Out of the Rough: Sony Open in Hawaii (2026)

Although a week delayed than normal, the 2026 PGA Tour season is finally set to begin with this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii.

Annually, The Sentry Tournament of Champions marks the beginning of the season and/or calendar year but due to severe drought and water conservation issues at the Plantain Course at Kapalua Resort, the event has been canceled.

Therefore, the Sony Open in Hawaii will kick-off the 2026 campaign.

This event has been staged since 1965 and has been held at the Waialae Country Club every year since its inception.

The Field

This week serves as the first full field event of the 2025 PGA Tour season, meaning 120 golfers will take to Waialae Country Club.

Four golfers within the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) lead this week’s field. 

Of those four, Russell Henley is the highest ranked at fifth. J.J. Spaun (sixth,) Robert MacIntyre (seventh,) and Ben Griffin (eighth) help round out the golfers ranked within the top ten of the OWGR.

Other notable names teeing it up this week include Keegan Bradley,  Collin Morikiawa, Hideki Matsuyama, Maverick McNealy, Aaron Rai and Chris Gotterup.

Nick Taylor comes in as the deafening champion, having topped Nico Echavarria in a playoff a season ago. Taylor will be back to defend his title this season.

Other former winners of this event teeing it up this week include Si Woo Kim (2023,) Matsuyama (2022,) Matt Kuchar (2019,) Patton Kizzire (2018,) Henley (2013,) Zach Johnson (2009) and Vijay Singh (2005.) 

The Course

As previously mentioned the Waialae Country Club has been the host of this event since its inception in 1965.

It plays as a par-70 at 7,020 yards.

It is a short resort course that was designed by Seth Raynor in 1927.

Of course, Waialae Country Club features wall-to-wall Bermuda grass.

This course typically plays firm and fast on both the fairways and the greens despite it being susceptible to coastal rainfall.

Waialae Country Club is best described as a tight, claustrophobic and positional golf course that requires correct ball placement on each and every shot. In other words, long bombers off-the-tee won’t see an advantage this week.

This track features a multitude of doglegs and tight tree lined fairways.

The course features grown out rough that added the importance of finding the fairway off-the-tee. It previously measured 2.25 inches but in 2013, the rough was grown to three inches.

With the tight fairways and persistent doglegs, approach play from 125-200 yards will be of the utmost importance as the majority of approach shots will come from that distance.

Putting this week will be a premium as 12-of-the-last-16 winners ranked within the top ten in Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT) on the week.

Like what we saw last week, Waialae is exposed to the Hawaiian cost and the severity of the wind will play its hand in how the week will play out. Previously,  winds have been held in check, allowing the winning score to push -20. However, if the winds do become a factor, like they did in 2020, scoring could be much lower. Cameron Smith won that event at -11. Taylor won this event a -16 a season ago.

Additionally, when it comes to course-history, Waialae Country Club  is among the tops of the PGA Tour in terms of repeatable success. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is a 80-percent chance of precipitation on Thursday. Friday currently calls for just a five-percent chance, Saturday a ten-percent chance and Sunday a 25-percent chance. Temperatures will begin at 77-degrees on Thursday before falling to 75-degrees on Friday. Temperatures will bounce back to 76-degrees on Saturday and 77-degrees on Sunday. Winds will begin the week at 13 miles-per-hour on Thursday before increasing to 15-degrees on Friday. They’ll remain at 15 miles-per-hour for Saturday before settling to 14 miles-per-hour on Sunday. 

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Accuracy

• Proximity to the hole from 125-200 Yards

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermuda (SG: PUTT Bermuda)

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Par 4 Average Scoring

• Scrambling

Betting Card

Corey Conners (+3500)

Conners was one of my first clicks this week. He finished last season 12th on Tour in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 21st in hit fairway percentage, 24th in SG: OTT, 39th in SG: APP, 42nd in par-four average scoring, 44th in GIR%, 97th in birdie-or-better percentage, 109th in scrambling, 146th in SG: ATG and 148th in SG: PUTT Bermuda. Although the SG: PUTT Bermuda number isn’t ideal, he finished 67th in SG: PUTT overall on the PGA Tour last season. He last appeared at the Hero World Challenge where he finished seventh. Although he missed the cut here last season and placed 57th in 2024, he placed 12th in 2023, 11th in 2022 and 12th in 2020. 

