Sony Open Preview

GOLF IS BACK! This week, the news of Brooks Koepka returning to the PGA Tour & also three hole-in-ones from Barstool After Dark have been the perfect lead-up into our 1st event of the 2026 PGA Tour season! Starting a week later with no Sentry Tournament of Champions event, we still get the Hawaiian views in the background to get us into our golf mindset yet again. Though some of the biggest names won’t be on the island this week, we are still in store for a great first weekend of golf with Robert McIntyre, Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama, Russell Henley, & many more.

With the season teeing off, so are your betting habits. For those who take a chance each week at a winner, I am here to give you a few names you might wanna throw a flyer on, which will then lead us into the favorites to win the first event of 2026. Also look out for my “Who Can Win a Major in 2026” blog coming out soon! Though the focus now is on the Sony Open.

Collin Morikawa

Winner: +2000

Top 5: +400

Top 10: +200

Morikawa is coming off a strange season in which he represented his country in the Ryder Cup, but also had some of the more all-time lows in his career. As a two-time major winner & six-time winner on tour, we know he can pull it out any week. Also throw in that he is a West Coast guy, I think this could contribute to some success this weekend as well. Lastly, he has shown he likes the islands with a 7th-place finish in 2021.

Jordan Spieth

Winner: +4500

Top 5: +750

Top 10: +370

How do you not bet a healthy Jordan Spieth?!? Jordan feels primed for a breakout season after he made major strides in 2025. Can we get back to the old Spieth game? We can only hope & pray for it, as a contending Spieth is good for the game of golf. While he missed the cut in 2023 in this tourney, he is now fully healthy & ready to show us he can get back to the top tier of golfers in the world.

Jake Knapp

Winner: +6000

Top 5: +1000

Top 10: +450

Knapp’s length off the tee makes him a threat every week. If he can find the touch around & on the greens, then he has the chance to really compete weekly on tour. Off a long hiatus of not needing a PGA Tour Fall run to keep his card as well as needing some personal time to himself, you have to think his game should be different with all the extra offseason time to work on it.

While I like these three to make a splash, they are far from the favorites this weekend. With their odds being very rewarding, this shows even Vegas knows it is anyone’s to take opening weekend in Hawaii.

Russell Henley +1100

Hideki Matsuyama +1700

Ben Griffin +1700

J.J. Spaun +1800

Robert McIntyre +2000

The first weekend of the season, questions will begin to get answered. Can Morikawa & Spieth rediscover their A-game? Are players like Spaun, Griffin, & McIntyre here to stay near the top of the golf rankings? Who can be the up-and-comer to become a household name by summer? It is finally here, no more waiting around. The PGA Tour is back in Hawaii for the Sony Open.