Top Plays for the 2026 Sony Open

The PGA TOUR’s 2026 season starts this week with the Sony Open. And with it comes the ability to play in DraftKings PGA Pick6 contests, a single-user daily fantasy game where users choose golfers to go for more or less than set totals.

This week, the PGA TOUR heads to Hawaii for the Sony Open, where players will take on Waialae Country Club, a classic Par 70 course that winds along the Pacific shore. The venue features some of the hardest-to-hit fairways on the Tour, and small Bermuda greens that can be very difficult to hit when the tradewinds are up. Last season, the weather played a factor, with Nick Taylor winning in a playoff at just -16. Winds are expected to be a factor once again, with at least 15 mph winds for much of the event. Sunny skies are also expected to make the greens firmer. 

I reviewed additional statistics and course dynamics in the Sony Open PGA Cheat Sheet and included some notes on the course below.

“Waialae has only two par 5s, making par 4 scoring more important. Five of the par 4 holes range from 450-to-500 yards, demanding longer irons for approach shots, especially if drives are not well-placed. Players have some chances to go for it off the tee, but accurate placement is crucial. The fairways are among the tightest on the PGA TOUR, with players averaging 52-54% accuracy in most seasons.

It’s not that Waialae has many penalty areas or trouble to get into, but players can cut themselves off from accessing the green on approach if they get too wild. And with smaller greens, having the best sightlines into the greens is vital — especially if you are not a great around-the-green player.

Accuracy off the tee is important, but traditionally, this is a course that favors players with great approach games who can get into a rhythm on these slower Bermuda greens. The 2018 winner, Patton Kizzire, ranked 67th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee for the week but third in SG: Approach. Justin Thomas also didn’t rank in the top half of the field in accuracy off the tee the year he won — and he still won by seven strokes.

In 2019, Matt Kuchar gained +5.5 strokes on approaches and also gained over +7 strokes on the greens. In 2022, Hideki Matsuyama was solid in his ball striking, but struck gold with his putter, gaining a career-best +7.3 strokes putting for the week. In 2023, Si Woo Kim put on a ball-striking clinic, gaining +8.2 strokes on approach (first in the field), but was barely positive putting (+0.9 strokes). Last year, Nick Taylor ranked fourth in SG: Approach stats. While he was 23rd in putting, Taylor’s superb iron play ultimately carried him most of the week. When it comes down to it, recent form in the major ball-striking categories is certainly a great start for success on Waialae, but the need to sink as many 5-15 footers as possible and be smooth around the greens is just as vital.”

As of now, we have Round 1 totals up on the Pick6 site for play, so that’s where we’ll be focusing this week. As mentioned above, it looks windy for Round 1, so I’m not expecting super low scores. Fading players coming in with poor form will likely be a good strategy, as will be staying bullish on those solid iron players who should benefit from the tougher conditions. 

With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite plays for Round 1.

Russell Henley More Than 11.5 Pars

Henley has a great track record at this week’s venue. He won at Waialae in 2013 on his first go-round, and has numerous other top-five finishes at this event. He’s also a great scrambler who ranked 11th in bogey avoidance last season, and isn’t likely to implode on a course like this just due to some poor weather. With higher winds expected and birdie rates likely to suffer, I view this total on pars for someone like Henley as too low in Round 1. 

Even if Henley’s bogey rate goes up a bit, the fact that he’s likely to be saving more par more often than tapping in short birdies makes it more likely than not that he goes over 11.5 pars on Thursday.

Maverick McNealy Less Than 4.5 Birdies or Better

I mentioned fading some of the players I’m not high on this week, or those coming in with poor form. McNealy fits both of those categories, as the American didn’t play a ton over the fall and missed the cut on his last outing before the winter break. He has done well at some of these coastal venues over his career, but his iron play can also be the most inconsistent part of his game, so windy conditions may hurt him more than most. 

Overall, with only two par 5s on this course, McNealy will need to come out hot with his approaches to have a chance at going over this total. He only ranked 91st in birdie or better percentage last season, and with his poor finish to 2025, he’s not someone I’m scared of taking the less than on in this spot for Round 1.

Ben Griffin Less Than 67.5 Strokes

Griffin is one of the top players in this field according to the betting odds, and he’s also one of only a handful of top 20 players in the OWGR to be teeing it up this week. The winner of the Charles Schwab Classic in June and the WWT Championship in the fall, Griffin is typically just a great all-around player who should thrive on a setup like Waialae, which rewards great iron play and short game play. He doesn’t have a ton of length off the tee, but is certainly one of the best iron/wedge players in the world at the moment. 

Because Griffin thrives on approach and on and around the greens, he’s just very unlikely to make many mistakes this week on what is still a softer, shorter course, even if the wind will be up. I’m all for attacking this total in Round 1. Taking the less than on 67.5 is a good call, as it seems like a number Griffin’s more than likely to beat in most rounds this week, assuming we don’t get biblical winds at some point.

Michael Kim More Than 7.5 Fairways Hit

This number stood out to me as too low. Kim can be a little inconsistent off the tee, but he’s not what I would call “wild” with his driver, either. He gained strokes OTT in three of his last four starts in 2025, and finished that season very solidly, winning in France on the Euro Tour.

Overall, eight fairways on a course with lots of par 4s, where position will be emphasized, and with a smart player like Kim clubbing down, seems very doable. With his solid form of late, I’d have no issues taking the more than on this total and adding it to lineups for Round 1.

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