Mac Meissner (+6500)

Meissner had some great showings over the FedExCup Fall. He placed 18th in his last appearance at The RSM Classic. Prior to that he placed 27th at the Bank of Utah Championship, 27th at the Baycurrent Classic, 14th at the Sanderson Farms Championship and 47th at the Procore Championship. Looking even further back, he placed second at the Wyndham Championship. He finished last season fifth on Tour in scrambling, 23rd in SG: ATG, 37th in both SG: APP and proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 42nd in par-four average scoring, 43rd in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 85th in GIR%, 95th in hit fairway percentage, 121st in birdie-or-better percentage and 138th in SG: OTT. He’s played this event once prior, placing 21st last season. 

Emiliano Grillo (+8000)

Grillo has had a mixed bag of results at this golf course over the past few seasons. He missed the cut a season ago but placed seventh in 2024. He missed the cut in both 2023 and 2022 but placed 47th in 2021 and 21st in 2020. He last played the World Wide Technology Championship where he placed 56th. Prior to that he placed 27th at the Baycurrent Classic, missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship and placed fourth at the Procore Championship. He finished last season 18th on Tour in hit fairway percentage, 42nd in par-four average scoring, 43rd in SG: APP, 46th in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 61st in GIR%, 62nd in SG: OTT, 76th in birdie-or-better percentage, 94th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 99th in scrambling and 164th in SG: ATG. 

Lee Hodges (+10000)

Along with Conners, this was my other first click this week. Hodges finished last season 12th on Tour in GIR%, 13th in scrambling, 16th in par-four average scoring, 23rd in SG: APP, 39th in both hit fairway percentage and proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 62nd in birdie-or-better percentage, 74th in SG: ATG, 78th in SG: PUTT Bermuda and 92nd in SG: OTT. He last appeared at The RSM Classic where he placed fourth. Hodges also placed tenth here a season ago. 

Tom Kim (+13000)

Now, this is obviously a heart play. Kim did not have a season to his standard in the slightest a season ago. He last played the Baycurrent Classic where he placed 56th. He also placed 11th at the Sanderson Farms Championship and 72nd at the Procore Championship. He’s played this event just twice prior, placing 65th a season ago and missing the cut in 2023. He finished last season 33rd on Tour in SG: ATG, 54th in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 70th in SG: APP, 89th in hit fairway percentage, 113th in scrambling, 138th in par-four average scoring, 142nd in SG: OTT, 161st in both SG: PUTT Bermuda and birdie-or-better percentage and 167th in GIR%. He's due for a bounce-back and how better than showing out in the first tournament of the season. 

Adam Svensson (+20000)

Svensson has been pretty good at this golf course over the past four seasons. He placed 30th in 2025, 20th in 2024, 41st in 2023 and seventh in 2022. He has not been good as of late however, missing the cut in his last two outings - Butterfield Bermuda Championship and The RSM Classic. He did place 21st at the World Wide Technology Championship however. He finished last season 29th on Tour in SG: ATG, 38th in hit fairway percentage, 39th in GIR%, 40th in proximity to the hole from 125-200 yards, 57th in SG: APP, 86th in scrambling, 124th in par-four average scoring, 133rd in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 145th in SG: OTT and 157th in birdie-or-better percentage.

2025 Betting Card

• Russell Henley (+2200) - T10th

• Brian Harman (+4500) - T21st

• Daniel Berger (+8000) - MC

• Mac Meissner (+9000) - T21st

• Nick Taylor (+12000) - 1st

• Ryo Hisatsune (+25000) - T65th

2024 Betting Card

• Tyrrell Hatton (+1600) - T13th

• Russell Henley (+2200) - T4th

• Justin Rose (+4500) - T57th

• Lucas Glover (+7500) - MC

• Aaron Rai (+7500) - T57th

• Ryan Moore (+15000) - MC