The PGA Tour season continues with the Sony Open from the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii this week and while those that played in last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions should still be fresh for this event the reality is that the majority of the field will be playing for the first time in at least a month. World No. 1 Jordan Spieth absolutely dominated the field on the way to winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions but he is one of several notable golfers that will not be on hand this week, opening the door for a relatively weak field in comparison to last week’s tournament. Remember that last week was a tournament that only included the players that won a tournament in 2015 (that’s a requirement). This field looks much weaker. Let’s take a closer look at the Sony Open in Hawaii to see who’s got the best shot at winning.
Event Details
Event: 2016 Sony Open
Category: PGA
Date: January 14th – January 17th
Location: Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, HI
The Sony Open has been a regular on the PGA Tour since the 1960’s but unlike back then, it no longer represents the first event on the season schedule. Instead, now the Sony Open will take place at about a third of the way through the season but with the exception of those that played last weekend at Kapalua, the majority of golfers will be playing for the first time since the Hero World Challenge back in December and that could mean needing to shake off some slow starts this week. With no Spieth in the field, the star going into the event is Jimmy Walker, who has won the event two straight times. He’ll try to become the first player to win three consecutive times at an event since 1981.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Score
2015 Jimmy Walker -23
2014 Jimmy Walker -17
2013 Russell Henley -24
2012 Johnson Wagner -13
2011 Mark Wilson -16
What To Know About The Course
This par-70 course was designed by Seth Raynor and in addition to the incredible landscapes it is also a very fun course for the golfers to play on. Water is in play on just three holes but Waialae is a small, tree-lined course that is usually affected by strong winds in the area. That wind can have a major impact on the overall scores every year, in addition to how penal the rough is on an annual basis.
The Field
The field is relatively weak in comparison to last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions but there are still some really good golfers that will compete here including Jimmy Walker, who will be the obvious betting favorite to win as the two-time defending champion. There is no reason to expect any drop off from Walker at this year’s tournament with Kevin Kisner, Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar needing to step up in order to challenge the defending champion for the victory.
A Good Matchup To Bet
Zach Johnson over Adam Scott
Scott has fared well overall at this event in the past but he has never won at Waialae and he has struggled to finish at the top regardless of the tournament in recent years. Scott should register another decent finish here but it makes sense to bet against him matched up against the 2009 Sony Open winner Johnson. Johnson should feel a lot more comfortable after breaking in his new manufacturers PXG last week so look for him to win this matchup versus Scott.
Top Five Prediction
Matt Kuchar
Walker is probably the best bet to finish in the top-five but Kuchar offers the better value so it makes sense to bet him to finish in fifth or better this weekend. Kuchar won in Fiji back in October and has averaged a 66.81 over his last 16 rounds at Waialae, finishing no worse than eighth in his last four appearances here. Walker absolutely deserves to be the betting favorite and should be a lock to finish in the top-five but Kuchar offers the better value to finish in the top-five.
Odds To Win Hawaii Open
Jimmy Walker +1415
Matt Kuchar +2050
Adam Scott +2050
Zach Johnson +2050
Kevin Kisner +1815
Russell Henley +2550
Brandt Snedeker +1815
Harris English +2850
Kevin Na +2850
Justin Thomas +1815
Charles Howell III +3250
Marc Leishman +3250
Luke Donald +3550
Daniel Berger +3550
Graeme McDowell +4050
Russell Knox +4050
Chris Kirk +4050
Keegan Bradley +4550
Scott Piercy +4550
Emiliano Grillo +4550
Gary Woodland +4550
Ryan Palmer +4550
Jason Dufner +5050
Danny Lee +5050
William McGirt +5500
Will Wilcox +5050
Francesco Molinari +5500
Patton Kizzire +5500
Steve Stricker +7550
Tony Finau +6050
