For many of the PGA Tour professionals making the trip to Waialae Country Club for the Sony Open it will be their first golf of 2015. After a reasonable break, once the wraparound had got underway, players have the luxury of travelling to a place of known luxury. With scorching temperatures and unbelievable hospitality it’s understandable players would want to make themselves available for this one.
That said, the field is not the strongest that will compete in 2015. World number 8 Jason Day is the highest ranked player, Matt Kuchar at 11 is next, and then four others in the top 25 make up the main contenders. Whether the winner comes from that list will be dependent on who handles the heat and the narrow setup of the course the best over the challenging four days.
The Course
Waialae Country Club has been associated with the PGA Tour for 50 years. It’s no surprise either, for Waialae is a beautifully designed golf course which references plenty of international courses in its 7,044 yards. The par 70 venue from designers Seth Raynor and Charles Banks may be familiar to a lot of observers because it features in a large number of golfing video games
The Sound Bites
“I think (instructor Butch Harmon) was texting my wife with about four holes to go, and he said, four fairways, four greens, and we’re home…and that’s what we did.” – Jimmy Walker thought he ha done another to win in his final round at Kapalua before he was pipped by Patrick Reed.
“No. I do it myself.” – Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama’s quick response when asked if he had a swing coach to help him prepare for the Sony Open.
The Defending Champion
Jimmy Walker was in the middle of a ridiculously good stretch of golf when the tournament was here in 2014. Walker won for the second time in six starts and perched himself atop of the FedEx Cup points for some time thereafter.
The Contenders*
Jason Day – $14.50
Jimmy Walker – $19.00
Chris Kirk – $21.00
Zach Johnson – $27.00
Hideki Matsuyama – $28.00
Charles Howell III – $50.00
*Sony Open odds courtesy of Betfair Australia.
The Winner
Charles Howell III is attractive. In thirteen appearances in this event he has an incredible eight top-10’s. Zach Johnson, who we predicted would win last week but just missed out, is also a popular pick after winning at the course previously. His accurate game is well-suited to the small greens of Waialae. However, where going to pick Jason Day. He’s due a win and will be full of confidence after his final round 62 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
