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, 14 Sony Open winners have emerged victorious having played the Plantation Course in Kapalua the previous week.
Last year, Patton Kizzire finished T15 in Kapalua the week before winning his second PGA Tour title at the Sony Open. In 2017, Justin Thomas won 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, 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 OHL 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 2019
Gary Woodland 14/1 (E/W) – has godd history at Kapalua with his last four results reading T3-T13-T6-T7. His form this season is rock solid with 4 x Top 10’s from 5 starts including a solo 2nd at the Tournament of Champions. A zero red flag game puts him 2nd in this week’s Stats Analysis table. He is currently 2nd on Tour for Strokes Gained Total and 1st for Birdie Average. Literally ticks all the boxes plus hard to ignore when he is in this kind of form.
Charles Howell III 25/1 (E/W) – a regular at the Sony Open, he has 6 x Top 10’s at Waialae Country Club since 2009. Has 3 x Top 15 finishes from 5 starts this season including a victory in the RSM Classic. Places inside the Top 30 in this week’s Stats Analysis. He is currently 18th on Tour for Driving Accuracy and 6th in GIR, two attributes that will stand him in good stead this week. His return to the winner’s circle earlier in the season was his first win since the 2007 Nissan Open. Arriving in confident mood to a track that clearly suits his eye.