Sony Open in Hawaii Preview
By Matt Fargo
Covers.com
While we are just in our second tournament of 2017, we are actually in the ninth official tournament of the season with the wrap around schedule. Last week, Justin Thomas won the SBS Tournament of Champions, which is already his second win this season, as he held off Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes. Thomas is an amazing -45 in his two victories and he can add to it this week as the tour remains on the island for the second leg of the Hawaii swing with the Sony Open in Hawaii from Waialae Golf Course in Honolulu.
Waialae Country Club is a 7,044-yard, par 70 track that was opened in 1927 as a way to get more tourism to Hawaii and has hosted the Hawaii Open since its inception in 1965. While the course is short in length, it gets its toughness from very narrow fairways and winds that can be troublesome. Jimmy Walker was unable to pull of the trifecta as his Sony victory streak of two straight in 2014 and 2015 came to an end as Fabian Gomez defeated Brandt Snedeker in a playoff last season thanks to a Sunday 62 that included a run of seven straight birdies.
You won't see many big names and you will see numerous rookies who will all be out trying to do what Russell Henley did in 2013 - win in their first start on tour. Of the 32 champions from last season who played last week, 21 are making the trip from Kapalua, all for various reasons. The biggest being the west coast swing starts next week and flying back after this event gives little time for prep for the CareerBuilder Challenge which involves three courses. Eight of the top 25 players in this week's world rankings are in play this week.
Despite being played in Hawaii, participation in the Sony Open has been sporadic by many players and even more rare has been success here by those who make the annual trip. Only six players in this year's field have played here and made the cut in each of the last five years - John Senden, David Hearn, Charles Howell III, Harris English, John Huh and Pat Perez. CHIII has the best run of those six with an average finish of 10.4 which includes a T2 and T3 in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Only one player, Jerry Kelly, has three top tens over the last three years.
Jordan Spieth, who has played here just once and missed the cut in 2014, is the favorite at +580. Hideki Matsuyama, who has finished no worse than second in five straight starts, is next at +700 followed by the champion from last week, Justin Thomas, who comes in at +1,400. Two-time winner Jimmy Walker is +1,800 and then there is a significant dropoff after that with Brandt Snedeker at +2,800, Paul Casey at +2,800 and Gary Woodland at +3,000. Defending champion Fabian Gomez is a significant longshot at +9,000.