Sony Open betting tips & predictions – the Sony Open is the first full-field event of the calendar year. The tournament is contested at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. The course has hosted the event since its modern-day inception as the Hawaiian Open in 1965. Sony took over as title sponsor in 1999.
An interesting fact to consider this week is that since the Tournament of Champions moved to Hawaii in 1999, 15 Sony Open winners have emerged victorious having played the Plantation Course in Kapalua the previous week.
Last year, Matt Kuchar finished T19 in the Tournament of Champions before going on to win the Sony Open. In 2018, Patton Kizzire finished T15 in Kapalua the week before winning his second PGA Tour title at the Sony Open. 2017 saw Justin Thomas win the Tournament of Champions the week before capturing the Sony Open. Ernie Els matched this feat in 2003. In 2016, Fabian Gomez, finished T6 the week before and the 2015 Sony Open winner, Jimmy Walker, finished runner-up in Kapalua.
Waialae Country Club was designed by Seth Raynor and opened for play in 1927. The 7,044 yard Par 70 is tight and features small Bermuda greens. Length off the tee takes second place to accuracy around Waialae.
Scoring, as you would expect in Hawaii, is dependent on the strength of the wind. The average winning score since 2000 is just shy of -17 so a fast start is essential. You need to be playing from the short stuff in order to attack the small greens and set up scoring opportunities.
Last year, Matt Kuchar emerged victorious in the Sony Open winning by 4 strokes from Andrew Putnam on a score of -22 (258). It was his second win of the season having won the Mayakoba Golf Classic a few months previous.
Kooch made only one bogey through 54 holes shooting rounds of 63-63-66-66 on his way to victory.
” I kept plugging along, and I knew good things were going to happen “
Kuchar finished the week 3rd in both the key categories of SG:Tee-To-Green and SG:Putting. In particular, his approach play was dialled-in and was backed up with a solid display with the flat-stick. Other stats for the week include 14th for Driving Distance, T4 for Driving Accuracy, 1st for GIR and 5th for Putts per GIR.
In 2018, Patton Kizzire pipped James Hahn in a six hole playoff to capture the Sony Open title. He closed with a final round -2 (68) to finish on a score of -17 (263) and force the playoff.
“It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but it was nice to come out on top”
His approach play and putting were key to capturing his second PGA Tour title having won the Mayakoba Golf Classic just a couple of months previous. He finished 3rd in both the Strokes Gained Approach-The-Green and Strokes Gained Putting. Kizzire ranked 54th for Driving Distance, T56 for Driving Accuracy, T23 for GIR and 2nd for Putts per GIR.
In 2017, Justin Thomas finished on a score of -27 (253) to complete the ‘Hawaiian-double‘. He finished an impressive seven shots clear of his nearest rival Justin Rose. His ball-striking master-class included a first round 59.
Thomas finished the week first in both Strokes Gained Off-The-Tee and Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green. He backed up his superb ball-striking with his putting, finishing the week 2nd in Strokes Gained Putting. Thomas ranked 9th for Driving Distance, T66 for Driving Accuracy and 12th in GIR.
The 2016 winner, Fabian Gomez, finished the week T7 for GIR hitting the greens 77.78% of the time. He was also 5th in Strokes Gained Putting, T60 in Driving Accuracy and T27 in Driving Distance.
Scoring and saving par are key attributes this week. Previous course knowledge and an ability to manoeuvre the ball in breezy conditions are usually two fundamental requirements.
Sony Open Betting Tips 2020
Webb Simpson 12/1 (E/W) – finished T4 here in his last outing at Waialae Country Club in 2018. He preceded this with a run of three T13 finishes in a row. Last stroke-play outing yielded a solo 2nd in the RSM Classic. Prior to that he finished T7 in the Shriners Hospitals Open. Sits top of of the pile in this week’s Stats Analysis (based on last season’s stats). Waialae Country Club is a course that sits perfectly in his wheelhouse. Ideal week to get his New Year kicked off in style.
Sungjae Im 25/1 (E/W) – finished T16 in his debut appearance in last year’s Sony Open. The 2019 Rookie of the Year was joint top point scorer in last months Presidents Cup. Prior to that he finished T11 in the WGC HSBC Champions and T3 in the ZOZO Championship. Places inside the Top 20 in this week’s Stats Analysis (based on last season’s stats). Currently 6th on Tour for SG:Putting and 4th for Birdie Average. Arriving to Hawaii with his overall game in great shape and in confident mood. Perfect venue to capture his maiden victory on the PGA Tour.