As they say in baseball, time begins on Opening Day. In the case of golf, the 2026 PGA Tour season begins on Thursday with the Sony Open in Hawaii.
The Sony Open in Hawaii marks a change from the traditional tournament that served as the PGA season opener, The Sentry at the Kapalua resort on the Plantation Course in Maui.
Because of a significant drought in Maui, water had to be conserved for residents and could not be spared to keep the course green. Additionally, PGA officials found the course significantly compromised and unfit for a tour event. Thus, the event was moved to the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
It is uncertain whether the Kapalua will ever host its PGA Tour event again.
A field of 120 players will compete at the Waialae Country Club for a purse of $9.1 million.
Regardless of location or form, this tournament has not been a draw for the top PGA Tour players in a number of years. Traveling across the Pacific for a single event is unappealing for the elite PGA Tour players.
The top names for this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii include Keegan Bradley, Ben Griffin, Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, and JJ Spaun.
2026 Sony Open in Hawaii Preview
The Sony Open in Hawaii will take place this week from January 15 through January 18, 2026, at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, HI. There are 500 FedEx Cup points at Stake with a purse of $9.1 million. Coverage is on ESPN+ and the Golf Channel.
2026 Sony Open in Hawaii Predictions
The 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii field is loaded with parity and lacks a dominant player.
Golf betting value has plenty of potential based on the parity of the field
Ben Griffin brings the best body of work, with a strong 2025, indicative of his ability to win tournaments.
2026 Sony Open in Hawaii Best Bet: Ben Griffin
2026 Sony Open in Hawaii Betting Tips
2026 Sony Open in Hawaii Odds
- Russell Henley +1100
- Ben Griffin +1400
- Collin Morikawa +1900
- Hideki Matsuyama +2000
- JJ Spaun +2000
- Robert MacIntyre +2000
- Keegan Bradley +2200
- Maverick McNealy +2500
- Si Woo Kim +2500
- Harry Hall +2500
- Nick Taylor +2700
- Chris Kirk +3300
- Jordan Spieth +3300
- Kurt Kitayama +3500
- Adam Scott +3500
- Corey Conners +3500
- Aaron Rai +4000
- Chris Gotterup +4000
- Keith Mitchell +4000
- Denny McCarthy +4500
- Brian Harman +4500
- Jake Knapp +4500
- Richard Hoey +4500
- Johnny Keefer +4500
- Nico Echavarria +4500
- Eric Cole +4500
- Taylor Pendrith +5000
- All Other Players +5500 or Higher
2026 Sony in Hawaii Head-to-Head and Key Stats
- Russell Henley has five career PGA Tour wins.
- Henley finished 2nd in the FedEx Cup standings in 2025 and is ranked 5th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
- Henley won the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
- Ben Griffin has three career PGA Tour wins, all of which occurred in 2025. The wins were the World Wide Technology Championship, Charles Schwab Challenge, and Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
- Griffin finished 10th in the 2025 FedEx Cup standings and ranks 8th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
- Hideki Matsuyama has 11 career wins, including in 2025 at The Sentry.
- Matsuyama finished 29th in the 2025 FedEx Cup standings and ranks 17th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
- JJ Spaun has two career PGA Tour wins, including the 2025 US Open.
- Spaun finished 25th in the 2025 FedEx Cup standings and is 6th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
- Collin Morikawa has six career PGA Tour wins, with his last win at the 2023 ZOZO Championship.
- Morikawa finished 19th in the FedEx Cup Standings and is 16th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
- Robert MacIntyre has two career PGA Tour wins, with the latest in 2024 at the Genesis Scottish Open and the RBC Canadian Open.
- MacIntyre finished 17th in the 2025 FedEx Cup standings and is 7th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
