Billy Horschel, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar and Emiliano Grillo will be among the notables reviews in Draws and Fades.
The soft reopen (and hard close… sigh) at Kapalua personified the undisputed claim that Hawaii is a remote land of extremes no matter the pursuit. Unsurprisingly, it also applies to the experience on the southeastern shore of Oahu.
This is the 58th edition of the Sony Open in Hawaii. All have been staged at Waialae. Throughout the FedExCup era (2007-present), it’s been a par 70 capable of ranging up to 7,044 yards, and it will again this week. Save a bunker that has been split in two beside the green on the par-4 first hole and bermuda greens allowed to stretch another foot to 12 on the Stimpmeter, the course is the same. So, sans surprises that could even the playing field, literally or figuratively, a pair of strong trends has reason to continue.
Although Kapalua and Waialae will never be confused as twins, the objectives on each are the same – hit greens and sink putts. Despite vastly different topographies – Kapalua is on the side of a mountain; Waialae is flat and at sea level – wind really is the only challenge on either, and like last week, it isn’t forecast to be that at all again once the Sony starts on Thursday. With all other elements cooperating, the field will have a great chance to copy last year’s scoring average of 67.998. So, as of midday Monday, the 18 who teed it up at Kapalua and have made the short trip to Waialae have the edge to win. They are warm and arrive with the knowledge that eight of the last nine Sony champions played the Sentry the previous week.
The other almost unbelievable fact of the matter is that, since Gay Brewer prevailed in the inaugural edition of the Sony in 1965, Russell Henley is the only winner in his tournament debut. Fitting for the phenomenon of extremes, Henley was in his first-ever PGA TOUR start as a member in 2013. The moral of the matter, then, is that first-timers who didn’t peg it at Kapalua last week are facing headwinds of trends times two.
For the sixth consecutive year, all Korn Ferry Tour graduates who have committed are in the field. So, even the slowest starters aren’t penalized this opportunity after the first reorder of their category at the conclusion of the fall portion of the last wraparound season.
ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled.
MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws & Fades
SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Rookie Ranking
* – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesdays.