The year opening swing through the Aloha State continues this week when the PGA Tour makes the short jaunt to Oahu for the Sony Open in Hawai’i, contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. This also marks the first full-field event of the year with over 140 golfers taking part and the cut rule back in place. Last week’s Sentry TOC winner Cameron Smith goes for the Hawai’i sweep and is the betting favorite. He won this tournament two years ago. Kevin Na is back to defend the title he won here last year and is positioned further down the odds board. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Sony Open in Hawai’i
Cameron Smith +1000
Webb Simpson +1400
Hideki Matsuyama +2000
Sungjae Im +2000
Corey Conners +2500
Marc Leishman +2800
Abraham Ancer +2800
Kevin Na +2800
Talor Gooch +2800
Russell Henley +3000
Harris English +3300
Kevin Kisner +3300
Billy Horschel +4000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +4000
Jason Kokrak +4000
Matt Jones +4000
Seamus Power +4000
Brian Harman +5000
Maverick McNealy +5000
Cameron Davis +5500
Charles Howell III +6000
Chris Kirk +6000
Joel Dahmen +6000
Si Woo Kim +6000
Erik van Rooyen +6000
Aaron Rai +7000
Denny McCarthy +7000
Keegan Bradley +7000
Ryan Palmer +7000
Tom Hoge +7000
Brendon Todd +7500
Keith Mitchell +7500
Odds Analysis
Corey Conners +2500
One player who didn’t partake in the festivities at Kapalua, Conners makes his 2022 debut in an event he’s done well at in the past. He’s 3 for 3 at Waialae finishing among the top-12 in each of his last two starts. He grabbed a podium spot two years ago at 17-under. Conners has been consistent over the past few months making every cut since the Scottish Open in July and he’s finished among the top-40 in nine straight starts. At this price he has some value and I’m not afraid to throw down for an outright.
Harris English +3300
Starting his breakthrough year with a win in Hawai’i last year I find myself gravitating toward English this week. That win came in the TOC at Kapalua and the courses are vastly different, but the thing about English is his ability to adapt. He’s made the cut in all but one of his nine starts with a pair of top-5s and an additional top-10. After a rough start last week he closed 68-67 to save the weekend. And I’m hoping for some carryover, so much so that I’m willing to throw a few shekels his way.
Brian Harman +5000
Based on what he’s done recently you wouldn’t give Harman a second look at winning this tournament. But sometimes you just have to go beyond that. And that’s what I’m doing in this case. The price is nice and I’m counting on Harman finding a groove at a place that’s been good to him. He has top-20 finishes in four of his last seven visits to Waialae and has made the cut in seven of his last eight starts. On a course that rewards accuracy Harman has been one of the best off the tee, which should set him up for plenty of scoring opportunities. If he takes advantage of those we’ll have a nice payday.
Charles Howell III +6000
Another player who enjoys the annual visit to paradise, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Howell mingling with the leaders over the weekend. He hasn’t missed a Sony Open or a cut in the last 20 years recording seven top-5s among his 10 top-10s. The layout and the weather haven’t changed over that time so it’s safe to say Howell knows what to expect. He also boasts a scoring average of 67.5 in 76 career rounds. And I have no problem backing the veteran at this price.
Webb Simpson +1400
He was the betting favorite last year and he’s positioned near the top of the odds board again for good reason. The course is a perfect fit for Simpson, who has played the weekend in all 11 starts at Waialae with seven straight top-20 finishes. About the only thing he hasn’t done is win this tournament, though he’s been close with three straight top-5s. Only twice in his last 28 rounds has he gone over par with a scoring average of 66.75 in that span.
Course: Waialae Country Club – 7,044-yards, par-70
The course has hosted this event since 1965 and is short by Tour standards. Those who played last week will have to do an abrupt change to their approach. The beast at Kapalua measured over 7,500 yards at par 73 and played to the long strikers. Now we have the tidy layout at Waialae that goes just over 7,000 yards. The track will force players to club down with importance on accuracy rather than distance. It’s a straightforward layout with few hazards which is why we’ve seen some low scores in the past. Five years ago Justin Thomas won the prize with a record 27-under and Kevin Na was a 1-shot winner last year at -21.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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