By Tom LaMarre
The PGA Tour goes island hopping this week in Hawaii, traveling from Maui to Oahu for the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club www.waialaecc.com on the outskirts of Honolulu in the shadow of Diamond Head crater.
Defending champion Matt Kuchar is one of 21 golfers who have made the trip for the first full-field event of 2020 after playing last week in the winners-only field of 34 in the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort.
Kooch will try to become the fourth golfer in Sony Open history to successfully defend his title, a feat accomplished by Hubert Green (1978-79), Corey Pavin (1986-87), Ernie Els of South Africa (2003-04) and Jimmy Walker (2014-15).
In 15 of the last 21 years, the winner at Waialae also played the week before at Kapalua, despite the vast differences in the golf courses, although some claim there also some similarities.
“I like what both golf courses present, and they are vastly different, yet almost kind of the same,” said two-time major champion Zach Johnson, who won at Waialae in 2009 and Kapalua in 2014. “Hard to explain; obviously one is hilly, one is very flat.
“But when it comes to execution with wind and trajectory control, they are both very similar and I like that kind of golf. That’s kind of what I grew up playing. … It’s one of those things. The more you play here, the more you get your feet on it, the better it becomes.
“ … I guess it means I like Hawaii.”
Although, it’s only a 25-minute flight from Maui to Honolulu, the golf experience at Waialae, which plays to a par of 70 and 7,044 yards, much different that what the players dealt with on the par-73, 7,518-yard Plantation Course.
Waialae is basically flat, while there are severe elevation changes on the monster course at Kapalua.
Justin Thomas, who won at Kapalua on Sunday, will try to achieve the Hawaiian double for the second time after winning both events in 2017. The only other player to win both events in the island in the same year was Els.
Other former Sony champions in the field include Jerry Kelly (2002), Vijay Singh (2005), Ryan Palmer (2010), Russell Henley (2013), Fabian Gomez (2016) and Patton Kizzire (2018).
As usual, some of the big hitters such as Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland and Jon Rahm of Spain will pass on the shot-maker’s test at Waialae, and rejoin the PGA Tour somewhere on the West Coast swing in California or Arizona.
The rest are ready for another week in paradise.
For first-round tee times, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
BEST BETS
- Justin Thomas, United States – After winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Thomas will try to pull off the Hawaiian double for the second time, as he won at Kapalua in 2017 and followed it up the next week with a victory at Waialae. His 12th PGA Tour victory and second this season lifted him to No. 4 in the World Golf Rankings.
- Patrick Reed, United States – Barely missed his eighth PGA Tour victory by losing in a playoff to Justin Thomas last week at Kapalua, but climbed to No. 11 in the world with his second straight top-10 finish this season. Reed is making his third appearance in the Sony Open in Hawaii, having missed the cut in 2013 before tying for 13th last season.
- Webb Simpson, United States – His last PGA Tour victory came in the 2018 Players, but he started this season with a tie for second in the Safeway Open and a solo second in the RSM Classic. At No. 12 in the world, he can climb into the top 10 with a strong finish at Waialae, where he has five straight top-20s, including a tie for fourth last season.
- Marc Leishman, Australia – The Aussie has a strong record in the Sony Open in Hawaii, recording three finishes in the top 10 and six in the top 20 in 10 appearances, with his best result a tie for third last year, when he shot 64 in the second and last rounds. After seven top-10 results last year, he finished third in the Safeway early this season.
- Matt Kuchar, United States – The defending champion at Waialae has recorded six top-10 finishes in the Oahu event, which he has played 14 times previously. That was one of his two victories last season, giving him nine on the PGA Tour, and has recorded ties for 14th this season his title defense at Mayakoba and last week in the Sentry TOC.
- Hideki Matsuyama, Japan – Hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since his fifth victory in 2017, but tied for third in the CJ Cup, finished second in the Zozo Championship and tied for 11th in the WGC-HSBC Champions so far this season. However, he must play better at Waialae, where his best result in six appearances was a tie for 27th two years ago.
- Sungjae Im, South Korea – The 2018-19 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year is coming off a strong 3-1-1 showing last month in the Presidents Cup. Im finished second in the Sanderson Farms Championship, tied for third in the Zozo Championship and tied for 11th in the WGC-HSBC early this season. Tied for 16th in his Sony Open debut last year.
- Abraham Ancer, Mexico – Must be full of confidence after posting a 3-1-1 mark in the Presidents Cup, even playing well in his loss to Tiger Woods. The 2018 Australian Open champion tied for fourth in the WGC-HSBC Champions and tied for eighth at Mayakoba in his last two starts. Tied for 29th in 2019 Sony with four rounds in the 60s.
- Jimmy Walker, United States – A two-time winner at Waialae, claiming the Sony title in back-to-back in 2014 and 2015 with eight straight scores in the 60s. Best finish on Oahu since was a tie for 13th in 2016, and he also was fourth in 2011. Walker missed the cut in his first two starts of 2019-20 season, but this might be the place to find his game.
- Patton Kizzire, United States – Claimed the first of his two PGA Tour victories in the 2018 Sony Open and followed it up by winning the OHL Classic at Mayakoba later in the year. Tied for 13th in his title defense at Waialae last season and has broken 70 in nine of his 10 rounds there. Hoping to reverse his slump that started early last year.
OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH: Cameron Smith, Australia; Corey Conners, Canada; Kevin Kisner, United States; Collin Morikawa, United States; Joaquin Niemann, Chile; Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Brandt Snedeker, United States; Rory Sabbatini, Slovakia; Zach Johnson, United States.
SLEEPERS
- Lanto Griffin, United States – Still flies under the radar a bit despite winning the Houston Open and finishing in the top 20 on seven occasions so far this season.
- Xinjun Zhang, China – Has six pro victories, including two while leading the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour points list. Posted a T-7 in Safeway and a T-4 at Houston this season.
- Robby Shelton, United States – Two-time winner on 2019 Kerry Ferry Tour recorded a T-7 after sharing the 36-hole lead at the Greenbrier and finished T-7 at Mayakoba.
- Kristoffer Ventura, Norway – After helping Oklahoma State win the 2018 NCAA Championship, he won twice on Korn Ferry Tour in 2019. Finished T-18 in Shriners.
- Tyler McCumber, United States – The 2018 PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit winner has won seven times on lower pro tours. Posted a T28 in 2019 Houston Open.
For first-round tee times, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
