Sony Open in Hawaii: Picks, Predictions and Odds

After Hideki Matsuyama's record-breaking 35-under-par winning score at The Sentry, the 2025 PGA Tour season continues with the second tournament of the year, the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Played at Waialae Country Club, the Sony Open first took place in 1965 and has become a staple of the PGA Tour schedule, with the exception of 1970, when it was skipped in order to move it to its current mid-January date in the calendar.

While last week's venue, Kapalua's Plantation Course, is a wide-open, exposed layout which has often played into the hands of long drivers, Waialae is a claustrophobic, shorter track which has been better suited to accurate operators.

Despite the difference in conditions, the Hawaiian double has been achieved twice since the first event of the season switched to Kapalua in 1999 - Ernie Els won both tournaments in 2003, while Justin Thomas also achieved the feat in 2017 after opening with a 59 at par-70 Waialae.

Matsuyama will attempt to do the same and the Japanese star, back in the world's top five for the first time since 2018, is the +900 favorite in his bid to start 2025 with back-to-back wins.

Sony Open in Hawaii betting picks and predictions

Maverick McNealy to win (+2800)

Matsuyama claimed the Sony Open in a playoff in 2022, so he is well aware he has what it takes to win at Waialae, and he deserves his place at the head of the betting market given his status as one of the best ball-strikers in the sport.

However, the 32-year-old always comes with question marks over his fitness given his history of back problems, and it's a big ask for almost any player - with the possible exception of Scottie Scheffler - to win two PGA Tour tournaments in a row.

While Matsuyama may well threaten the double following the short trip from Maui to Oahu, it's Maverick McNealy who catches the eye at more attractive odds following a fine return to action at Kapalua last week.

McNealy realised a long-held ambition in November, becoming a PGA Tour winner for the first time when he was victorious at the RSM Classic, and he appears ready to regularly challenge for further silverware after that confidence-boosting maiden win.

The 29-year-old finished in a share of eighth place at Kapalua on his Sentry debut, striking his irons well, and he's demonstrated an ability to post low scores at Waialae, finishing seventh in the 2023 Sony Open.

Austin Eckroat to win Sony Open (+3500)

A two-time PGA Tour winner in 2024, Austin Eckroat is full of confidence and should relish the demands of Waialae.

Eckroat won the Cognizant Classic in March, producing a nerveless final-round display as that tournament went to a Monday finish. Then, at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico in November, he carded a brilliant Sunday 63 to double his tally.

The Oklahoman was ranked 228th in the world when finishing 12th in the 2023 Sony Open on his debut. Last year, he opened the tournament with rounds of 64 and 65 before fading into 42nd place.

He's playing more consistent golf than ever before ahead of his return to Waialae and will be encouraged by last week's 15th-placed finish at Kapalua, which is a much less suitable venue for a man who has built a reputation as a fairway finder.

Daniel Berger to win Sony Open (+5500)

While McNealy and Eckroat have recent victories under their belts, the Sony Open also presents an opportunity for Daniel Berger to return to winning ways almost four years after his last PGA Tour triumph at Pebble Beach.

A four-time Tour champion, Berger has been through more than his fair share of injuries recently but he's edging back to form and had a productive Fall Series, finishing seventh at the Sanderson Farms Championship and a runner-up behind McNealy at the RSM Classic.

Berger has relished competing in Hawaii and was seventh at Waialae on his most recent start in this event in 2021. Two of his four PGA Tour wins came at TPC Southwind, where past Sony winners Matsuyama, Thomas, Fabian Gomez and David Toms have all been successful.

2025 Sony Open in Hawaii outright odds

Hideki Matsuyama	+900
Corey Conners	+1400
Tom Kim	+1800
Russell Henley	+2000
Byeong-hun An	+2200
Keegan Bradley	+2500
Robert MacIntyre	+2500
Maverick McNealy	+2800
Si Woo Kim	+3000
Sahith Theegala	+3500
Austin Eckroat	+3500
J.T. Poston	+3500
Kurt Kitayama	+3500
Taylor Pendrith	+3500

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.