Sony Open in Hawaii preview: Waialae is back. Narrow, breezy, and not impressed by your ball speed.
The PGA Tour’s first full-field week of 2026 starts on Oahu. It’s a short course on the card, but it plays long in the head.
The PGA Tour’s first full-field week of 2026 starts on Oahu. It’s a short course on the card, but it plays long in the head. Fairways pinch, Bermuda greens bite, and the trade winds decide who gets to attack.
The PGA Tour season starts properly here
The Sony Open has always been the “real golf” week in Hawaii. This year, it becomes even more literal.
With The Sentry cancelled, the Sony Open is the opening event of the 2026 PGA Tour season. That shifts the feel. Players aren’t easing in. They’re trying to bank a result before the calendar accelerates.
Sony’s event release sets the week for 15–18 January 2026, with a $9.1m purse and a winner’s cheque of $1.638m.
And the early narrative is simple: Nick Taylor is defending and chasing something we don’t see often at Waialae, a repeat champion (last achieved by Jimmy Walker in 2015).
Course preview: Waialae Country Club, short by modern standards, sharp at the edges
Waialae is not a resort bully. It’s a classic par-70 that asks you to hit your spots.
Par/yardage: Par 70, 7,044 yards (tournament set-up).
Routing: 12 par 4s, four par 3s, two par 5s.
Scoring pressure points: both par 5s are “must-score” holes — they close the front nine (No. 9) and the tournament on 18.
What makes it tricky isn’t length. It’s constraint.
Some have called Waialae a “Golden Age” course, with pinches that keep longer players from simply smashing the driver everywhere. DataGolf’s course-fit read is even blunter: year after year, Waialae favours accuracy.
Then there’s the Pacific. Waialae sits on the coast, and the trade winds turn a comfortable wedge number into a nervy flighted 8-iron. Golfshake’s course profile leans into those “gentle trade winds” and notes the ocean-bordering par-3 eighth as a signature hole.
How it’s won at Waialae:
keep the ball in play (because the course narrows in the wrong places),
cash in on the two par 5s,
and putt well on Bermuda when the wind turns every 10-footer into work.
Past winners in the field and why Waialae rewards familiarity
This tournament has a long memory. It’s been played at Waialae in its modern form since 1965. Repeat success is rare but not impossible; Jimmy Walker holds the modern record with two wins.
The good news for punters: plenty of proven Sony Open winners are back again.
Nick Taylor (defending champion)
Russell Henley (2013 winner)
Hideki Matsuyama (2022 winner)
Matt Kuchar (2019 winner)
Patton Kizzire (2018 winner)
Zach Johnson (2009 winner)
And the market tells you another former champ is very much in the mix: Si Woo Kim (2023 winner) is priced among the favourites.
That matters because Waialae is one of those venues where knowing when not to attack is half the job. It’s not just “course history” as a buzzword. It’s local knowledge: wind patterns, where the fairways slope, and which pins are sucker pins.
Big names: contenders, major winners, and a very live middle class
This isn’t a major field, but it’s a strong season-opener field, and the books are treating it that way.
Golf Channel (via DraftKings) makes Russell Henley the clear favourite, with a cluster behind him that includes major winners and Ryder Cup-level names.
The top of the board (DraftKings via Golf Channel)
Russell Henley (+1100 / 11-1)
Hideki Matsuyama (+1700 / 17-1)
Ben Griffin (+1700 / 17-1)
J.J. Spaun (+1800 / 18-1)
then a pack at +2000 (20-1): Si Woo Kim, Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley
You can see the shape: accuracy types, strong iron players, and men who can handle par-70 pressure. That’s Waialae.
And a quick note on context: the field strength is not just “names we recognise”. One preview notes 20 of the OWGR top 50 are here. Even allowing for how fluid rankings are, it underlines the point: this is not a sleepy January afterthought.
Tips: favourites, challengers, and an outside pick we can justify
Odds are volatile across books, but using Golf Channel’s DraftKings board as the baseline:
Likely winners from the favourites
Russell Henley (11-1)
He’s a favourite for a reason. Former champion. Reliable off the tee. He doesn’t need to overpower Waialae; he just needs to keep leaning on fairways and mid-irons.
Hideki Matsuyama (17-1)
If the wind shows up, I want elite ball-striking. Matsuyama is that. He’s also a past winner here, which matters when the closing holes start to feel tight.
Other players with a proper chance
J.J. Spaun (18-1)
If you’re looking for someone to turn “season opener” energy into a run, Spaun fits. He’s priced as a true contender, and this is the sort of course where a hot iron week can carry you.
Collin Morikawa (20-1)
Waialae is not a bomber’s paradise. It’s an iron test when the wind gets up. Morikawa is always one week away from making the course look simple.
Robert MacIntyre (20-1)
If it turns into a scrappy wind week, he’s comfortable living in that space. He’s also priced fairly in a deep top tier.
Outside pick
Nick Taylor (45-1)
Defending champions don’t often repeat here; that’s the point, but the number is the appeal.
Taylor has already proved he can win Waialae under Sunday pressure, and the course is built for players who accept boring golf: fairways, greens, take the par 5s, and wait for the wind to hand you your chances.
The closer: the kind of week the game needs
The Sony Open is good for golf because it’s honest. No theatrics. No artificial difficulty. Just a tight coastal par-70 where accuracy keeps you alive, and the wind keeps you humble.
And as 2026 begins, with plenty of chatter still swirling around the broader ecosystem of pro golf, Waialae offers the cleanest reset possible: four rounds, a classic course, and a leaderboard earned the hard way. That’s a season-start worth having.
