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
Thomas is among the sports betting favorites to repeat at the Waialae Country Club this week but he won’t be the outright favorite. That role belongs to Jordan Spieth, who finished third here last year. Jimmy Walker and Russell Henley are among the other former tournament winners that will tee off in Hawaii this week in what should be an entertaining tournament with a number of capable contenders.
Past Five Winners
2017: Justin Thomas -27
2016: Fabian Gomez -20
2015: Jimmy Walker -23
2014: Jimmy Walker -17
2013: Russell Henley -24
What To Know About The Course
The Waialae Country Club is one of the flattest courses on the PGA Tour and it is difficult from tee to green. A number of players have found it hard to produce low scores on this course with the wind playing a big factor. Calm conditions could result in better numbers so it’s important to keep an eye out on the weather when making your wagers. Driving Accuracy will be among the biggest keys to success at this week’s tournament. Meanwhile, Putting statistics will also be important as the players that take advantage of their opportunities on the greens will have the best chance to contend for the outright win.
The Field
Spieth is the sports betting favorite to win this tournament at +505 odds. Thomas is the next in line behind him at +805. Marc Leishman, Brian Harman, Kevin Kisner and Cameron Smith are all in the mix among the betting favorites. Daniel Berger, Zach Johnson, Charles Howell III and the 2013 winner Henley round out the list of sports betting favorites for this week’s tournament. Meanwhile, the best value bet might be another winner in Walker, who is listed as a +7050 long shot despite winning this tournament in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Jimmy Walker over Hudson Swafford
Swafford is coming off a top-30 finish at the Tournament of Champions and hasn’t finished any lower than 29th in his last two appearances. However, he doesn’t have the same pedigree at this course as Walker, who has proven he can dominate at this course. Walker hasn’t been anywhere near as good as Swafford overall but he could have the edge at this venue. At decent odds, it might be worth taking a chance on Walker to produce a better result than Swafford at the Sony Open.
Top-Five Pick: Justin Thomas
Spieth should be a lock to finish in the top-five but so should Thomas, who is the better value from a sports betting perspective. Thomas is in excellent form heading in to this event and there really is no reason to expect a letdown this week. After dominating here last year, look for Thomas to contend for the outright win once again in 2018. At the very least, he should finish in the top-10 at the Sony Open this week.
Odds To Win 2018 Sony Open In Hawaii
Jordan Spieth +505
Justin Thomas +805
Brian Harman +1650
Marc Leishman +1415
Kevin Kisner +1850
Xander Shauffele +3250
Cameron Smith +3250
Gary Woodland +3250
Daniel Berger +3250
Russell Henley +2850
Tony Finau +3250
Webb Simpson +3250
Zach Johnson +3250
Charles Howell III +3550
Bill Haas +4050
Jason Dufner +4050
Peter Uihlein +4550
Kyle Stanley +5500
JJ Spaun +6550
Jamie Lovemark +4550
Keegan Bradley +6550
Chez Reavie +5050
Ollie Schniederjans +5500
Chris Kirk +7550
Jimmy Walker +7050
William McGirt +5500
Si Woo Kim +4550
Patton Kizzire +6550
Austin Cook +6550
Luke List +7550
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