2024 Sony Open Odds: PGA Golf Betting Tips This Week

This week, Joe Cistaro breaks down PGA golf betting tips for the 2024 Sony Open. You can use the PrizePicks referral codeGRINDERS to claim a $100 deposit bonus on golf props today!

The PGATOUR continues the Hawaii swing to start the new year with a trip to Honolulu and Waialae Country Club for the 2024 Sony Open. After Chris Kirk kicked off 2024 with a big victory in a loaded Sentry field, the PGA provided a slightly weaker field at Waialae. In sharp contrast to the Sentry, players will be forced to be accurate, as Waialae CC is tight with difficult fairways and greens to hit. With some young stars looking to kick the door down in 2024, the Sony Open has plenty of excitement to offer golf bettors and enthusiasts.

Let’s preview the field, betting odds, the course, and some players to watch.

Sony Open Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

At the time of this writing – January 9th – you can find these golf odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. The below list features all golfers priced at 45/1 or better.

Here are the recent winners of the Sony Open at Waialae CC:

• 2023 – Si Woo Kim (-18)
• 2022 – Hideki Matsuyama (-23)
• 2021 – Kevin Na (-21)
• 2020 – Cam Smith (-11)
• 2019 – Matt Kuchar (-22)
• 2018 – Patton Kizzire (-17)
• 2017 – Justin Thomas (-27)

One hundred forty-four players will tee it up in Hawaii on Thursday for the first full-field event of the season. While the strength of this week’s field is not quite at the level of the Sentry, we will be treated to a slightly better quality of field than years past. Will Zalatoris, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Tyrrell Hatton are all notable debutants in this week’s field. Si Woo Kim will return to defend his title after winning the Sony Open in 2023 at a 45-1 price.

Twenty of the top fifty golfers in the OWGR will tee it up with Ludvig Aberg — another debutant — in the first odds position at DraftKings Sportsbook. With so much top talent debuting this year, bettors will need to determine how much weight should be placed on course history. Normally, we prioritize course history at Waialae Golf Club, given the tight fairways and focus on precision. Can we ignore some big names at the top of the board?

On Saturday, the field will be cut to the top 65 golfers and ties — all vying for the first full-field victory of the 2024 season. Let’s break down the course and preview some golfers.

2024 Sony Open Betting Preview

• Course: Waialae CC
• Date: January 11 – 14
• Par: 70
• Yardage: 7,044 yards
• Greens: Bermuda

Waialae CC is nothing like Kapalua — precision will be key. Longer hitters will not gain an advantage as there is nothing generous about the fairways at the Sony Open. Players will be penalized for errant shots, and unlike last week, around-the-green play will be extremely important.

It is not a particularly long course, so plodding, accurate golfers with good short games can get it done with an emphasis on SG: Approach. The group of previous winners does not suggest a need for distance. Instead, fairways will be crucial. Good drives or fairways gained will be a big consideration when modeling for this course.

A par 70, the course only features two par 5s. The two holes rank as some of the easiest on TOUR, and nearly every player in the field will be able to make the green in two. There are 12 par 4s on the course, with 10 falling within the 400-500 yard bucket. When building a model, we will want to include eagles and this range for par 4s.

The weather will be a factor if the winds pick up. Winds are the true defense for this course besides the narrow fairways. When Cameron Smith won in 2020 in a playoff against Brendan Steele, the weather gave the golfers a fit. However, if the weather stays neutral, we should see enough scoring.

Last year, the rough for the Sony Open was grown from 2.25 inches to 3 inches. This put a strain on scoring over the week and made for an interesting new feature, given all of the dog legs that tend to neutralize distance off of the tee.

SG: OTT does not feel as important this week, and driving distance certainly won’t be considered. Every player is capable of getting home given this length. Instead, runoffs will pave the way for fairway finders to contend this week. Short game and putting will play a role, as well.

Since the par 5s are so accessible, we must include SG: Par 5s and/or Eagles as a key statistic when modeling for the event this year. Course history seems to be crucial for this course, so filtering for success in this course seems very rational.

Considering course history, here are the top 5 players in strokes gained at Waialae Country Club throughout their careers: Corey Conners, Justin Rose, Chris Kirk, Webb Simpson, and Russell Henley. Corey Conners has made the cut in all five of his appearances at this course with four straight top-12 performances. Conners has putt well at the course while excelling at ball-striking.

With these notes and statistics in mind, let’s highlight a few golfers in consideration for this week’s betting card and DFS lineups.

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Golfers To Watch This Week

Unless mentioned otherwise, all strokes gained statistics will be referenced over the player’s previous 36 rounds on the PGATOUR.

Brian Harman +2000

We join Team Course History with Brian Harman, featuring one of the longest resumes in the field. Harman kicked off 2024 with a T5 finish at the Sentry. Can the Championship Golfer of the Year build on some good form?

While Harman hasn’t had a ton of recent success at this event, he has made the cut in 10 of 12 of his appearances. He had a string of great finishes, amounting to four T20s, with his high-water mark being a fourth-place finish in 2018.

He is second in the field in Total Strokes Gained over his last 36 rounds. Harman ranks eighth in short game and sixth in putting. At his price, Harman is lumped in with all of the debutants. He is the quintessential course history play surrounded by so many talented debutants.

Russell Henley +2000

Henley boasts a 1st-place victory at Waialae Country Club with a 2nd-place finish to Hideki Matsuyama in 2022. While the second-place finish was a collapse, Henley has plenty of positive course history at the Sony Open.

Over his last 36 rounds, Henley is ranked eighth in both SG: T2G and Approach. His five top 20 finishes at this event are highlighted by the first and second. While Henley tends to be a tricky sweat on a Sunday, we can’t ignore him at this course.

Corey Conners +2500

Conners is 5 for 5 with made cuts at this event in his career. He has finished no worse than 12th place over his last 4 starts. As one of the most precise ball-strikers on the PGATOUR, we should not be surprised to see success from the Canadian at the Sony Open.

I am surprised by Conners’ great success putting on this course. Aside from last season, Conners has gained in his other four tournaments at the Sony Open. Conners has made a career out of not putting well and succeeding because of his iron play. This was evidenced at the Sentry when he lost 7.1 strokes on the green. That said, it can’t get worse, and Conners is too talented from tee to green to not earn our consideration this week.

Sahith Theegala +3000

You will be hard-pressed to find an easier guy on TOUR to root for than Sahith Theegala. Creative with every shot and wildly enthusiastic, Theegala seems to have gained the unwavering support of the galleries on the PGATOUR.

Sahith just came up short last week as Chris Kirk closed so strongly to win his sixth title on TOUR. He broke through in September when he won the Fortinet and will look to stand atop the podium again this week. Over his last 36 rounds, Sahith is 1st in SG: Putting and 2nd in SG: Short Game as a result. His struggles off of the tee should be mitigated by the ability to club down at a relatively shorter course.

Sahith Theegala only made one start at the Sony Open back in 2022 — making the cut and finishing in 48th. Given his recent play on and around the greens, he will be interesting to sports bettors at this price.