Sony Open in Hawaii betting tips and preview

Starts 5pm Thursday
Live on Sky Sports Golf from midnight Thursday

Justin Thomas has a 59 to his name at Waialae Country Club and the 2017 Sony Open champion is clear favourite to take the title again this week. Third place in the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Sunday, where he closed with a 65, was an excellent warm-up.

Thomas should relish the conditions over the next four days – fairly windless skies are forecast and the course will lend itself to low scoring – and punters happy to take 13-2 are getting a fair price about the likeliest winner.

Gary Woodland, runner-up in the Sentry despite starting the final round with a three-shot advantage, is bidding to go one better in the Sony. Masters champ Patrick Reed, 25th of 33 Sentry runners, is another who has made the short hop from Maui to Honolulu.
Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama, both winless last year and sliding down the world rankings, are returning to the fray at Waialae.

Palmer's top tip
Charles Howell 30-1

US Tour earnings of $37m have meant Charles Howell III has always been able to look in the mirror with a sense of pride, but the long victory drought after his 2007 Nissan Open success had made golf a frustrating game for the Augusta man.

There were almost five years between wins one and two, and almost 12 between wins two and three, but Howell may not have to wait long for victory number four. The Sony Open has always been one of his favourite events and he approaches it this time with increased levels of confidence and swagger.

Howell got off to a terrible start when defending a lead in the final round of the RSM Classic in November, going three over par through two holes, the dearth of silverware clearly weighing heavily on his mind. What followed was one of the most courageous and inspiring stories of the golfing season, as the man known as Chucky Three Sticks showed why he was once rated a potential world-beater and probable Major champion.

Howell covered the final 14 holes of the RSM Classic in a bogey-free six under par, carding birdies at the 15th, 16th and 17th to access a playoff against Patrick Rodgers, before delivering another birdie at the second extra hole to claim the trophy. The super-talented 39-year-old had finally completed his US Tour hat-trick.

Howell has had a huge weight lifted from his shoulders – some overdue glory to go with his enormous bank balance – and he is swinging with freedom as he stalks the top 50 of the world rankings. The floodgates could open for him over the next couple of years and the Sony looks a superb opportunity for this great underachiever to enhance his mantelpiece.

AS with the RSM, Howell has a seaside track to tackle, and he adores Waialae Country Club. He finished fourth on his Sony debut in 2002 and his full course form figures are 4-15-27-3-53-2-69-4-5-68-2-3-8-26-13-8-32. He has placed seven times and has failed to shoot under par in just one of his last 28 Waialae rounds.

Since his RSM heroics, Howell has finished third, partnering Luke List, in the QBE Shootout, and 14th in the Sentry, where he improved as the week progressed. Some Christmas rust, along with 11 years away from the course, probably contributed to his opening round of 74 in the Sentry, but he was eight under par for the weekend and the Kapalua spin should mean he can hit the ground running at Waialae.

In the last 20 years, the US Tour has opened at Kapalua before moving to Waialae, and 14 Sony winners played in both events. Not all of the tiny Tournament of Champions field stay in Hawaii for the Sony, so 14 from 20 is a compelling statistic when you consider only about 15 percent of the Sony runners arrive from Kapalua.

Next best
Patton Kizzire 40-1

Another player who should benefit from getting back in the swing of things at Kapalua is Patton Kizzire, who, like Howell, has regained self-belief after a barren spell. Kizzire finished eighth in the Sentry on Sunday, putting well and closing with a five-under-par 68.

Kizzire tied for 15th in the RSM, then won the QBE Shootout alongside Brian Harman, so form has returned at the perfect time for his Sony Open title defence.With perfect weather forecast, putting well is essential for success, and few are rolling their rock with more assurance than two-time US Tour champ Kizzire.

Other selections
Cameron Smith 33-1
Brian Harman 66-1
Si Woo Kim 60-1

Complete your staking plan with three players who can overcome the handicap of lacking a run at Kapalua. The trio were all fairly active before Christmas so have not had long for rust to become a serious issue.

Cameron Smith has competed six times since the Tour Championship, compiling form figures of 22-7-54 on the Far East swing of the US Tour, before finishing tenth in the Australian Open, second alongside Marc Leishman in the World Cup for Australia, then first in the Australian PGA Championship. Smith was brilliant in the World Cup and closed out his successful PGA title defence in hugely impressive fashion.

