The first full-field event of the 2025 PGA Tour season takes place at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii this week, with a stellar line-up battling it out for the Sony Open spoils.
Established in 1965, this event has been held at Waialae CC for every edition and this tree-lined, par-70 course, measuring just over 7,000 yards, demands accuracy on approach and a hot putter.
- COREY CONNERS TO WIN AND EACH-WAY
- HIDEKI MATSUYAMA TO WIN AND EACH-WAY
- PATRICK FISHBURN TOP-10 FINISH
Conners Can End Trophy Drought
Canadian Corey Conners has had six cracks at the Sony Open and he came closest to winning in 2019 when ending up in third, that result going alongside finishes of 39-12-11-12-57.
The 33-year-old ended 2024 in positive fashion with two top-10 finishes in a row, at the Procore Championship on the PGA Tour and the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP circuit, and he started off the new year with a tie for fifth at The Sentry last week.
Conners was third in strokes gained approach and 26th in greens in regulation last season, evidence of how strong he was on approach, but it was the putter which has stopped him from tasting success since his Texas Open win in April 2023.
He was 128th in strokes gained putting in the last campaign but the world number 33 has clearly been working hard to improve this area of his game, leading the field in this department at The Sentry.
Armed with a red-hot flat stick, Conners looks to have a great chance of lifting the trophy in Hawaii.
COREY CONNERS TO WIN AND EACH-WAY
Matsuyama May Continue Hot Start
Hideki Matsuyama produced a blistering, record-breaking performance to win The Sentry on Sunday, holding off Collin Morikawa's challenge to win by three shots on -35 and break the PGA TOUR record to par for 72 holes.
The 32-year-old made 33 birdies and two eagles over the four rounds, showcasing his fantastic performance, and it would be no surprise to see him in the mix in Hawaii.
Matsuyama won this event in 2022, beating Russell Henley in a playoff, while his other notable results here were a 12th-place finish in 2020 and a 19th the following year.
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA TO WIN AND EACH-WAY
Fishburn Fancied To Enjoy Hawaii Debut
Patrick Fishburn is still searching for his maiden PGA Tour title but there were plenty of positive signs in the second half of 2024 to suggest a first win may not be too far away.
The 32-year-old recorded top-five finishes at the Barracuda Championship and Procore Championship, while his last outing of the year ended with a tied-eighth result at the RSM Classic.
Fishburn led the tour in greens in regulation last season, hitting 935 greens from 1,260 holes to boast a 74.21 percentage, while he was also fifth in total driving (accuracy and distance combined).
The American will be making his Sony Open debut this week and while a case can be made for him to go all the way, the safer play is to back him to record a top-10 finish.
PATRICK FISHBURN TOP-10 FINISH
