The Sony Open in Hawaii officially kicks off the 2026 PGA Tour season at historic Waialae Country Club. While it's not a signature event, or a tournament that gives golf fans the biggest and best names across the board, we're honestly just happy that golf is back on the PGA Tour. But now we're going to start another year of picks and predictions, as well as diving into the Sony Open itself and what fans should know.
Nick Taylor returns as the defending champion at the Sony Open, but there are actually 20 of the Top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings teeing it up at Waialae this week. That includes Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Ben Griffin, Russell Henley and several other notable players. But will they be the winner? Let's check out everything to know about the Sony Open, then get into our picks for this week on the PGA Tour.
What to know about the 2026 Sony Open
Waialae Country Club scorecard, par and defining characteristics
Hole Number | Par and Length | Scoring Average (in 2025) |
|---|---|---|
1 | Par 4, 480 Yards | 3.945 |
2 | Par 4, 423 Yards | 4.124 |
3 | Par 4, 422 Yards | 3.860 |
4 | Par 3, 204 Yards | 3.193 |
5 | Par 4, 467 Yards | 3.906 |
6 | Par 4, 460 Yards | 4.124 |
7 | Par 3, 176 Yards | 2.968 |
8 | Par 4, 454 Yards | 3.940 |
9 | Par 5, 506 Yards | 4.328 |
10 | Par 4, 351 Yards | 3.890 |
11 | Par 3, 194 Yards | 3.096 |
12 | Par 4, 440 Yards | 3.874 |
13 | Par 4, 477 Yards | 4.158 |
14 | Par 4, 430 Yards | 3.940 |
15 | Par 4, 398 Yards | 4.050 |
16 | Par 4, 417 Yards | 3.913 |
17 | Par 3, 194 Yards | 3.030 |
18 | Par 5, 551 Yards | 4.388 |
- Total Par: 70
- Out Yardage: 3,592
- In Yardage: 3,452
- Total Yardage: 7,044
Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, HI is nearing its 100th anniversary as it was opened in 1927 as a Seth Raynor design, and has been a stop on the PGA Tour since 1965 — albeit by a few different names for the event. It's also starting the PGA Tour season this year for the first time in recent memory with the cancellation of The Sentry.
Measuring just 7,044 yards, Waialae is one of the shorter courses seen regularly on tour, which creates an interesting test. It does bring some of the shorter hitters in golf into play with an opportunity to find success, no doubt. However, what it more notably heightens is the demand for ball-striking and the ability to handle the elements, not to mention the Bermuda greens.
By nature as an island golf course in Hawaii that features a plethora of coastline, winds can always play a factor at Waialae. That, however, is not a guarantee, even from round-to-round. While Friday could be exceptionally demanding with whipping and swirling winds, Saturday could then be as benign as imaginable. That's part of the fun and of the test that comes with the Sony Open.
All of this gives us a beautiful presentation as golf fans, though. Some of the scenes from Honolulu are second to none on the PGA Tour, and the tournament quite often yields some of the best entertainment to help kick off the golf season.
2026 Sony Open tee times and groupings
Tee times for the first and second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii pic.twitter.com/pf53u5k1za
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) January 14, 2026
While no one would mistake this for being one of the best fields in golf, there is still some firepower and high-quality play in the field. You'll undoubtedly see some faces more than others throughout the coverage windows, especially in featured groups, who tend to dominate the main feed on PGA Tour Live and the Golf Channel broadcast as well.
The groupings of J.J. Spaun, Collin Morikawa, and Adam Scott; Robert MacIntyre, Nick Taylor, and Aaron Rai; Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, and Keegan Bradley; Brian Harman Maverick McNealy, and Si Woo Kim; Michael Brennan, Tony Finau and Johnny Keefer; and Ben Griffin, Russell Henley, and Chris Gotterup are all among the featured groups this week and we'll be seeing plenty of them.
What's the time difference between Hawaii and EST?
There is a five-hour time difference between Honolulu and Eastern Standard Time. That means that a 7:10 a.m. tee time at the Sony Open will have the player starting their round at 12:10 p.m. ET. Golf fans in the continental United States certainly have to be wondering about something like that, given that they want to watch the start of the PGA Tour season.
With the five-hour difference on the East Coast, though, this is going to be some primetime golf for fans to watch, and some mid-afternoon golf if you're tuning in on PGA Tour Live. That always makes for a fun and different viewing experience.
Full Sony Open TV schedule and PGA Tour live programming
Dates and Rounds | TV Channel and TV Time | PGA Tour Live Schedule |
|---|---|---|
Thursday, Jan. 15 (Round 1) | 7-10 p.m. ET, Golf Channel | Noon-10 p.m. ET |
Friday, Jan. 16 (Round 2) | 7-10 p.m. ET, Golf Channel | Noon-10 p.m. ET |
Saturday, Jan. 17 (Round 3) | 7-10 p.m. ET, Golf Channel | 12:15-10 p.m. ET |
Sunday, Jan. 18 (Round 4) | 7-10 p.m. ET, Golf Channel | 12:15-10 p.m. ET |
PGA Tour Live, which is available to stream via an ESPN+ or ESPN Unlimited subscription as a paid service, will have full coverage starting at Noon ET (or just after) on each day of the tournament. With the immense travel, though, we will see only a three-hour TV window each day in primetime on the East Coast with 7-10 p.m. ET as the coverage for Golf Channel this week.
