2013 Sony Open Betting Odds - Event Info, Dates, Coverage
The 2013 Sony Open tees off from Honolulu, Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club beginning on Thursday, January 10th through Sunday January 14th. Coverage of the Sony Open will begin Thursday on Golf Channel beginning at 7pm ET and going to 10:30pm ET. Golf Channel will have coverage of the event all week, with Friday and Saturday keeping the same times. The only change will happen on Sunday, with coverage ending 30 minutes early at 10pm ET.
The Sony Open
Played on the PGA Tour every year since 1965, the Sony Open has become synonymous with the beginning of the season, as the first full event open to the Tour. The Tournament of champions is the week prior, but limited only to champions from the year prior.
Waialae Country Club has been the host course of the Sony Open since its beginnings, and routinely gives players plenty of challenges, with the natural undulation and the infamous Hawaiian winds. Actually, the PGA Tour chooses to flip the nines for the event. Any other time during the year, the public plays No.1 as No.10. At just under 7,100 yards, this Par-70 golf course provides spectacular scenery. And with No.18 a par-5, the Sony Open has been known to produce some drama, with the possibility for players to go for the green in two.
At stake is a $990,000 prize for the winner and of course 500 coveted FedEx Points. There will be plenty of players in the field for the Sony Open every year, with the max capped at 156.
2013 Sony Open
The 2013 Sony Open tees off on Thursday of this week, and hopefully it will get going on time. We saw high winds postpone the playing of the Tournament Of Champions more than three days. When that was all said and done, it was Dustin Johnson who came out on top with the first win of the 2013 PGA Tour Season. The weather forecast for the Sony Open doesn't look too bad, so we should have everything go on as scheduled.
The Sony Open is the first event of the PGA tour that is open. The Tournament of Champions was limited to players who won on Tour in 2012. This will be the first full-field event we are treated to, and the field looks pretty good from a first glance. Johnson continues his Hawaii stay, and will play for a second straight week looking to start out the season with a couple of wins.
Outside of Johnson, we see names like 2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, 2012 Players Champion Matt Kuchar, and 2012 U.S Open Champion Webb Simpson. Both Simpson and Kuchar are coming off of years in which they notched the biggest wins of their careers, so it will be fun to see how they get started in 2013.
The field has a great mix of veterans and young players. Familiar names like Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, and even John Daly are in the field. Up-and-comers like Bud Cauley and Harris English are also in the field. Cauley was in his first season the PGA tour in 2012, and during his second season he has all the tools to get in the winner's circle.
What Happened In 2012?
The second PGA tournament of the 2012 season certainly provided fans some excitement. Entering the final day of the 72-hole event, there were 10 players within three shots of the lead. And while many were unable to make a move to separate themselves from the rest of the field, it was Johnson Wagner who won with a 13-under par score. He won by two shots over four players. Wagner took the early lead in the FedEx Cup, and got his 2012 season off to a great start out in Hawaii.
Who Is Favored To Win The 2013 Sony Open?
Dustin Johnson is at the top of the list of the odds to win the 2013 Sony Open, and it really shouldn't come as a surprise because of his win a few days ago. Being that it's the second tournament of the year, oddsmakers don't have much to go by performances this season, and rely on speculation. But the fact that Johnson won last week is the driving force behind this. Even if Johnson had not won, he would be among the favorites. But at 9/1 at Bovada Sportsbook, Johnson is nearly twice the favorite as the next-closest player on the betting line.
Three players come in behind the winner from last week, all at 16/1. They are Bradley, Kuchar, and Simpson, all three who we mentioned earlier in the notables.
Bradley won once in 2012 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, which is certainly a big win. Ever since his coming out party at the 2011 PGA championship, Bradley has played consistent and shown he is here to stay.
Kuchar captured the 2012 Players Championship, and while he has still not won a Major, that's a big as it gets without one. Kuchar was a familiar name near the leaderboards in 2012.
Simpson's win at the U.S. Open brought him to the forefront of the golfing world. It was his only win in 2012, but it doesn't get any bigger.
Rounding out the top-five PGA Betting Lines is Zach Johnson, a two-time winner on the 2012 PGA Tour. Johnson is going off at 20/1, and while not a long hitter, he is very accurate off the tee, something that is important in navigating the strong Hawaiian winds.
Our Picks
The Winner - Zach Johnson recorded a top-20 finish last week at the Tournament of Champions, in conditions that are going to be much more difficult than he will see this week. This got him used to the elements, and we think that Johnson will be ready to make some birdies and win the Sony Open for the first time in his career. Johnson is slated with odds at 20/1 to win.
The Darkhorse - Kevin Na was routinely in the mix during the 2012 PGA tour season, and he has shown the ability to take his scores very low. Consistency is his problem, but if he is in the right frame of mind, he might just get an early win in 2013.
Notable Pairings
Zach Johnson will be paired with pre-tournament favorite Johnson, and the defending champion Johnson Wagner. They will tee off at 7:50am local time on Thursday and then 12:20pm local time on Friday.
Matt Kuchar, Mark Wilson, and Keegan Bradley will go off at 8am local time on Thursday and 12:30pm local time on Friday.
Webb Simpson will be paired with Vijay Singh and K.J. Choi for the first two days. They tee off at 12:20pm local time on Thursday and 7:50am local time on Friday.