{"id":16267,"date":"2026-01-14T19:57:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/?post_type=article&p=16267"},"modified":"2026-01-14T19:57:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:57:07","slug":"2026-sony-open-betting-preview","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/article\/2026-sony-open-betting-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Sony Open \u2013 Betting Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

With\u00a0The Sentry<\/em>\u00a0absent from the 2026 schedule, the Sony Open at the venerable Waialae Country Club in Honolulu stands as the first official tournament of the PGA Tour season. Having rewarded shot-makers for more than six decades, champions such as\u00a0Jack Nicklaus<\/a><\/a>, Tom Watson,\u00a0Lee Trevino<\/a><\/a>, and Ben Crenshaw have all triumphed here, underscoring a course that continues to withstand the test of time. Hosting the Sony Open since 1965, Waialae is the third-oldest continuously used venue on Tour, trailing only Colonial Country Club and Pebble Beach Golf Links. Unfortunately, if new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has his way, that streak might be ending. Rolapp has openly discussed adding \u201csimplicity\u201d and \u201cscarcity\u201d to the schedule with rumors abounding that the 2027 PGA season might not begin until after the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

Waialae CC is a classic par-70 layout that is distinguished by its narrow corridors, sharp doglegs, unpredictable Bermuda rough, and firm greens. It is a positional track that has effectively neutralized any advantages held by bombers off the tee. With the potential for trade winds to swirl, this week is about strategy, position, and accuracy on a tight and flat course. In the words of\u00a0Kevin Kisner<\/a><\/a>, \u201cI like that it\u2019s a shot-maker\u2019s golf course. It\u2019s a shorter, ball-striker\u2019s paradise. You\u2019ve got to play to certain spots. I think it\u2019s Point A to Point B and make some putts.\u201d This is why we typically see the same type of player (shorter-hitting ball-striker with a quality short game) succeed here year after year.<\/p>\n

While not a complete birdie-fest, the average winning score over the past five tournaments has been -19, ranking as the ninth easiest annual course on the PGA Tour. It\u2019s a course where quality shots can lead to birdies on almost every hole. But if you are in the rough or out of position, scrambling for par can be a challenge. It is also the fifth-most predictive course on the schedule. Those who have a successful track record at Waialae tend to contend here on a yearly basis.<\/p>\n

The Field<\/h2>\n

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With numerous tournament champions from 2025 not able to start their year at\u00a0The Sentry<\/em>\u00a0as planned, this will be one of the strongest Sony Open fields ever with seven of the top 17 and 26 of the top 60 in the Official World Golf Rankings in attendance. The main headliners include\u00a0Russell Henley<\/a><\/a>,\u00a0Ben Griffin<\/span>,\u00a0J.J. Spaun<\/span>,\u00a0Robert MacIntyre<\/span>,\u00a0Keegan Bradley<\/span>,\u00a0Collin Morikawa<\/span>,\u00a0Hideki Matsuyama<\/a><\/a>, and\u00a0Jordan Spieth<\/a><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also set to be a significant week for players who earned their PGA Tour cards via the DP World Tour in 2025, with seven of the 10 graduates teeing it up. Dan Brown secured his PGA Tour playing rights after\u00a0Laurie Canter<\/span>\u00a0joined LIV Golf at the end of December. The remaining DP World Tour graduates in the field are\u00a0Haotong Li<\/span>,\u00a0Keita Nakajima<\/span>,\u00a0John Parry<\/span>,\u00a0Kristoffer Reitan<\/span>,\u00a0Adrien Saddier<\/span>, and Jordan Smith.<\/p>\n

Other notables in the field include\u00a0Brian Harman<\/a><\/a>,\u00a0Corey Conners<\/a><\/a>,\u00a0Maverick McNealy<\/span>,\u00a0Chris Gotterup<\/span>,\u00a0Aaron Rai<\/span>,\u00a0Si Woo Kim<\/a>, and last year\u2019s Sony Open winner,\u00a0Nick Taylor<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0One notable change to this year\u2019s tournament\u2014one that will unfortunately be seen throughout much of the PGA Tour schedule\u2014is a reduced field of just 120 players, down from the traditional 144.<\/p>\n

The purse is $9,100,000 with a winner\u2019s share north of $1.5 million. FedEx Cup points earned will go toward the Aon Swing 5, the path to the next signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.<\/p>\n

Past Winners & Odds<\/h2>\n

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Most Important Stats For Success at Waialae Country Club<\/h2>\n

*In order of importance<\/em><\/p>\n