2026 Sony Open: Preview and three betting tips
Wed, 14 Jan 2026
Wed, 14 Jan 2026
Odds Now’s golf tipster Ross Kilvington returns to the teebox this week. Having already previewed the DP World Tour's Dubai Invitational, here he turns his eye to the PGA Tour's season-opening event – the 2026 Sony Open.
The 2026 PGA Tour season gets underway this week with the Sony Open taking place in Hawaii.
Golf was meant to return in the first week of January, but the Sentry – the usual curtain raiser – was cancelled back in October due to "ongoing drought conditions and related challenges on the island of Maui".
As such, the Sony will begin proceedings this term and it marks the start of a 33-week stretch that takes us all the way through to the Tour Championship in August.
Yep, 33 weeks of consecutive PGA Tour events to get stuck into. Golf is back, folks!
Played at Waialae CC, which is a par-70, 7,044-yard course, the Sony Open dates back to 1965, having been played every year since aside from 1970.
This year, however, could be the final edition, as Sony’s sponsorship of the tournament expires after 2026 and a smaller season from 2027 onwards suggests certain events might be cut.
Regardless of what the future holds, this week represents an ideal opportunity to begin 2026 with a bang. Here at Odds Now, I'll take a quick dive into three betting selections, each from different sections of the market, who make appeal for a wager.
On his day, Hideki Matsuyama is arguably one of the best golfers on the planet.
With a CV that includes a Masters victory, two World Golf Championship titles and a playoff victory, the Japanese star has been there and done it all on the biggest stage.
A fast start and strong finish is also something he's well accustomed to. Matsuyama began 2025 by winning the Sentry and ended it with an impressive win at the Hero World Challenge. Between those victories, the year didn’t produce much else of note, however, recording just two top-ten finishes.
The 2021 Masters champion does have history at Waialae though, winning here in 2022 – and with his victory at the Sentry last year, it's clear he loves playing out in Hawaii.
Last year, he ranked 19th in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green and Strokes Gained: Total, suggesting that his performance levels in 2025 were probably higher than bare results suggest.
Given how well he ended 2025, odds of 16/1 for Matsuyama to begin the new season look worth getting on side.
Admittedly, Aaron Rai does not have the best of records at the Sony Open.
Rai has played this event three times in his career, recording a best finish of T57. So it'll need to be a career-best effort at this track by some distance.
However, the Englishman enters 2026 on the back of a solid end to the previous campaign. After finishing fifth in the defence of his title at the Wyndham Championship, Rai missed just one cut from his final seven events.
He also finished third at the BMW PGA Championship, missing out on a playoff by only three shots, before going on to claim the biggest title of his career at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in his next start.
Rai ranked first that week for SG: Approach and this is a metric that should stand him in good stead heading into the first tournament of the year.
He now sits 23rd in the world rankings, just three places shy of his best ever seeding, achieved in 2024. I believe this could be the year where Rai really begins to showcase his class at the top table.
If you are looking for someone with a strong course record, however, then Nico Echavarria could well be your man.
The Colombian finished T12 at Waialae in 2023, then kicked on again 12 months ago when losing a play-off to Canada's Nick Taylor, having posted -16 for the week.
Between those two respective tilts, Echavarria has picked up two PGA Tour titles – the 2023 Puerto Rico Open and the 2024 Zozo Championship. He also finished off last year rather impressively, finishing fourth on his last start in November's RSM Classic.
Echavarria is a fantastic putter, having ranked fifth for Strokes Gained: Putting and eighth for one-putt make percentage on last year's Tour. Those are elite numbers.
What's more, he has the added incentive of a potential trip to Augusta in three months' time. Entering this tournament ranked 51st in the world, a few solid weeks will help him push into the top 50 and in turn secure the most coveted invitation in golf.
A big year awaits and given his winning pedigree, it's worth taking a chance on the 45/1 6 places rather than the conservative 33/1 each way available in the 10-place book.
1pt EW - Hideki Matsuyama – 16/1 (Ladbrokes/ Coral - 1/5 odds, 10 places)
0.75pt EW - Aaron Rai – 30/1 (Ladbrokes/ Coral - 1/5 odds, 10 places)
0.5pt EW - Nico Echavarria – 45/1 (LiveScore Bet - 1/5 odds, 6 places)
Total staked - 4.5pts
Ross Kilvington is Odds Now's chief golf tipster, covering events from the PGA and DP World Tour across the season.
Ahead of every major event, you can check out Ross' betting card and detailed explanations for his three weekly picks, where he has unearthed several winners in 2025 alone.
Based in Scotland, Ross also freelances for a number of other sports publications.
Ross Kilvington is Odds Now's chief golf tipster, covering events from the PGA and DP World Tour across the season.
Ahead of every major event, you can check out Ross' betting card and detailed explanations for his three weekly picks, where he has unearthed several winners in 2025 alone.
Based in Scotland, Ross also freelances for a number of other sports publications.
Ross's p/l
7 Days
30 Days
Year 2026
Hideki Matsuyama's 3 wood to set up the winning eagle in '22 was the definition of clutch. 🔥😤 📺 Live Thursday at 7 ET on GC
