The first event of the 2025 PGA Tour season is in the books, with the circuit now moving on to the second event of the Hawaii Swing - the Sony Open In Hawaii.
Looking at the field, a number of players are making the trip over to Waialae Country Club where, sadly, defending champion Grayson Murray won't be present following his death in May 2024.
After his unfortunate passing, Murray's parents, Eric and Terry, launched a non-profit charity in their son's name which aims to help those who face mental health or addiction challenges in everyday life.
In terms of who is playing in the tournament, last week's Sentry winner Hideki Matsuyama returns, and will be favorite, following his record-scoring week at Kapalua.
Along with Matsuyama, his Presidents Cup teammates, Corey Conners, Byeong-Hun An and Tom Kim will be joining the Japanese star, whilst Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre and Sahith Theegala are just some of the other big names present in Hawaii.
The field is littered with value and, below, three of the Golf Monthly team have selected who their betting favorites are, as well as their outsiders, going into what should be an interesting 60th edition of the tournament.
Sony Open In Hawaii Course Guide: Waialae Country Club
Waialae Country Club returns as the host venue of the Sony Open in Hawaii, with it being a regular feature on the PGA Tour circuit since 1965. In that time, the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh have won on its layout.
Listed as a par 70, it measures at 7,044 yards, meaning it's one of the shorter courses on the calendar. What's more, scoring has been incredibly low around Waialae, with Justin Thomas shooting a 59 back in 2017, whilst also firing the joint lowest 72-hole PGA Tour scoring record in history at 253.
Designed by Seth Raynor and then associate Charles Banks, the course takes a lot of its inspiration from some of the most iconic courses in the world. For example, the opening hole, a 480-yard par 4, is inspired by the “Road Hole” from the Old Course, as a shallow green and deep bunker guard the front of it.
Being a coastal course, there are plenty of stunning views around the property, with the most iconic feature being the W formed by four coconut trees behind the 16th, as pictured above. Interestingly, this feature has earned the club a number of national landscape awards, as well multiple weddings being staged in front of it.
One last point to note is that Waialae Country Club is one of, if not, the flattest tracks players will play this year, with the elevation change being only around 10-feet. The wind can play a part and, looking at the forecast, it's set to be between 10-20mph for the week.
Sony Open In Hawaii Previous Winners
Sony Open In Hawaii Betting Odds
Outright winner odds from BetMGM.
- Hideki Matsuyama (+900)
- Corey Conners (+1200)
- Russell Henley (+1400)
- Byeong-Hun An (+2000)
- Tom Kim (+2000)
- Keegan Bradley (+2200)
- Taylor Pendrith (+2500)
- Robert MacIntyre (+2800)
- Maverick McNealy (+2800)
- Luke Clanton (+3300)
- J.T. Poston (+3300)
- Si Woo Kim (+3300)
- Austin Eckroat (+4000)
- Kurt Kitayama (+4000)
- Sahith Theegala (+4000)
- Harry Hall (+4500)
- Brian Harman (+4500)
- Denny McCarthy (+4500)
Sony Open In Hawaii Betting Picks
Favorite: Maverick McNealy (+2800)
McNealy is arguably playing the best golf of his career right now after his maiden win at the RSM Classic in his final start of 2024.
The former World No.1 amateur was T8 last week at Kapalua, where he finished at 23-under-par. He has played and made the cut here in each of the last three years, with a best finish of T7 in 2023.
Outsider: Taylor Montgomery (+50000)
Montgomery is one of the PGA Tour’s strongest putters so hopefully he can get it rolling well at Waialae this week in his first start of 2025.
The American was T13 here last year and T12 in 2023, so it’s clearly a course he enjoys. He’s very much an outsider this week at +50000, so here’s hoping he can crack the top 10.
Favorite: Russell Henley (+1400)
A previous winner of this tournament, I think Henley represents good value here, with the Sony Open in Hawaii the perfect event to get his form back on track.
Back in 2024, Henley was one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour circuit, racking up a number of top 10s. Admittedly, his last two results, a T19 finish in the 20-man Hero World Challenge and a tie for 30th at last week's Sentry, may not look great but, at a track where he has six top 20 finishes, I fancy the American to be contending again.
Outsider: Andrew Novak (+8000)
The American enjoyed a nice run of form at the tail-end of 2024, racking up a tie for 16th at the ZOZO Championship and outright second at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
That runner-up finish came on another coastal course and, with distance not a huge factor this week, I think that Novak is a good outsider option to keep his run of results going. Looking at his stats, his approach play, scrambling and putting numbers stand out so, if he can hit fairways, he may well be up there on Sunday.
Favorite: Corey Conners (+1200)
The Canadian hasn't missed a cut since the 2023 US Open and is in a really hot run of form right now that includes three top-10s in a row and five in his past eight. On a course where length isn't the be all and end all and a premium is placed on accuracy, that's where Conners comes into his own.
He has picked up shots on the field in terms of his approach statistics in each of his past 28 solo starts - a record that goes all the way back to late in 2023. A T5th in Hawaii last week is encouraging, too, and three top-12s in his five appearances at the Sony Open - including a tie for third in 2019 - gives me confidence that if he can enjoy another good putting week then he could well come out on top.
Outsider: Harry Hall (+4500)
Englishman Hall has really begun adjusting to life on the PGA Tour over the past six months and is riding the crest of a wave as far as form goes. Since winning the ISCO Championship last July, he has only missed two cuts while slotting into the top-20 at a 60% success rate.
Strong putting stats have been the backbone of his resurgence, with around half a shot picked up on the field each week in 12 of his most recent 14 appearances. If there have been any struggles, it has been with accuracy off the tee. However, his all-around game was in excellent shape on the way to a T8th at The Sentry, so I'm hopeful he can improve on his two middle finishes at this event so far (T28th - 2023, T42nd - 2024).
How To Watch The Sony Open In Hawaii
USA (ET)
- Thursday 9th January - 19.00pm - 22.30pm (Golf Channel)
- Friday 10th January - 19.00pm - 22.30pm (Golf Channel)
- Saturday 11th January - 16.00pm - 18.00pm (NBC/Peacock), 18.00pm - 20.00pm (Golf Channel)
- Sunday 12th January - 16.00pm - 18.00pm (NBC/Peacock), 18.00pm - 20.00pm (Golf Channel)
UK (GMT)
- Thursday 9th January - 17.00pm - 3.30am (Sky Sports Golf)
- Friday 10th January - 17.00pm - 3.30am (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday 11th January - 18.00pm - 1.00am (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday 12th January - 18.00pm - 1.00am (Sky Sports Golf)
