Gotterup brings muscle to Waialae and still hits enough fairways
Waialae was meant to be the “real golf” reset: narrow fairways, Bermuda greens, trade winds and punishment for the impatient.
Waialae was meant to be the “real golf” reset: narrow fairways, Bermuda greens, trade winds and punishment for the impatient. It was, and then Chris Gotterup won anyway, by leaning into power and picking the right moments to take his medicine.
TOP 10 AND TIES — SONY OPEN IN HAWAII (Final)
Pos Player To Par Total R1 R2 R3 R4
1 Chris Gotterup -16 264 63 69 68 64
2 Ryan Gerard -14 266 69 64 68 65
3 Patrick Rodgers -13 267 66 67 69 65
T4 Robert MacIntyre -12 268 67 71 67 63
T4 Jacob Bridgeman -12 268 69 68 67 64
T6 Taylor Pendrith -11 269 69 68 68 64
T6 Daniel Berger -11 269 66 70 69 64
T6 Lee Hodges -11 269 70 67 67 65
T6 Harry Hall -11 269 65 69 66 69
T6 Davis Riley -11 269 67 64 67 71Waialae Country Club doesn’t usually flatter the bashers. That was the spine of our preview: it’s “short on the card” but awkward in the wind, with fairways that pinch and greens that make every nervy putt feel earned.
The leaderboard mostly agreed. The week belonged to players who kept it in play, hit enough greens, and cashed in on the scoring holes. And yet the trophy went to the biggest unit in the mix, because Gotterup didn’t try to win Waialae the old way. He won it by pairing 330-yard drives with a putter that turned the back nine into a slow suffocation.
The winning shape: power, then putting, then a clean kill at 17
Gotterup’s closing 64 was the round that broke the tournament. He finished 16-under 264, two clear, to become the first PGA Tour winner of 2026.
The mechanics were simple:
He accepted Waialae’s “fine line”: bomb when it gave you an angle, throttle back when it didn’t. That’s straight from his own reading of the course.
He made the mid-round putts that change the maths: a 20-footer at 12, a 25-footer at 13 (the hardest hole on the course), then the dagger: flag-hunting tee ball at the par-3 17th for a final birdie.
He got a gift and actually used it. Davis Riley started Sunday in front and then imploded in a four-hole spell (three-putt bogeys at 6 and 7, wild drive and double at 8). Gotterup didn’t just walk through the open door. He deadbolted it.
There’s a reason this win feels like more than a January pay cheque. He left as world No. 17, with three PGA Tour wins in three years, and a profile that now fits the PGA Tour A-list.
The chase: Gerard’s late heat, Rodgers’ familiar ache, MacIntyre’s warning shot
Ryan Gerard did what you’re meant to do at Waialae: keep making birdies until the leader forces you to stop. He closed with a 65 to finish second at 14-under, with birdies late to at least ask the question.
Patrick Rodgers finished third again, another near-miss, another week where he was there but couldn’t quite land the punch on the back nine until the last hole.
And Robert MacIntyre? The 63 on Sunday was the loudest “remember me” round of the lot. He didn’t win, but he announced a season: tied fourth, best score of the final day, and the kind of Waialae golf (controlled flight, sharp irons, confident putting, when not breaking them) that travels.
What this Sony Open said about Waialae and about the Tour’s opening act
Our preview framed Sony as the “season starts properly here” week, especially with The Sentry cancelled, turning Waialae into the first full-field start of 2026. That mattered. The vibe was less holiday, more land-grab: FedExCup points, Masters positioning, and a sense that you’d better bank something before the calendar turns brutal.
There was also a faint undertow in the reporting: the Hawaii swing is not guaranteed in its current shape. The AP/ESPN coverage noted Sony’s title sponsorship expiring and a broader push to shift the season start later in future years, with the final round carrying a subtle “don’t take this for granted” feel.
If that’s where this is heading, then Waialae made a decent closing argument for itself: an old-school course, real wind, and a leaderboard that rewarded decision-making. Even the winner proved the point. Gotterup didn’t win because he’s long. He won because he was long and disciplined enough to keep finding the fairway when it mattered.
Our week on the tips: one payday, plenty of pain
We went in heavy on the top of the board, Henley, Matsuyama, Spaun, Morikawa, MacIntyre, plus the defending champ Nick Taylor as the outside number.
The card got rescued by one thing: MacIntyre’s top-five finish. Everything else either drifted (Henley, Matsuyama), flatlined (Spaun), or went straight off the road (Morikawa missing the cut).
That’s Waialae for you. It doesn’t care about your reputation. It cares about your angles.
TIPS TRACKER — £1 EW (Total £2 stake per pick)
Assumption: 1/5 odds, 1–5 places (ties paid as standard). Adjust if your book differs.
Pick Odds Finish Result Return P/L
Russell Henley 11/1 T19 Lost £0.00 -£2.00
Hideki Matsuyama 17/1 T13 Lost £0.00 -£2.00
J.J. Spaun 18/1 T40 Lost £0.00 -£2.00
Collin Morikawa 20/1 CUT Lost £0.00 -£2.00
Robert MacIntyre 20/1 T4 Place only £5.00 +£3.00
Nick Taylor 45/1 T13 Lost £0.00 -£2.00
Total staked: £12.00
Total returned: £5.00
Net P/L: -£7.00