The first full-field event of the PGA Tour season gets underway this week at the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii. Staying in the Aloha State, the PGA Tour makes the short trip from Maui to Honolulu and kicks off a new campaign as players vie for FedEx Cup positioning and access to signature events at Waialae Country Club.
For the first time ever, the PGA Tour has introduced the Swing 5, a new qualifying mechanism where the top five players in terms of FedEx Cup points in the Sony Open, The American Express and the Farmers Insurance Open will gain entry into the next signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The WM Phoenix Open will then be played, and the combination of FedEx Cup points from these four events will send the top five players to the Genesis Invitational.
The fields for these two signature events are expected to reach up to 80 players, and with only 61 qualified as of this week, plenty of spots remain. Already in the field for the signature events are players such as last week's winner Chris Kirk, Ludvig Åberg, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley, Sahith Theegala, Eric Cole and Brian Harman, all of whom are playing after teeing it up in The Sentry.
A number of rookies from the DP World Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour will be making their season debuts as well as familiar names who return from injury. Will Zalatoris is top of mind there as the former FedEx St. Jude Championship winner tees it up on the PGA Tour for the first time since the 2023 WGC-Dell Match Play. Maverick McNealy makes just his third start since June, while former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland returns to action following a successful brain surgery in September.
2024 Sony Open schedule
Dates: Jan. 11-14 | Location: Waialae Country Club — Honolulu, Hawaii
Par: 70 | Yardage: 7,044 | Purse: $8,300,000
2024 Sony Open field, odds
- Ludvig Åberg (16-1): The Swedish superstar finally flew through some turbulence at The Sentry as a third-round 77 sent him tumbling down the leaderboard. He bounced back quietly with a 10-under 63 on Sunday and looks primed to contend for his second PGA Tour victory in his last three starts. Despite already being a household name, Åberg will continue to experience a number of firsts in his first full season on the PGA Tour including this week at Waialae Country Club.
- Tyrrell Hatton (18-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (18-1): FItzpatrick's inclusion in the field is a product of playing in The Sentry as he makes his Sony Open debut. Waialae could prove to be an ideal fit for the former U.S. Open winner; there is some correlation with Harbour Town Golf Links where Fitzpatrick was victorious in 2023. He has been brilliant since August with seven top-20 finishes in eight starts including a win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. If his iron play improves compared to last week, the 29-year-old should threaten for his third PGA Tour title.
- Russell Henley (20-1): Henley has done just about everything at the Sony Open as he won in 2013 during his rookie season and more recently lost in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama in 2022. He may very well be the most underrated player on Tour, coming into the 2024 season riding 13 top-20 finishes in his last 16 tournaments. Henley's run of form did not translate to a quality outing at Maui should in Honolulu.
- Brian Harman (20-1)
- Corey Conners (25-1)
- Chris Kirk (30-1): If Kirk had a Hawaii event circled on his calendar during the offseason, it would not have been The Sentry but rather the Sony Open. Last week's winner has been stellar around the par 70 throughout his career with three podium finishes and a couple more top 10s to boot. There is no reason to suggest he can't win back-to-back and become the first player since Justin Thomas in 2017 to pull off the Hawaii double.
- Eric Cole (30-1)
- J.T. Poston (33-1)
- Byeong Hun An (33-1)
- Sahith Theegala (33-1): In terms of course fit, Kapalua may have been as good as it gets for Theegala. Waialae presents a stark contrast and could lead to some struggles for the man who finished one off the pace at The Sentry. Theegala's ceiling has always been high, but he looks to be adding some consistency to his repertoire. The 26-year-old now has a win, a runner-up result and three other top-20 results in his last seven worldwide starts.
2024 Sony Open expert picks
| Winner (20-1): Despite not winning since his runaway victory at The Open, Harman has been as good as ever. He arrives at the Sony Open having just finished T5 at The Sentry and will play both Hawaii events in the same season for only the second time since 2018. It may not be a coincidence that was the same year he notched his best career finish at the Sony Open with a T4 effort. Over the last six months, Harman tops this field in total strokes gained while ranking 16th in strokes gained tee to green, fourth in strokes gained around the green and second in strokes gained putting. | |
| Contender (35-1) English is trending towards the winner's circle, and the Sony Open could be the perfect spot for his return. The 34-year-old has made significant improvements off the tee in recent events, including last week at The Sentry where he was 10th in the field in strokes gained off the tee. He is 10 of 11 making the cut at the Sony Open without many high finishes, but English's current run of form with the irons and putter should allow him to improve on that. | |
| Sleeper (60-1): A T45 finish at The Sentry may not look like much, but Bradley was very much in control of his irons, ranking seventh in strokes gained approach on the week. A birdie-fest will always be a big ask for the two-time winner from 2023, but a tournament like the Sony Open where the winning score hovers around 20 under should be right up his alley. The world No. 16 has a pair of T12 finishes in his last four appearances here. | |
