The First Look: Sony Open in Hawaii

The PGA TOUR returns to Waialae for the Sony Open in Hawaii this week, and it marks the return of a few notable names to action on TOUR, too.

Gary Woodland, who had brain surgery in September, will make a triumphant return to the PGA TOUR.

And Will Zalatoris, who teed it up at the Hero World Challenge but has not played a TOUR event since the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play last March, is back in action after back surgery last spring.

For Woodland, it marks his first TOUR start since the Wyndham Championship last August. He finished No. 94 on the FedExCup. He posted a swing video to social media on Nov. 13, 2023, saying he would hopefully return in the new year.

“This journey has been very hard but I’m extremely thankful to be progressing and for the unconditional love and support from everyone,” Woodland wrote. “You’ve all made this process a little easier for me and my family. Thank you to everyone and I look forward to seeing you all next year.”

Zalatoris, meanwhile, shook off the rust with four rounds at the Tiger Woods-hosted event in the Bahamas, bouncing back from an opening 81 with a tidy 68 in the second round.

"It's been a patience game," Zalatoris said in December. "It's been a grind. I had a lot of really good advice from guys that have had to go through the same thing and all of them said take your time, no one's ever come back from an injury taking too long.”

A few big-time returns, a few highly anticipated debuts and a long-time TOUR host venue are set to make this week’s Sony Open an exciting one.

Here’s everything you need to know.

FIELD NOTES: The Sony Open marks the TOUR’s first Full-Field Event of 2024… Aside from Woodland and Zalatoris’ returns, Tyler McCumber is also set to return to action on TOUR for the first time since 2022… Last week’s winner at The Sentry, Chris Kirk, is in the field as he looks to build off his third-place result at the Sony Open last year. Only six golfers have ever won both Hawaii TOUR events in one year. Seventeen of the 25 Sony Open winners played Kapalua the week prior, although last year’s winner, Si Woo Kim, did not... Kim finished T25 at The Sentry and returns to defend. Jimmy Walker was the last to go back-to-back at Waialae CC (2014-15)… There are six other past champs in the field (Russell Henley, Zach Johnson, Patton Kizzire, Matt Kuchar, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryan Palmer)… After topping the Korn Ferry Tour Points List in 2023, Ben Kohles will lead the Korn Ferry Tour contingent making their 2024 debuts in Hawaii. Kohles last held a TOUR card for the 2021-22 season. He won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour last year… Amongst the Korn Ferry Tour graduates making their Full-Field TOUR debuts is Adrien Dumont de Chassart. Dumont de Chassart – who finished third on PGA TOUR U last season – played the U.S. Open in 2022 but hasn’t yet played a regular TOUR event. He won in his debut as a pro last summer at the BMW Charity Pro-Am Presented by TD SYNNEX… Five of those ranked inside the top 10 on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai (not otherwise exempt) who took up PGA TOUR membership are teeing it up at the Sony Open including European Ryder Cupper Robert MacIntyre. MacIntrye, a rookie on Luke Donald’s winning squad, had seven top-10s last year on the DP World Tour.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10

1. Chris Kirk*
2. Sahith Theegala*
3. Jordan Spieth
4. Beyong Hun An*
5. Brian Harman*, Sungjae Im, Collin Morikawa, J.T. Poston*, Scottie Scheffler
10. Jason Day, Xander Schauffele

*In the field at the Sony Open in Hawaii

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Blaze Akana, a golfer at the University of Hawaii, qualified for the second straight year after winning a local qualifier… A two-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, Kensei Hirata will tee it up on TOUR once again. Hirata finished tied for sixth at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in October. He was the youngest-ever winner of the Japan PGA Championship when he captured the title last year… Formerly the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world, Takumi Kanaya received a spot in the Sony Open. Kanaya, who was ranked the No. 1 amateur in the world for 55 weeks also won a pro event on the Japan Golf Tour as an amateur and captured the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur. He turned pro in 2020 and has four wins on the Japan Golf Tour since – including two in 2023… Rintaro Nakano, who won the Japan Amateur in 2023, will make his PGA TOUR debut… Last year’s Japan Open Golf Championship winner, Aguri Iwasaki, will tee it up for the third time on TOUR. He played the ZOZO Championship in both 2022 and 2023… Yuto Katsuragawa, who made the cut at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, will tee it up at the Sony Open for the next year in a row… Twenty-two-year-old Taiga Semikawa returns to the Sony Open field. Semikawa won twice as an amateur on the Japan Golf Tour in 2022, turned pro, and won twice in 2023… Amongst the 11 Sponsor Exemptions are TOUR veterans Ryan Palmer and Kizzire, along with Jimmy Stranger and Josh Teater.

OTHER STORYLINES

1. Next-generation talent on display

Golf’s youth movement continues to be on display week in and week out, and keep an eye out for that young talent this week at the Sony Open. A handful of notable under-25-year-olds are all in action, including Ludvig Åberg (24), Akshay Bhatia (21), Pierceson Coody (23) and the aforementioned Dumont de Chassart (23), as well as Akana, the sponsor invite, who is just 19.

2. High stakes kick into high gear

The PGA TOUR’s FedExCup race is already underway with The Sentry now in the rear-view mirror, while the Comcast Business TOUR Top 10 also has its first update of the season. Moreover, the Sony Open is the first event where players can earn points towards the Aon Swing 5. However, the first Full-Field Event of 2024 means there are also some other important races to keep an eye out for as the year gets going. The Presidents Cup will be teeing off at Royal Montreal this fall, while the Olympics take place in Paris this summer. Earning valuable FedExCup and World Golf Rankings points through 2024 has never been more important for those looking to represent their countries and their teams in a few months’ time.

3. From talking to teeing it up

Kevin Kisner, who made his debut as an analyst for NBC Sports last week at The Sentry, will be trading his microphone for his clubs. The four-time TOUR winner took three months off after a tough 2023 punctuated by a summertime stretch that saw him miss four cuts and withdraw twice. Kisner, however, made three cuts in a row in the FedExCup fall.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.

COURSE: Waialae Country Club, par 70, 7,044 yards. Tom Doak recently put his touch on his Seth Raynor design featuring tree-lined fairways and 83 bunkers. The Honolulu course is one of the TOUR’s longest host venues.

72-HOLE RECORD: 253, Justin Thomas (2017)

18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Justin Thomas (Round 1, 2017)

LAST TIME: Si Woo Kim shot weekend rounds of 64-64 to win the Sony Open at Hawaii for his fourth TOUR title. Kim won at Waialae by one over Hayden Buckley, who held the 54-hole lead by two shots. Kim started the day three shots behind but chipped in for birdie on No. 17 and added another birdie on the 72nd hole to pull ahead by one. Buckley, then, missed a 12-footer for birdie to tie Kim on the par-5 18th. Chris Kirk, who won The Sentry on Sunday, finished alone in third while Andrew Putnam, David Lipsky and Ben Taylor rounded out the top five.

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET)

Television: Thursday-Saturday, 7-10:30 p.m. (Golf Channel). Sunday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel)

PGA TOUR LIVE:

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Radio: Thursday-Saturday, 5-10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3-8 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)