Sony Open in Hawaii preview and betting tips
Sony Open in Hawaii top betting tips
There was a lot to like about Justin Thomas’s tune up at the Tournament of Champions, not least his final round 65 that vaulted him into 3rd place.
His long game looked in great touch all week and only some difficulties on the green – he admitted afterwards he’d had problems trusting his lines and speed – prevented him from getting closer to Xander Schauffele.
“Very, very confident going into next week,” he said after going 9-under-par for his last 16 holes at Kapalua. “I feel like I was close to shooting some really low numbers this week.”
Well, if there is a place Thomas knows where to go low it is Waialae. His 2017 victory was stamped with a first round 59 and his 27-under winning total was a PGA Tour scoring record.
He’s a worthy favourite at 6/1 and yet, in my view, the price might have been shorter still.
Gary Woodland added another number to the times he has led after 54 holes and not won but he did nothing wrong as Schauffele overhauled him last week.
His performance was all the more impressive given the death of his grandmother during the tournament and he may be worth considering getting into the frame again at prices around the 14/1 mark.
This course has definitely suited him in the past and his form over the last four years reads 7th, 6th, 13th and 3rd.
As long as there is no mental let down from having got so close at the Tournament of Champions, I’d expect him to be in the frame again.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
