By: Jake Friedman
Introduction:
The PGA Tour stays in Hawaii for its first full field event of the season at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The host of this event is Wai'alae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. It's a par 70 that measures just over 7,000 yards. We are in for another birdie-fest this week, although it shouldn't be nearly as bad as last week at Kapalua where Hideki Matsuyama won at -35. Wind could and should play a factor this week. The areas that I focused on when evaluating the field is short & middle irons, putting, and driving accuracy, in that order. 8 of the last 11 winners at this tournament teed it up the week prior at The Sentry Tournament of Champions, but 2 of the last 3 have not played the week before so take that stat as you will.
DFS:
10k Range
Corey Conners ($10,200) - My pick to win this week, I think he is going to come in very highly owned, but I'm willing to eat the chalk. Conners teed it up last week where he was 1st in strokes gained putting (and no that is not a typo). An area of the game Conners tends to struggle, he led the field. Last week at The Sentry, Conners finished T5. At the Sony, Conners has teed it up 6 times and has 4 Top 15 finishes. If he can keep the putter scorching hot from last week and not get crushed around the greens, Conners brings a very strong off the tee and iron game. I think he has a very strong chance of lifting his 3rd trophy on the PGA Tour.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 14th
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 21st
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 3rd
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 124th
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 128th
9k Range
Robert MacIntyre ($9,300) - A player who I don't think is being talked about enough this week is Bobby Mac. He finished last week at The Sentry with a T15 where the flat stick let him down. This is reverse logic to my Conners play above, the putter is the most volatile part of the game and MacIntyre over the long term has proven he is an above average putter. In his only appearance at The Sony last year, he finished T52. This is a golf course where being in the right position and knowing where to be is crucial and I think last years experience will lead to this years success for Bobby Mac. Additionally, if the wind picks up this week in Hawaii, MacIntyre is a phenomenal player when it comes to playing in those conditions. His approach and driving accuracy numbers have continued to climb over his last few starts and if the putter cooperates, I can see the 2x winner last year on the PGA Tour contending this week to lift his 3rd trophy in his last 18 tournaments.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 30th
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 37th
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 113th
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 51st
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 35th
8k Range
Sepp Straka ($8,000) - The price point is just too low to pass up on Straka this week. For how good his off the tee and approach game are, his around the green and putting balance him out. In particular, his around the green game is abysmal. What I love about Straka is that even though he struggles with the short game, he still has the ability to spike with the putter which is essential to scoring. Last week at The Sentry, Straka finished T15 where he only lost on strokes around the green. His course history here isn't anything incredible but he's made the cut at The Sony the last 3 times he's played with a T25 back in 2021. Straka just carries too much upside to pass up on him this week.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 91st
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 48th
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 40th
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 172nd
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 104th
7k Range
Seamus Power ($7,400) - Pouring in birdies this week is important so one of the first players to come into my mind was Seamus Power. He tends to show up at birdie-fests and can get the flat stick hot in a hurry. He is generally an all around average golfer with an above average short game. He's making his first start of the 2025 season this week and his course history is a little bleak here outside of the T3 he had back in 2022. If the wind becomes a significant factor this week he's another player who tends to play well under those conditions.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 63rd
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 95th
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 57th
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 95th
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 91st
6k Range
Henrik Norlander ($6,800) - If you've been following me or my articles through the swing season you know I have a Norlander problem. I can't stop betting him or putting him in my DFS lineups and I continue the streak with him this week. He is an elite iron player who puts the ball in the fairway. This skillset is a recipe for success when all you need in the short game to get hot. I've been waiting for that day to come and I'm not ready to jump off the train just yet. He is making his debut for the 2025 season and at this tournament in 6 appearances, he has 1 Top 10 and 1 Top 20 which is good enough for me to feel decent about him this week.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 58th
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 103rd
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 11th
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 99th
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 131st
Outright Betting Card:
Corey Conners (+1600) - If you read the DFS section, no need to re-read this unless you want to, it's the same write up. Conners teed it up last week where he was 1st in strokes gained putting (and no that is not a typo). An area of the game Conners tends to struggle, he led the field. Last week at The Sentry, Conners finished T5. At the Sony, Conners has teed it up 6 times and has 4 Top 15 finishes. If he can keep the putter scorching hot from last week and not get crushed around the greens, Conners brings a very strong off the tee and iron game. I think he has a very strong chance of lifting his 3rd trophy on the PGA Tour.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 14th
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 21st
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 3rd
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 124th
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 128th
Daniel Berger (+6600) - During the swing season, it looked like Berger started to get back to his old self. This was highlighted with his 7th place finish at the Sanderson, T20 at the World Wide Technologies, and T2 at The RSM Classic which was the last time we saw Berger. He's making his season debut this week and his course history is very solid. In 6 appearences, he's made the cut in all 6 and has 3 Top 15 finishes. His game fits this course extremely well putting the ball in the fairway and using those short to middle irons. Like I mentioned earlier in the article, the putter is the most variable part of the game. If Berger can get the putter rolling and the irons cooperate, we can see Daniel Berger back in the winners circle.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 77th
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 24th
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 62nd
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 75th
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 163rd
Henrik Norlander (+20000) - If you read the DFS section, no need to re-read this unless you want to, it's the same write up. If you've been following me or my articles through the swing season you know I have a Norlander problem. I can't stop betting him or putting him in my DFS lineups and I continue the streak with him this week. He is an elite iron player who puts the ball in the fairway. This skillset is a recipe for success when all you need in the short game to get hot. I've been waiting for that day to come and I'm not ready to jump off the train just yet. He is making his debut for the 2025 season and at this tournament in 6 appearances, he has 1 Top 10 and 1 Top 20 which is good enough for me to feel decent about him this week.
Strokes Gained Total (2024) - 58th
Strokes Gained Off the tee (2024) - 103rd
Strokes Gained Approach (2024) - 11th
Strokes Gained Around the green (2024) - 99th
Strokes Gained Putting (2024) - 131st
Disclaimer:
The betting tips and suggestions provided are for informational and entertainment purposes only. There is no guarantee of winning, and outcomes may vary.
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