Sony Open in Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Waialae Country Club - Par 70 - 7,044 yards
Field - 120 entrants
Purse - $9.1M
The Preview
The 2026 PGA Tour season begins with what could be the final rendition of the Sony Open in Hawaii, as future scheduling modifications likely eliminate this long-standing stop at Honolulu's Waialae Country Club, which has hosted the event since 1965. Nonetheless, Waialae's short par-70 layout features two easily reachable par-5s, as well as four par-3s that all measure between 176-204 yards. This leaves the 120-man field with 12 par-4s, 10 of which play inside the 400-500 yard range. Driving accuracy is paramount this week as players are forced to navigate narrow doglegs while attempting to avoid 3.5-inch surrounding rough. Meanwhile, nearly 75 percent of all approach shots are likely to come from 100-200 yards out into these big bermuda greens, upon which putting contests can ensue when the coastal breeze is tame. However, strong winds are forecasted throughout the week, so for the fourth straight year, we probably see the eventual champion struggle to flirt with the 20-under-par mark.
Recent Champions
2025 - Nick Taylor
2024 - Grayson Murray
2023 - Si Woo Kim
2022 - Hideki Matsuyama
2021 - Kevin Na
2020 - Cameron Smith
2019 - Matt Kuchar
2018 - Patton Kizzire
2017 - Justin Thomas
2016 - Fabian Gomez
Key Stats to Victory
Proximity (under 200 yards)
Driving accuracy
SG: Putting (bermuda)
Birdie or Better Percentage
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Russell Henley - $45
The 11-1 outright betting favorite owns both a victory (2013) and a playoff loss (2022) at Waialae, having added a couple more top-10s here the past two years as well. Given his profile as an extremely accurate driver that also ranked top-15 on Tour in both SG: Approach and SG: Around-the-Green last season, it makes perfect sense why Henley is a horse for the course.
J.J. Spaun - $44
Coming off a career year in which he became a major champion at the U.S. Open, Spaun provides a lofty enough floor/ceiling combination to make a $44 salary worth the cost among this field. He held the 54-hole lead at the 2025 Sony Open before ultimately tying for third place, though he paced the event in GIR percentage by hitting 61 of 72 greens in regulation.
Ben Griffin - $42
Griffin racked up three wins while rapidly ascending to a top-10 position in the Official World Golf Ranking before the turn of the calendar year, and he's coming off one of those victories in his most recent outing at November's World Wide Technology Championship. He ranks top-3 in both SG: Approach and SG: Putting over his past 50 measured rounds.
Glue Guys
Si Woo Kim - $36
Kim has placed fourth or better in two of his eight previous trips to Waialae Country Club, highlighted by a win here in 2023 when he gained 8.2 strokes on approach. He finished top-25 in six consecutive starts from the FedEx St. Jude Championship through The RSM Classic to close out his 2025 campaign on a high note, relying on pinpoint accuracy off the tee. If I were handling the pricing, Kim would carry at least a $40 salary next to Maverick McNealy and Aaron Rai this week, and I expect this sentiment to be reflected in Kim's ownership.
Harry Hall - $33
The Englishman tied for first-round leader honors on the way to a T10 result at last year's Sony Open, ultimately ranking third among the field in putting average while gaining 6.2 strokes with the flat stick. Hall's short game is world class, and that can be a significant separation factor at a venue like Waialae.
Eric Cole - $28
Cole notched a pair of top-10s and another top-25 throughout his last five starts of the 2025 FedExCup Fall, notably ranking fourth among The RSM Classic in putts per GIR and fifth in SG: Approach during the season finale. He's top-15 in both SG: APP and SG: Putting over his past 50 rounds, and Cole placed solo-fifth at last year's Sony Open when he gained 5.8 strokes with his irons and another 5.2 strokes on the greens.
Bargain Bin
Rico Hoey - $20
The $20 minimum salary features several viable targets, so in typical Yahoo DFS fashion, stars and scrubs lineup builds figure to be fairly popular. Hoey's putter is a glaring concern, but his elite ball striking is well worth the discounted price tag. To close out his FedExCup Fall, Hoey went on a T4-2-T21-T22-T7 run from the Baycurrent Classic through The RSM Classic.
Mac Meissner - $20
Meissner's 2025 campaign was highlighted by a runner-up effort at the Wyndham Championship in early August, and he hasn't missed a single cut since July's Barracuda Championship. Over his last 50 rounds, Meissner resides top-8 in both SG: APP and Prox: 125-150, but he also ranked fifth on Tour in scrambling this past year. Additionally, he tied for 21st in his Sony Open debut last season, gaining six strokes on approach in the process.
Kristoffer Reitan - $20
Coming over from the DP World Tour where he posted back-to-back top-5s at the FedEx Open de France and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship during the fall, Reitan can be found as short as 50/1 in the outright betting market for his Sony Open debut. The discrepancy between Reitan's market value and his lowly Yahoo salary is evident, but as a relatively unknown name, he could slip through the cracks in this spot.
Looking for the best golf picks on Yahoo? Find the top Yahoo PGA DFS picks and value plays for every tournament from RotoWire golf expert Bryce Danielson.
