Sport
Sony Open in Hawaii preview: Hen to rule the roost
The wheels are in motion on the PGA Tour after last week’s curtain-raiser and the players don’t have far to travel this week.
It’s a simple case of island hopping for those making the trip from Kapalua to Honolulu for the Sony Open in Hawaii. The Waialae Country Club plays host again this year, as it has done since the tournament’s inception in 1965.
With just one tournament under our belt it’d be somewhat drastic to jump ship on all of last season’s trends. With that in mind, we’re keeping one of our Sentry selections onside, pairing him up with a man who has a seriously good track record here.
Russell Henley 20/1
The notion that the majority of PGA Tour events are essentially target golf practise is one that’s hard to argue against, especially when you look at last week’s winning score of 35-under-par. However frustrating it may be to watch players be annoyed at making par, you can only play what’s infront of you.
This kind of golf should suit our first selection down to a tee. Russell Henley was one of the best when it came to short approach play last year, something which will undoubtedly come in handy around this par-70 course which rewards accuracy over distance.
Henley sits fourth in the betting as a 20/1-shot, with those odds slightly inflated simply due to the lack of golf that has been played in 2025. Nontheless, this former runner-up and winner on debut can certainly make good value of those odds.
Last year’s stats put him fifth in the world for approach play from 50-125 yards and he appears to still be as strong as ever in that area, ranking 17th for strokes gained approaching the green at The Sentry last week.
The 8 places available with William Hill should be well within the American’s reach here given the slightly weaker field than he faced last week, and 12 years on from his triumph on debut here he’d surely love to lift the trophy once again.
Byeong-Hun An 28/1
After his steady showing at The Sentry gave us no reason to throw him aside, we’re sticking with Byeong-Hun An this week. He’s a slightly sorter price here at 28/1 but that won’t put us off as the competition isn’t as fierce.
A similar test to last week with accuracy on approach, the man who ranked 11th in the world for accuracy with approach shots from over 100 yards should be up to the test. The South Korean showed far more ball striking prowess off the tee than with the irons last week, but we’re hoping he can raise his level on the fairway’s here.
Finishing inside the 8 places available with William Hill here is something An knows how to do all too well. Finishing T12 on debut here in 2023, An improved on that when only missing out on a maiden PGA Tour victory via a playoff. One would hope that with another season’s experience under his belt, the South Korean prodigy can finally get that duck off his back.
