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DraftKings PGA: 2020 Sony Open Picks and Analysis

By Benjamin Main

HONOLULU, HI - JANUARY 13: Matt Kuchar of the United States lines up a putt on the 17th green during the final round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - JANUARY 13: Matt Kuchar of the United States lines up a putt on the 17th green during the final round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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DraftKings PGA
HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 13: Matt Kuchar of the United States lines up a putt on the 17th green during the final round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

DraftKings PGA: 2020 Sony Open Picks and Analysis

Can you believe it? The new year is finally here! The 2020 Sony Open signals the beginning of 2020 for the PGA Tour. Yeah, last week we had the Tournament of Champions, but this week is real golf! A full field with only the guys making the cut getting paid. We have a solid field this week, with 15 of the top 50 OWGR teeing it up. 22 golfers will spend a 2nd straight week in Hawaii after trying their luck at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui. Get pumped, DraftKings PGA is finally back!

The 2020 Sony Open is played in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club. This event has been played at Waialae for the past 21 years, so it’s safe to say we have good course data. The 7,044 yard par-70 is not the most challenging tract, but coastal courses are always susceptible to the elements, as we saw last week at TOC. Matt Kuchar concurred the course in 2019, fending off Andrew Putnam. Patton Kizzire was your 2018 winner in a playoff over James Hahn, and Justin Thomas blitzed the course in 2017, finishing 7 strokes better than Justin Rose with a 27-under. The course, such as any coastal course, can play difficult if the winds pick up. But typically this event plays on the easier side. The biggest challenge for these golfers is the fact that most of the field has not played a competitive event in months.

In order to master Waialae, golfers will have to keep the ball in front of them. The fairways are tight and the winds are swirling. The greens are slow and will hold, but it is important to be attacking them from the short stuff. The course is very straight forward if you are executing. Bermudagrass can challenge the best golfers in the world around the greens, but is one of the truest putting surfaces. Golfers who are accurate off the tee and those who are plus putters do well at Waialae. And, as always, I will be leaning heavily on ball-striking this week.

Key Stats

Approach Gained

Tee-to-Green Gained

Driving Accuracy Gained

Easy Courses Gained

Bermudagrass Greens Gained

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