Will Zalatoris is set to return to PGA Tour competition for the first time since March when he tees off in the 2024 Sony Open. Zalatoris withdrew from last year's Masters and had surgery less than 48 hours later. He underwent a microdiscectomy stemming from a herniated disc he suffered a few months prior. Eight months later, he competed in the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial PGA Tour event, and is making his PGA Tour return this week in Hawaii. The 2024 Sony Open tees off at 12:10 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Zalatoris, who has one PGA Tour victory in 65 career events, is listed as a 30-1 longshot according to the latest 2024 Sony Open odds. Ludvig Aberg, who's coming off a disappointing T-47 finish at The Sentry, is the 12-1 favorite, with Tyrrell Hatton (16-1) and Matt Fitzpatrick (16-1) next in line on the PGA odds board. Before locking in your 2024 Sony Open picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up more than $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.
McClure's model predicted Jon Rahm would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scottie Scheffler winning in 2022.
In addition, the model included Nick Taylor in its best bets to win the 2023 RBC Canadian Open. That bet hit at +7000, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned nearly $1,900. McClure's best bets also included Jason Day (17-1) winning outright at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson and Rickie Fowler (14-1) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 10 majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.
Now that the Sony Open 2024 field is set, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.
Top 2024 Sony Open predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the Sony Open 2024: Fitzpatrick, a major champion and one of the top favorites, struggles this week and barely cracks the top five. Fitzpatrick is coming off a steady showing at The Sentry, securing a T-14 finish after shooting 69 or below in all four rounds.
Fitzpatrick remains one of the best putters on tour, but he struggled mightily with his accuracy last season. The Englishman finished the 2022-23 season ranked 138th in driving accuracy (56.61%) and 156th in greens in regulation percentage (65.14%). He also finished last season ranked 116th in strokes gained: approach to green (-0.053), which doesn't bode well for his chances to finish on top of the leaderboard this week at the 2024 Sony Open.
Another surprise: Eric Cole, a 35-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. Cole has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
The 23-year-old will be entering his second full season on the PGA Tour after making 27 of 37 cuts last year with seven top-10 finishes, including two runner-ups. He was 16th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: total last season, thanks largely to being one of the best putters on the PGA Tour. Cole was second in putting average and putts per round and was fourth in one-putt percentage. He was also second in total putting and finished third or better in each of his final three events of his 2022-23 PGA Tour season. If Cole carries over his putting performance from last year, that would be a huge separator between himself and the rest of the 2024 Sony Open field, showcasing strong value at 35-1 odds to win. See who else to pick here.
How to make 2024 Sony Open picks
The model is also targeting four other golfers with odds of 30-1 or longer to make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model's picks here.
Who will win the 2024 Sony Open, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the Sony Open 2024 odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected Sony Open leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 10 golf majors, including last year's Masters and Open Championship.
2024 Sony Open odds, field
See the full Sony Open picks, best bets, and predictions here.
Ludvig Åberg +1200
Tyrrell Hatton +1600
Matt Fitzpatrick +1600
Russell Henley +2200
Brian Harman +2500
Will Zalatoris +3000
Corey Conners +3300
Cam Davis +3500
Eric Cole +3500
Chris Kirk +3500
Byeong Hun An +4000
J.T. Poston +4000
Sahith Theegala +4500
Denny McCarthy +4500
Si Woo Kim +4500
Hideki Matsuyama +4500
Matt Kuchar +4500
Justin Rose +4500
Brendon Todd +5000
Harris English +5500
Akshay Bhatia +5500
Stephan Jaeger +6000
Adam Hadwin +6000
Alex Noren +6500
J.J. Spaun +6500
Adam Svensson +7000
Andrew Putnam +7000
Keith Mitchell +7000
Keegan Bradley +7500
Lucas Glover +7500
Ben Griffin +8000
Matt Wallace +8000
Aaron Rai +8000
Gary Woodland +9000
Taylor Pendrith +9000
Billy Horschel +9000
Taylor Montgomery +9000
Emiliano Grillo +10000
Adrien Dumont de Chassart +10000
Kurt Kitayama +10000
Ryan Palmer +11000
Davis Thompson +11000
Webb Simpson +11000
Luke List +11000
Patrick Rodgers +11000
Justin Suh +11000
Ben Kohles +11000
Vincent Norrman +11000
K.H. Lee +12000
Alex Smalley +12000
Ryo Hisatsune +12000
Erik van Rooyen +12000
Nick Taylor +12000
Tom Hoge +12000
Jake Knapp +12000
S.H. Kim +12000
Austin Eckroat +12000
Alexander Björk +12000
Mark Hubbard +12000
Davis Riley +15000
Nick Hardy +15000
Michael Kim +15000
Doug Ghim +15000
Vince Whaley +15000
Ryan Moore +15000
Garrick Higgo +15000
Robert MacIntyre +15000
