2019 Sony Open in Hawaii
By T.J. Auclair ยท January 9, 2019
The PGA Tour hopped breathtaking Hawaiian islands, going from Maui to Oahu for this weekโs Sony Open at Waialae Country Club โ the first full-field event of the calendar year.
Patton Kizzire returns to Honolulu as the tournamentโs defending champion, after outlasting James Hahn in a six-hole playoff a year ago.
Xander Schauffele, who won on Sunday at Kapalua, is not in the field โ so there wonโt be a chance to do what Justin Thomas did in 2017 by pulling off the Hawaii-double.
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Though the first two events of 2019 are in Hawaii, it should be noted that the two courses could not possibly be more different. Unlike the steep, rolling hills of Kapalua, Waialae is as flat as a surfboard.
Something both tournaments do have in common, however, is that theyโre both very much โbirdie-festโ events.
Birdies, eaglesโฆ youโll see plenty of them this week.
To protect their identity, we had three caddies on the ground at the Sony Open anonymously give us three players theyโll be keeping a close eye on and why. These are the players they likeโฆ
Caddie 1
- Patton Kizzire, โYes, heโs the defending champ. But heโs also trending in the right direction. Not only is his coming off a T8 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions โ his first top 10 in an official Tour event since last yearโs win at Sony โ but he also teamed up with Brian Harmon to win the QBE Shootout in December. Patton is trending in the right direction.โ
- Bryson DeChambeau, โHe had three victories a season ago. In just two starts this season, heโs already got a win and a seventh. Heโs earned the reputation as a player who is a threat to win every week. On top of that, heโs out to prove you can win with the flagstick in!โ
- Justin Thomas, โSpeaking of guys who are a threat to win whenever they tee it upโฆ JT swept the Hawaii swing two years ago, which included an opening-round of 59 right here at Waialae. Two of his three starts in the new season have resulted in top-5 finishes, including his third-place showing a week ago in Maui. His success here before, along with the solid finish in Maui makes him a smart bet.โ
Caddie 2
- Troy Merritt, โTroy is one of the few players who can say they already have five starts this season. And heโs played well in those events, too, highlighted by a T4 at the Safeway Open. Put that together with his win at the Barbasol Championship last July and itโs obvious heโs feeling good about his game. I expect that to continue this week in Honolulu.โ
- Justin Thomas, โA past winner and a guy who is always playing well. A birdie-machine, which is exactly what this place calls for.โ
- Gary Woodland, โWoodland is out for revenge this week. The man took a 3-shot lead into the final round in Maui last week, fired a 5-under 68 AND LOST! Xander Schauffele played lights out with an 11-under 62 to win, but Woodland didnโt do anything wrong. He should be riding high on confidence since he didnโt do anything to lose last week. I think he bounces back right away. Heโs got four, top-10 finishes in five starts already, so heโs playing great.โ
Caddie 3
- Kevin Kisner, โThis just feels like a good course for Kisner. His ball-striking and driving statistics set up well for this course where finding the fairway is a key element to going low.โ
- Charles Howell III, โHow can you not pick CHIII? Even coming off a win to close out the year, I guarantee no one worked harder in the offseason. CHIII has never missed the cut in 17 starts at Waialae and has been a top-10 machine here. I look for him to post another one this week.โ
- Andrew Landry, โAndrew is a great all-around player. This guy is a bulldog (well, actually a Razorback) and has a killer instinct. If heโs on this weekโฆ lookout.โ
