DraftKings preview: Sony Open in Hawaii

The PGA TOUR finishes up its annual Hawaii two-step this week with the Sony Open in Hawaii. Waialae Country Club will be the host course, and measures as a 7,044-yard par 70 with Bermudagrass greens. After an abbreviated 59-man field last week at Kapalua, we return to a standard Full-Field Event this week with a 36-hole cut

The field will be headlined by last year’s winner, Si Woo Kim, along with plenty of other firepower, in the form of Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg. Chris Kirk will also be teeing it up after winning The Sentry last week.

Below, I have outlined three of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here:PGA TOUR $600K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st]

Corey Conners ($9,800)

Being that this event usually turns into somewhat of a putting contest every year, Conners would not be the first guy that comes to mind when you think of course history. However, the Canadian has some of the best results in the field, having finished T12 or better in each of his past four starts at Waialae, including a T3 in 2019.

He’s also coming off a week at Kapalua where he struck the ball beautifully, gaining four strokes on Approach. Unfortunately, he lost over five strokes on the greens. The good news is that he’s always putted well on the greens well at Waialae CC in his career, averaging gaining .51 strokes per round.

Conners might be a bit chalky this week, but when you factor in his course history and recent ball-striking numbers, he’s a really strong play at $9,800.

Matt Kuchar ($7,800)

If we are talking about Waialae course history, Kuchar’s name moves to the top of the list. The gentle giant has played this event eight times over the past decade with six finishes inside the top 15. He has rattled off a pair of T7s, both coming in the past two years, so his recent form at this event has been strong.

Kuchar stayed active this Fall, playing five times across both the PGA and DP World Tour, while finishing T7 at the Fortinet and then runner-up at the World Wide Technology Championship.

He should be ready to rock in his first start of 2024 at a course he loves, and this $7,800 is way too cheap for his upside.

Ben Griffin ($7,400)

The types of players who have had success at Waialae CC are those with strong approach games and strong putters. Griffin checks both of those boxes, especially recently. Griffin led the field at the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship in Strokes Gained: Approach at 7.11 strokes gained, which yielded a T2 finish. Of the 140 players in the field this week, Griffin ranks No. 2 in SG: Putting over his past 12 rounds at 2.29 strokes gained. These are things we love to see from anyone, but even more so when searching for value plays.

Griffin is also someone who played quite often this past fall, having enjoyed success as well. He could have won the Sanderson Farms Championship back in October, but ultimately lost a five-man playoff to Luke List.

He did rebound, however, finishing T23 at the World Wide Technology Championship, before closing out the fall with a T8 at The RSM Classic. Griffin returns to Waialae CC after finishing T12 here in his debut last year, where he gained over a full stroke per round putting.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $600K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.