Sony Open 2018 Hawaii

The 2018 Sony Open in Hawaii takes place between January 11-14 at Waialae Country Club. This is the PGA Tour’s first full-field event of the calendar year, attracting 144 of the world’s best golf professionals. The player’s will compete for a share of the $6.2 million purse, with the tournament winner taking away prize money worth $1,116,000.

At last year’s tournament, 24-year old American, Justin Thomas, started his campaign with an incredible round of 59, becoming the youngest player by four years to break 60 on the PGA Tour. Thomas went on to win the 2017 Sony Open by seven shots, and smashed the tour’s 72-hole record, carding rounds of 59-64-65-65. That left Thomas with a record score of 27-under, 253.

Thomas also finished the 2017 season as the tour’s ‘Player of the Year’ with five titles, including the PGA Championship, the money title and a $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup. This year he returns to Hawaii to defend his title, and the current number 4 world-ranked player has been installed as second-favourite to do so.

Favourite for the Sony Open is fellow American, and world number 2, Jordan Spieth, who landed the biggest title of his career in July last year. Having won the U.S. Open in 2015, Spieth won the oldest major tournament in the world when winning The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, by three-strokes from Matt Kuchar.

Australian, Marc Leishman, the current world number 13, has been installed as third-favourite – but there are a number of player’s in with a chance in Hawaii. Two-time winner, Jimmy Walker from the USA, returns to the Waialae Country Club hoping to repeat his success of 2015 and 2016, whilst South Korea’s Kim Si-woo has a chance of becoming only the fourth player from Asia to lift the Sony Open trophy.

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