Smith has won a pairs event on the US Tour – the 2017 Zurich Classic alongside Jonas Blixt – but is hungry for a breakthrough as an individual. Waialae is a track which sets up well for him and progressive course form figures of 81-27-18 should see another leap forward.

Harman, like partner Kizzire, enjoyed a timely confidence boost from the QBE Shootout. Harman finished fourth in the Sony last year to move up to 20th in the world rankings but has slipped outside the top 50. The QBE fillip and a return to Waialae, a perfect layout for him, could be catalysts to glory for the 2017 US Open runner-up.

Si Woo Kim finished 2018 strongly, with form figures of 10-23-15-26 despite taking nine at the par-four sixth hole in round three of the Shriners Open. The world-class Korean, 2017 Sawgrass champion and a two-time US Tour victor at the age of 23, finished fourth on his Sony debut in 2016 and can be fancied to pepper pins this week.

Others to note
Bryson DeChambeau
The world number five must be respected anywhere these days, but a birdie-free back-nine at Kapalua on Sunday was poor and he finished 49th in his only previous Sony.

Scott Piercy
The runners from Kapalua should all be considered and Piercy was eight under par for the weekend after a slow start. The 2015 Sony runner-up has every chance of contending.

Emiliano Grillo
The Argentinian putted better last season and has the tools to tame Waialae CC. This dangerman was last seen finishing second alongside Graeme McDowell in the QBE Shootout.

Kevin Kisner
The Carolinian has placed in two of the last three Sony Opens, but he was abysmal alongside Cameron Champ in the QBE Shootout last time out and has not competed much lately.

Russell Henley
The runaway 2013 champion, who carded three 63s on his way to a maiden US Tour title, must always be considered for this event. Recent efforts, though, have been seriously underwhelming.

Chris Kirk
The four-time US Tour champ was Sony runner-up in 2014 and will be relishing the premium on putting at a windless Waialae.

Staking plan
C Howell
2pts each-way 30-1 Betfair, Betfred, Sky Bet
P Kizzire
1.5pts each-way 40-1 Betfair, Boyles, Sky Bet
C Smith
1.5pts each-way 33-1 Betfair, Sky Bet
B Harman
1pt each-way 66-1 BetBright
S W Kim
1pt each-way 60-1 Sky Bet

The lowdown

Course Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii

Prize money $6.4m ($1.16m to the winner)

Length 7,044 yards

Par 70

Field 144

Course records – 72 holes 253 Justin Thomas (2017); 18 holes 59 Justin Thomas (2017)

Course winners taking part Jerry Kelly, Vijay Singh, Zach Johnson, Johnson Wagner, Russell Henley, Jimmy Walker (twice), Fabian Gomez, Justin Thomas, Patton Kizzire

When to bet By 5pm Thursday

Where to watch Live on Sky Sports from midnight Thursday

Time difference Hawaii is ten hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week – Sentry Tournament of Champions 1 X Schauffele (25-1), 2 G Woodland (25-1), 3 J Thomas (9-1), T4 D Johnson (11-2), M Leishman (25-1), R McIlroy (11-1)

Course overview Waialae staged the Hawaiian Open until 1998, at which point US Tour chiefs oversaw an upgrading of the track, which became the venue for the Sony Open thereafter. Waialae contrasts greatly with the wide-open Plantation Course which the likes of Justin Thomas faced for the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui last week. The fairways are thin, the greens are small and accuracy is the key to success. The Hawaii turf and the trade winds are similar to Kapalua though. A steady breeze usually adds to the Waialae test and the most difficult holes are the 488-yard par-four first, the fiddly 426-yard par-four second and the 478-yard par-four 13th. There are only two par-fives (the ninth and 18th). The winning score was between 13 and 16 under par for six years until red-hot rookie Russell Henley destroyed the course record by four shots in 2013. Scoring has been super-low since, with Thomas shooting a 59 two years ago.

Story of last year Patton Kizzire beat James Hahn at the sixth extra hole of an epic playoff after they both tied at 17 under par in regulation play.

Weather forecast Sunny and hot for all four days, with hardly any breeze

Type of player suited to challenge Pure, accurate ball-striking has typically been the foundation for success at Waialae, as demonstrated by recent wins for Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, David Toms, Paul Goydos, KJ Choi, Zach Johnson, Mark Wilson, Johnson Wagner and Fabian Gomez. But sharp scrambling around the small greens is also important. Perfect weather means a hot putter is essential this week – scoring should be extremely low

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