The Golf Channel broadcasts should also be available on streaming via Peacock.
What is the purse for the 2026 Sony Open?
The 2026 Sony Open will have a total purse of $9.1 million, which is a $400,000 increase from last year's tournament. That also marks the fifth consecutive year in which the Sony Open has increased the purse size as it was just $6.6 million back in 2021.
As such, the winner will receive $1.638 million as their share of the purse, roughly a $70,000 increase from the winner's prize money a year ago as well. Obviously, it will also be the largest winner's check handed out in the history of the Sony Open, as well.
Last 5 winners of the Sony Open and winning scores
Year | Winner and Winning Score | Runner(s)-Up |
|---|---|---|
2025 Sony Open | Nick Taylor (-16, Playoff) | Nico Echavarria |
2024 Sony Open | Grayson Murray (-17, Playoff) | Byeong Hun An, Keegan Bradley |
2023 Sony Open | Si Woo Kim (-18) | Hayden Buckley |
2022 Sony Open | Hideki Matsuyama (-23, Playoff) | Russell Henley |
2021 Sony Open | Kevin Na (-21) | Chris Kirk, Joaquin Niemann |
There are a few things that stick out when looking at the recent winners and the winning scores of this event. The first among those is that three of the last five playings of the Sony Open have gone to a playoff. That likely has quite a bit to do with the scoring conditions that are often available to Waialae, and the level playing field of a shorter course.
On that same point about the lack of length of the venue in comparison to most other stops on the PGA Tour, we can see that in the winners. While someone like Hideki Matsuyama is roughly average in terms of driving distance, Kevin Na, Si Woo Kim, Grayson Murray and Nick Taylor were all at or a bit below that mark. This is a positional golf course with an emphasis on ball-striking first and foremost, and length off the tee isn't a pre-requisite to success here.
Furthermore, it's worth noting that there is a seven-stroke gap between the winning scores at the Sony Open in recent history (and it was even -11 back in 2020 when Cameron Smith won!). That highlights the aforementioned conditions that can always play a factor from round-to-round, and how it can ultimately affect scoring.
Sony Open picks and predictions for winner, Top 10 and more
Aaron Rai to win the Sony Open +4000
If you just look exclusively at course history, you're immediately going to look away from Aaron Rai. The Englishmen has three starts under his belt at Waialae, and has yet to finish inside the Top 50. Obviously, that's not ideal — but it's also not going to deter me this week.
Rai's play in the fall, which included a DP World Tour win, has been exceptional. Over the last 36 rounds, Rai is second in the field in SG: Approach, but also has thrived on short Par 4s, of which Waialae has many, and is fourth in Fairways Gained, a stronger measure of driving accuracy. His putter can make-or-break his tournament, but at 40/1, I love the upside with his ball-striking coming in.
Mac Meissner to finish Top 10 (incl. ties) at the Sony Open +550 (FanDuel)
We might have to start looking at Mac Meissner as a proverbial short course merchant given his penchant for great results at places like Colonial, Sedgefield, and even Waialae, as he finished T21 in last year's Sony Open. But he also checks all the right statistical boxes with his current form. He's fifth in Bogey Avoidance and in strokes-gained on Par 4s measuring 400-450 yards, while also being dialed from the under 200 yard approach proximity ranges. Oh yeah, he's also Top 20 in the field in SG: Approach overall. It's an ideal fit, and I'm willing to start the season off aggressively by playing him for a Top 10.
Eric Cole to finish Top 20 at the Sony Open +225
In all honesty, the driver is my only concern from playing Eric Cole even more aggressively this week at the Sony Open. He can be a bit erratic in that capacity, but he checks the rest of the boxes off across the board. He's Top 25 in putting on Bermuda, and 11th or better in SG: Approach from 125-150, 150-175, and 175-200 yards out. For good measure, he's finished T13 and solo fifth at the Sony Open in the past two years. With strong approach play of late, I'll target him confidently this week.
Zac Blair to finish Top 40 at the Sony Open +125
One of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour, things can be out of Zac Blair's control from time to time because he simply can't keep up with the length. That's not the case at Waialae, however. He finished T30 at the Sony Open last year, and has two Top 10s from earlier in his career here as well. He's fourth in the field in SG: Approach over the last 36 rounds and Top 20 in Fairways Gained as well. Blair might not have the firepower to win, but plus money on a Top 40 finish feels like a nice spot for him.
One and Done pick for the Sony Open: Aaron Rai
First tournament of the season, we're taking our outright pick in Rai as our One and Done pick for the week as well. Not really anything to add in terms of why he's the pick given how strongly we like him this week. But strategically in OAD, he also feels like the right type and caliber of player to take off the board immediately with a relatively muted purse size.
Golf betting record in 2025: 29-138-0, +7.185 Units | One and Done Total for 2025: $14,312,159
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