Power Rankings: Sony Open in Hawaii
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The mere existence of Honolulu, Hawaii, is enough of a reason to visit – especially in early January – so the backdrop is the bonus for the first full-field tournament of the PGA TOUR season.
Not unlike how a tee time in The Sentry is tangible evidence of a job well done the year prior, the same can be said about qualifying for the 144-man field of this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. With freshly minted cards, the latest membership class is ready to splash.
As it has throughout the history of the tournament, Waialae Country Club serves as the host. Details of the test and other nuggets are below.
| Rank | Player | Comment |
| 15 | Tyrrell Hatton | His up-and-down debut at Kapalua featured an 11-under 62 in the second round en route to a T14. Although he presents as a bigger threat when par is a goal, that primer positions him nicely to keep it floored in his first appearance at Waialae CC. |
| 14 | Ludvig Åberg | Oh, and he has mettle, too. Distanced himself in his debut at Kapalua with a third-round 77 but responded with a bogey-free, 10-under 63 in the finale. It included six birdies on his last seven holes. Consider it a moral victory with receipts. |
| 13 | Denny McCarthy | Cracked the seal on 2024 with a T43 in his first appearance at Kapalua, but the upside is that he’s no longer cold, nor are his irons to give his top-shelf putting its chance to do work. Paced the PGA TOUR inside 10 feet last season. |
| 12 | Matt Kuchar | The 45-year-old has been a threat in earnest at Waialae CC since a T5 in 2011. Dating back to it, he’s 8-for-10 with a win (2019) among seven top 10s. He’s also fourth in all-time tournament earnings. Strong fall included three top 20s worldwide. |
| 11 | Eric Cole | The 2022-23 Rookie of the Year opened 2024 with a T14 in his debut at Kapalua. It’s absurd that it’s his second-worst finish of his last six starts. Golf’s preeminent gym rat with the scorer’s mentality now gets to tackle Waialae CC for the second time. |
| 10 | Matt Fitzpatrick | Oiled up for his tournament debut with a T14 at Kapalua. Not that he requires too much prep given his short game and putting but reminding the muscles that it’s time to punch a clock never hurts. Sits No. 8 in the OWGR, tops in the field. |
| 9 | Sahith Theegala | While he didn’t win The Sentry, the runner-up further proves that he’s easing into his status as a PGA TOUR winner quite comfortably. Of course, this has been on his trajectory since he turned pro but there’s a veteran moxie to the 26-year-old. |
| 8 | Si Woo Kim | Fourth title defense for the 28-year-old. It’s been seven months since he recorded a top-15 finish, but he recently partnered with Sungjae Im to win the gold medal in the Asian Games. Prepped for this week with a T25 at The Sentry. |
| 7 | J.J. Spaun | He can hang anywhere but his skill set plays up when the approach game is rewarded as well as it is at Waialae CC. He was in the hunt early last year before backpedaling for a T12, still a personal best in six trips. Closed out 2023 very strong. |
| 6 | Byeong Hun An | Returned to action with gusto for a fourth-place finish in his debut at The Sentry, so expectations remain elevated for his second go-around at Waialae CC. Placed T12 here a year ago during what was a career-best season on the PGA TOUR. |
| 5 | Corey Conners | Tuned up at Kapalua (T33) but his rubber has met the road at Waialae CC where he’s perfect in five trips. Since 2019, he has a T3 among four top-12 finishes and a scoring average of 66.81. His irons are stronger relatively with a little wind. |
| 4 | Russell Henley | The exception to the rule (see below) has been a fixture at Waialae CC since his breakthrough win in 2013. He was a playoff victim just two years ago and his scoring average across his last 12 rounds here is a sporty 65.92. Fresh off a fruitful 2023. |
| 3 | Chris Kirk | Seeking to become the latest since Justin Thomas in 2017 to sweep the Opening Drive (The Sentry and Sony Open). And why not? The Sentry champion has a pair of runner-up finishes, a third and a T5 among five top 10s at Waialae CC. He’s never missed a trip in 14 years. |
| 2 | J.T. Poston | The stars are aligned for something special. Waialae CC suits him so well as a scorer but he’s concluded his six trips with no better than a T20 in 2019. Most recently, however, he’s been on a tear. Six top 10s in the last six months; T5 at Kapalua. |
| 1 | Brian Harman | Already on the board with a T5 at The Sentry, his parade of leaderboard appearances motors forward. Hasn’t missed an edition of the Sony Open but has just one top 10 in a dozen trips (T4, 2018). The lefty no longer is a dark horse, however. |
This is the first time in 11 years that the PGA TOUR has opened a season with the Aloha Swing, which also happened to be the only time since the inaugural edition of the Sony Open in Hawaii in 1965 that a debutant prevailed at Waialae CC.
In what also was his first-ever start as a PGA TOUR member, Russell Henley, then just 23 years of age, blitzed the par 70 for 24-under 256, then the tournament record. (Justin Thomas moved the mark to 27-under 253 in 2017.) Now 34, Henley has added three TOUR titles and he’s qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in every season since. He’s advanced to the TOUR Championship three times.
If Henley’s example isn’t enough motivation to the newcomers that history occasionally looks away, the other force determining the winner also failed to deliver just last year.
Si Woo Kim was just the second Sony Open champion of the last 10 who didn’t tee it up the week prior at the Plantation Course at Kapalua. The quality of the field on Maui is self-evident but shedding competitive rust and arriving on Oahu warm also has quantifiable merit. As of midday Monday, 38 of the commitments at Waialae CC pegged at Kapalua last week, including champion Chris Kirk and runner-up Sahith Theegala.
Kapalua and Waialae couldn’t be more dissimilar, but the objectives are identical. Just as last week’s field of 59 needed to go very low to contend, the same formula for success applies again – hitting greens and converting putts. That combination is the primary reason why arriving with confidence throughout the bag is a prerequisite.
Waialae CC challenged for but a 68.866 scoring average last year. The 7,044-yard test is unchanged – another benefit for the experienced – so only the weather would provide a mystery. However, predictable conditions are in store. Moderate winds at worst are expected, a sprinkle cannot be ruled out and daytime highs in the 70s are forecast. The lushest of the rough is 3.5 inches and Bermudagrass greens can be allowed to run to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter.
Whether the champion goes on to enjoy (or already has) a career resembling Henley’s or Kim’s remains to be seen, he’ll be promised starts in the remaining seven Signature Events this season.
Everyone who doesn’t prevail will begin the first-ever race in the Aon Swing 5. The top five in combined FedExCup points earned at the Sony Open, The American Express and the Farmers Insurance Open, not otherwise exempt, will punch tickets to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.
ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled.
MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers
WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Reshuffle, Qualifiers
*Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.
Rob Bolton is a Golfbet columnist for the PGA TOUR. The Chicagoland native has been playing fantasy golf since 1994, so he was just waiting for the Internet to catch up with him. Follow Rob Bolton on Twitter.