This week the PGA Tour heads over to the Waialae Country Club for the Sony Open. The course is a relatively easy par 70 that plays a shade over 7,000 yards. As players ease their way into the calendar year, there will be a mix of familiar faces and some lesser known players. There are some favorites worth paying attention to, but anything can happen this time of year.
Course Preview
Waialae Country Club has many holes that will give you a sense of deja vu. The first hole is designed a tribute to the Road Hole of St. Andrews. As the golfers continue to make their way around the course, you’ll notice even more familiarities. There are tributes to holes from Scotland, France, and even Long Island throughout the course.
While the course is not particularly challenging, there are holes that are important to keep pace with the field. There are 3 spots in particular that have led to success on a round at Waialae CC.
- 6th Hole (460 Yards – Par 4): In 2016, this hole played as the 3rd most difficult on the course with a 4.13 average. The field saw bogey or worse on their scorecard 22% of the time. If 2017 plays similarly, a par is as good as a birdie.
- 9th Hole (506 Yards – Par 5): Golfers can’t lose focus as they head towards the back 9. This hole had a scoring average of 4.21 in 2016. A birdie is important at the 9th. With 71% of the field scoring a birdie or better on the 9th hole, it’s possible to lose a stroke even with a par.
- 13th Hole (477 Yards – Par 4): It’s important to get into position off the tee on this long par 4. The 13th was the most difficult hole on the course in 2016 with a 4.18 scoring average. In fact, birdies were made only 7% of the time in the entire tournament last year. If you are able to make birdie on 13, you’re likely to pick up a stroke on most of the field.
As you follow along with the coverage during the weekend, take a look at how the golfers are performing on these 3 holes to gauge how they are doing on a few of the most important holes.
Recent Winners
| Year | Champion | Score To Par | Driving Distance | GIR | Putts/GIR |
| 2016 | Fabian Gomez | -20 | 303 Yards | 74% | 1.7 |
| 2015 | Jimmy Walker | -23 | 306 Yards | 79% | 1.5 |
| 2014 | Jimmy Walker | -17 | 323 Yards | 72% | 1.6 |
| 2013 | Russell Henley | -24 | 293 Yards | 83% | 1.6 |
Golf is an easy game when you think about it. Hit greens, make putts, count money. The winners at the Sony Open since 2013 are no exception to this rule. The scores have hovered around Russell Henley’s course record since it was set in 2013. There is a razor thin margin between contenders and also-rans at a high scoring event like the Sony Open. Keep an eye out for the golfers who keep their ball dry and avoid blow-up holes, as they will be in contention through the weekend.
2017 Field Preview
An event this early in the season with guaranteed low scores can lead to some interesting leaderboards as the weekend shakes out. Previous winners have included the likes of Fabian Gomez (2 PGA Wins), Russell Henley (2 PGA Wins), and Johnson Wagner (3 PGA Wins). None of them are household names but they were each able to pick up a PGA victory at the Sony Open. There are certainly some favorites that are head and shoulders above the rest. But, like most weeks of the PGA, almost anyone has a chance to find themselves at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.
Clear Favorites
Jordan Spieth is one of the heavy favorites.
Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, and Justin Thomas boast the three best chances to win according to Vegas odds. Spieth is coming off an impressive performance on Sunday at the SBS Tournament of Champions where he fired a 65 to vault himself into 3rd Place despite a poor start. Matsuyama has been on fire lately, with four straight Top-2 performances. He has posted underwhelming rounds at Waialae in the past, but he has never played a round here in the form he is in right now. Justin Thomas is fresh off a victory over a very talented field. In his last 4 official PGA events, he’s found himself in the Top-25 all four times.
Jimmy Walker finds himself in the conversation as well this week. He has the perfect blend of success on the course and current form. Walker is coming off a T9 in Kapalua. Two of the last three years, Walker has been the champion at the Sony Open including a performance that was 1 stroke away from a course record. If I had to put my money on 4 guys against the field, these would be my picks.
The “B” Team
Once you get past the clear favorites, there isn’t much of a drop to the second tier of players in Waialae this weekend. A couple that stick out above the rest of the field are Pat Perez and Scott Piercy. Pat Perez has found success many times at Waialae CC. He struggled in the Sony Open last year, but has 3 Top-20 finishes since 2013. He’s also coming off of a Top-3 finish last week. Scott Piercy is another player with strong recent showings at the Sony. He has had 3 Top-15 finishes over the past few years.
Paul Casey is another player to keep an eye on this weekend. He hasn’t missed a cut since July and ended the year with 2 runner-ups and a 4th place finish in three of the most difficult PGA fields. This season he’s done no worse than T21 so it would be no surprise if he were able to pull out a similar result this weekend.
The Dark Horse
While Jason Dufner and Charles Howell III were somewhat appealing, Cameron Smith is my dark horse pick this week. He may not have the name recognition of other players in the field, but Smith has made all 4 cuts of this season with a T10 and a T11 finish. He has 8-1 odds to finish in the Top 10 at this event. With his current form, it’s easy to project him to be in the mix this weekend.
