Is Keegan Bradley primed for a giant week on the Sony?

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Aloha once more, buddies.

While you journey to Hawaii, it may be robust to go away.

The PGA Tour is aware of the lure of the islands. Because it does annually after Kapalua, it’s lingering in Hawaii for an additional week, puddle-jumping from Maui to Oahu for the Sony Open, at Wai’alae Nation Membership.

In contrast to final week’s no-cut Sentry Event of Champions, the Sony encompasses a full discipline of 144 gamers, together with defending champion Hideki Matsuyama. Sungjae Im and Jordan Spieth can be available as properly, however neither ranks as the present betting favourite. That honor goes to the 20-year-old rising star, Tom Kim, who’s a contemporary of a T-5 end on the Sentry.

2023 Sony Open odds: Jordan Spieth edged out for betting favourite in Hawaii
By:

Kevin Cunningham

This week’s host course is a par-70 Seth Raynor design with a historical past of yielding birdies in bunches. The scoreboard ought to bleed crimson, and if all goes proper, any performs we make will flip up roses.

For assist with that, we’ve made a rock-solid pre-tournament choose of Brady Kannon as our new betting professional. Kannon places the “professional” in prognosticator. A seasoned golf bettor, with greater than 20 years of expertise, he’s an on-air host for VSiN (Vegas Stats & Data Community), and host and creator of Longshots, the community’s golf betting present, now in its fifth season. You’ll be able to observe Kannon on Twitter at @LasVegasGolfer, and you’ll learn his 4 favourite Sony picks beneath, alongside together with his methodology and rationale.

As a result of we wish to know the place public sentiment is leaning, too, we’re additionally sharing knowledge from Chirp, a free-to-play cell platform (and Patacon.org affiliate) that gives an array of attractive prizes (see beneath) Even with out risking cash, you may win. After trying out Kannon’s picks, maintain scrolling to see which “favourite” Chirp customers are leaning towards this week.

Kannon’s Take

This week’s course, Wai’alae, presents a markedly totally different check from what we noticed final week in Maui. The Plantation Course at Kapalua is a large property — a par-73 with undulations, elevation change, a number of the widest fairways on Tour and big greens. Waialae is a slender, quick, par-70 course with flat, small greens and thick tough. One similarity, nevertheless, is that each programs want the wind to blow to actually check the gamers. It seems like it’s going to blow a bit bit on Thursday and a few extra on Sunday however nothing too loopy at present is forecast.

To tell my picks, I studied Strokes Gained: Method, SG: Round-the-Greens, SG: Placing (on Bermuda Grass) and SG: Par 4s. I additionally checked out Greens in Regulation Gained and Driving Accuracy. In evaluating how gamers have carried out at programs which are similar to Wai’alae, I used El Camaleon at Mayakoba, Sea Island (RSM Traditional), Harbour City (RBC Heritage), and Colonial Nation Membership (Charles Schwab Problem). 

4 picks I wish to win the Sony Open

Brian Harman (20-1)

Harman comes off a wrap-around season by which he completed second twice — and people runner-up showings got here at two of our comp programs, Mayakoba and Sea Island. Harman is fifth on Tour in Driving Accuracy, 14th in Greens in Regulation, 4th in Scrambling and eighth in Birdie Common. He has completed as excessive as 4th right here at Wai’alae previously and has a Twentieth-place end and a pair of thirteenth’s. He additionally has three top-10 finishes at each Colonial and Sea Island.

Russell Henley (25-1) 

If Georgia can win back-to-back Nationwide Championships, why not go along with Bulldogs to win back-to-back Sonys, in each Harman and Henley? Henley was your winner at Mayakoba two months in the past, besting Harman by 4 photographs. He has additionally gained right here on the Sony, and has completed 2nd, eleventh and twice inside the highest 20. He has two prime 10s at Harbour City and three at Sea Island — so, like Harman, Henley additionally checks out on the efficiency historical past on the comp programs. He’s primary on Tour in Driving Accuracy, and over the past 24 rounds he ranks 4th on this discipline for SG: Method and Par-4 Scoring.

Keegan Bradley (36-1)

Bradley is one other current winner, having captured the Zozo in mid-October. 5 of the final eight Sony winners have had a win within the earlier fall. Bradley matches up properly with all of the stats I checked out this week however placing has at all times been his downfall. However he’s gotten higher and completed 88th on Tour final season in SG: Placing. He’s completed thirteenth right here earlier than and twelfth twice. He’s additionally been eighth at fifteenth at Mayakoba previously.

Andrew Putnam (50-1)

He performed very properly through the Fall Sequence, ending second to Bradley on the Zozo and twelfth on the Shriners in Las Vegas the week prior — after which completed twenty first on the RSM Traditional simply earlier than Thanksgiving. Driving Accuracy and work each on and across the greens are Putnam’s strengths. During the last 24 rounds, he’s tenth on this discipline for SG: Placing (Bermuda Grass) and 18th in Fairways Gained. He took 2nd right here on the Sony 4 years in the past and in addition has a Third-place end at Colonial together with a fifteenth and a Twentieth. 

Who Chirp customers wish to win

Jordan Spieth – 47.92%*

Tom Kim – 27.76%

Hideki Matsuyama – 9.29%

*P.c of customers who picked this participant to win in Chrip’s “Favourite” class.

Josh Sens
Patacon.org Contributor

A golf, meals and journey author, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Journal contributor since 2004 and now contributes throughout all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Greatest American Sportswriting. He’s additionally the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Enjoyable But: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.