Sony Open in Hawaii

Odds to Win Tournament

The PGA TOUR stays in Hawaii for the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club on Thursday. Justin Thomas was the big winner of last week’s SBS Tournament of Champions, as the 23-year-old shot a 22-under to defeat runner-up Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes. Both golfers will be in the field on Thursday, when the TOUR pros try their luck on Waialae’s 7,044-yard course. Other notable names in this field would be Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker, Brandt Snedeker, Justin Rose and Zach Johnson. Walker is the only player in the field that has won this event more than once, so he’ll be looking forward to getting out there. Russell Henley and Fabian Gomez are two other guys that will be excited for Thursday’s event. Henley won this tournament in 2013, and he shot the best score ever to be recorded in this event (256). Gomez, meanwhile, shot a 20-under to defeat Snedeker in a playoff in last year’s event. With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at some of the guys that are worth taking a chance on this weekend:

Jordan Spieth (25-to-4) - Spieth missed the cut in his only other appearance in this tournament, but that is not much of a cause for concern. Spieth might not have won last week’s SBS Tournament of Champions, but he is going to be coming into this tournament with plenty of momentum. In the final round last week, Spieth shot an eight-under 65. He led the tournament in birdies as well, as he buried 26 in four rounds. Spieth might have won had it not been for a few disastrous holes, and you can expect him to fix some things coming into this one. That makes him a good value at 25-to-4, as his game is well suited for Hawaii.

Jimmy Walker (22-to-1) - Walker is coming off of a solid performance at the SBS Tournament of Champions, finishing tied for ninth place after shooting a lousy 73 on Sunday. Walker was excellent with his driver and irons last weekend, but he had a hard time putting. He should be able to turn that around at a course he is very comfortable at. Walker has already won the Sony Open in Hawaii twice in his career, and one of those was a dominant showing for Walker. That was two years ago, when he won by eight strokes. At 22-to-1, the odds are just too good to pass up for a guy that has more success in Honolulu than any of his competitors.

Russell Henley (50-to-1) - Russell Henley has only won one tournament since winning the Sony Open back in 2013, and that was the Honda Classic in 2014. Still, it’s very hard to ignore what Henley did when he was on this course four years ago. Henley broke the record for best aggregate score ever in the Sony Open in Hawaii, and there’s always a chance that he can recapture that magic. He is comfortable on this course, and that is enough to take a chance on him at 50-to-1. Even a half-unit would end up paying off huge.

Robert Streb (150-to-1) - If you’re looking for a dark horse that would pay off huge then taking a chance on Streb wouldn’t be a bad move at 150-to-1. Streb is wildly inconsistent, but he is also capable of playing some stellar golf. When he is on his game, he is nearly as good as anybody else on the TOUR. That certainly showed at the PGA Championship last year, as Streb shot an eight-under and finished that tournament tied for seventh. These courses in Hawaii are much easier than the one he played then, and he should not be counted out.