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2023 Sony Open in Hawaii Odds, Picks & Predictions: Top-20 Finishers

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That was certainly a wild start to the 2023 season. The Sentry Tournament of Champions was a rollercoaster. It was shaping up to be a runaway victory for my betting favorite Collin Morikawa until his first two bogeys of the tournament coincided with a torrid Sunday finish by Jon Rahm. Even with our guy’s staggering collapse, the bets were still a resounding, bankroll-building profit.

Let’s not get too full of hubris. It is a long and arduous season ahead. The Sony Open at Waialae Country Club on the island of Oahu, Hawai’i has been a PGA Tour mainstay since 1965. Before you assume it will be similar to last week’s romp at Kapalua on the scenic cliffs of Maui, just understand that there really aren’t many parallels between the two tournaments.

The Sony Open is a cut event on a par-70 track with longer rough than in years past. Hideki Matsuyama will attempt to defend his victory last year when he prevailed in a playoff over Russell Henley. The oft-discussed Pacific trade winds will be a factor this week, providing another wrinkle of difficulty for the players to navigate. The type of players who excel at Waialae are strong on approach with short and mid irons. The champion must also be strong around the greens, especially getting up and down from thick, spindly rough.

Although tempting, the favorites here aren’t often the eventual champions. Conversely, some of the golfers with the longest odds are primed to soundly beat expectations and aid in profitable betting. I bet with my chest out most weeks. This will be no exception.

Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

2023 Sony Open in Hawaii Odds, Picks & Predictions

Austin Smotherman (+850 Top-20 [1u])

Even farther down the betting board is Smotherman. The Northern California native is a world-class ball striker who has had his tribulations on and around the greens. He was 24th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) and 32nd in SG: APP in 2022. Among the golfers who missed the cut at last year’s Sony Open in Hawai’i, he wasn’t one of the surprises. Call it an educated hunch, but Smotherman stands to surprise a lot of people by contending this week. His form is just getting warmed up.

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