After a beautiful (and heartbreaking, but we’ll get to that later) week in Maui, it’s time to head over to another island for the Sony Open. Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim highlight a solid field bound for the PGA Tour’s second event of the new year.
Waialae Country Club is a marksman’s paradise — a par-70 track measuring just more than 7,000 yards that requires accuracy on every shot.
Kim enters the week as the betting favorite at +1000 followed by Sungjae Im at +1300 and Spieth at +1500. The 20-year-old is coming off a T-5 performance at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Golf course
Waialae Country Club | Par 70 | 7,044 yards | Seth Raynor design
Data Golf Information
Course Fit (compares golf courses based on the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — to predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. TPC Sugarloaf, 2. Colonial Country Club, 3. Austin Country Club
Trending (the players’ last three starts): 1. Brian Harman (2, T-2, T-16), 2. Maverick McNealy (T-18, T-10, T-27), 3. Tom Hoge (MC, MC, T-3)
Percent chance to win (based on course history, fit, trending, etc.): 1. Sungjae Im (7.2 percent), 2. Brian Harman (5.3 percent), 3. Tom Kim (5.1 percent)
Betting preview
Last week (Sentry TOC)
I was almost counting the money, then the back nine started. We had Collin Morikawa outright at +2000, and Saturday night it looked all but wrapped up. Hopefully, the golf gods pay us back this time around.
Picks are posted every Wednesday on my Twitter account: @rileyhamel_
Sony Open odds
| Player | Odds | Player | Odds |
| Tom Kim | (+1000) | Keegan Bradley | (+3000) |
| Sungjae Im | (+1300) | Cameron Davis | (+3000) |
| Hideki Matsuyama | (+1500) | Maverick McNealy | (+3000) |
| Jordan Spieth | (+1500) | Taylor Montgomery | (+3000) |
| Brian Harman | (+2000) | Adam Scott | (+4000) |
| Russell Henley | (+2000) | Harris English | (+4000) |
| Tom Hoge | (+2000) | Keith Mitchell | (+4000) |
| Corey Conners | (+2000) | J.J. Spaun | (+4000) |
| Billy Horschel | (+3000) | Matt Kuchar | (+5000) |
| K.H. Lee | (+3000) | Gary Woodland | (+5000) |
Tom Kim
Tom Kim is a stud, no question about it. But, still, it’s a little uncomfortable to bet on him at 11 to 1. However, Waialae screams Kim. Short, accuracy-dependant, roll the rock and make birdies. That’s what the kid does.
Kim tied for fifth at the Plantation Course last week.
Bets to consider: Outright (+1100)
Corey Conners
Conners didn’t have the best week in Maui, finishing T-16, however, he left on a high note shooting a final-round 6-under 67.
The Canadian’s last three Sony Open starts: 11th (2022), T-12 (2020) and T-3 (2019).
Bets to consider: Outright (+2000), Top 20 (+125)
Brian Harman
Harman had a solid week in Maui shooting sub-70 for the first three days before posting a final-round 3-under 70. The Georgia Bulldog has made the weekend at Waialae in four of his last five appearances including T-4 in 2018.
Bets to consider: Outright (+2000), Top 20 (+100)
