Sony Open Betting Tips 2026: Bazza's Best Bets At The PGA Tour Curtain-Raiser

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Christmas is fading in the rear-view mirror and suddenly I am once again knee-deep in data, fully invested in curating the best Sony Open betting tips to help you banish the January blues with a morale-boosting winner.

A full field has been announced for the 2026 PGA Tour opener in Hawaii, so along with the esteemed betting experts at Golf Monthly HQ, I've been busy crunching the numbers and following the trends in order to find you an early season winner.

With another exciting PGA Tour schedule about to get underway, the competitors will be looking for a fast start and we believe we have found some great value tips that can do just that...

Sony Open Betting Tips 2026: Bazza's Best Bets

Tips by...

Tips by...

Baz Plummer

For any first time readers of my betting tips, I'm Baz. I have years of experience writing golf betting content across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and LIV Golf - plus all the men's and women's Majors. I have successfully picked three of the last five men's Major winners, utilising a heavily-researched and data-driven formula which centres around a clear mantra... follow the trends! You can find my best bets in my weekly column, 'Bazza's Best Bets' via the Golf Monthly betting hub.

Pick One: Keegan Bradley (+2200) To Win @ BetMGM

Keegan Bradley had a great season in a playing capacity in 2025 (we will look past the Ryder Cup captaincy for now), but his course form in this event helped to make this quite an easy decision.

In his last six appearances at the Sony Open, Bradley has four top-12 finishes including when runner-up in 2024. Combine that with six top-10 finishes last season, with a win at the Travelers Championship the clear highlight, and he starts to tick a lot of boxes.

Bradley is arriving at Waialae Country Club off the back of one of his best seasons to date, so expect another strong challenge from him.

Pick Two: Aaron Rai (+3300) To Win @ BetMGM

Aaron Rai picked up a third DP World Tour title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in November, seeing off Tommy Fleetwood in impressive fashion, and I believe this could be a huge year for the Englishman.

After claiming a first PGA Tour win in August 2024, Rai has played some pretty solid golf Stateside. He is incredibly accurate off the tee, ranking 1st for driving accuracy in the last 12 months, but also ranks in the top-20 for Stroke Gained: Approach.

Both of those measures will be key to success here and after opening with a 64 at Waialae Country Club in 2024, I believe Rai is arriving in a stronger position to challenge strongly for this title.

Value Bet: Ryan Gerard (+6600) To Win @ BetMGM

Ryan Gerard came very close to a first DP World Tour win in Mauritius a few weeks ago, finishing runner-up to take himself into the top-50 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

He fits the bill of someone who could contend at Waialae Country Club, ranking 20th for SG: Approach and 29th for driving accuracy among the top-150 players in the world over the past six months.

His strong play around the greens, ranking 12th, also adds weight to his claims and at a decent price I wouldn't put anyone off an each-way punt.

Top-5 Finish Bet: Haotong Li (+1400) @ BetMGM

Haotong Li is an exciting player to watch on the PGA Tour this season, having earned his card through the DP World Tour.

He was fantastic at the Open Championship last summer and won the hearts of many in the process, but his golf recently has also been pretty good.

He finished T10 at the Nedbank last time out, and 8th at the DP World Tour Championship the time before that, so arrives in Hawaii in decent form.

He has four DP World Tour wins to his name, so knows how to compete for titles, and while I can't say for certain how these first few events will go - I'll be closely watching and enjoying every moment. Go, Haotong!

Elliott Heath

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, X and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 and 2025 Masters from Augusta National and was there by the 18th green to watch Rory McIlroy complete the career grand slam. He has also covered five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews.

Pick One: Hideki Matsuyama (+2000) To Win @ BetMGM

The 2021 Masters champion always seems to get his calendar year off to a good start, having won The Sentry last year and the Sony Open in 2022.

There’s clearly something about Hawaii for him, and as one of the top players in the field this week I am picking him to contend for the title once more.

Hideki Matsuyama won in his last start at the Hero World Challenge against the PGA Tour’s best players and was T5 and T7 in his two previous tournaments.

Pick Two: Lee Hodges Top-5 Finish (+1400) To Win @ BetMGM

The Alabaman only has conditional status this year after finishing 101st in the FedEx Cup Fall standings so he is out to try and secure his job.

He ended last season with a T4th at the RSM Classic and played well here at Waialae last time out to finish T10th so he looks primed to play well again.

That was one of four top-10s last year so I am picking him to rack up another this week, which would qualify him for the AmEx.

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Tips by...

Tips by...

Matt Cradock

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover news and social media.

Pick One: Harry Hall (+3300) To Win @ BetMGM

The Englishman enjoyed a fine season on the PGA Tour in 2025, racking up numerous top 10s and putting himself into contention on multiple occasions.

Last year, his season began with T8th and T10th finishes at The Sentry and Sony Open in Hawaii, which tells me he is a big fan of golf in this area.

That T10th also included three rounds in the 60s, showing course form at Waialae Country Club. He may not have played since October, but a lengthy rest means he should be fully refreshed coming into this week.

Pick Two: Michael Kim (+6600) @ BetMGM

My second pick is Michael Kim, who also enjoyed a fine 2025 that included a victory at the FedEx Open de France, as well as a T9th result at the DP World India Championship.

The American produced some fine results on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, which is why I think he's offering generous odds for this week in Hawaii.

Last year he may have missed the cut, but his second round was a five-under-par 65, showing Kim knows how to play around this layout. If he can bring in that winning form from the end of 2025, he is one to watch this week.

Tips by...

Tips by...

Jonny Leighfield

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann.

Pick One: Keegan Bradley (+2200) To Win @ BetMGM

Picking the winner for the first week of the season is always difficult, but I've gone for Bradley as not only was he playing some decent stuff towards the end of last year but he's also been a part of a couple of events more recently, including a win in The Skins Game, so perhaps a degree of extra game sharpness will help the American.

Also, perhaps more importantly, his record at this event is really good - even without a win. If all four areas of Bradley's game are playing ball, he could open up his year with a big W in front of the famous palm trees.

Pick Two: Jordan Spieth (+4000) @ BetMGM

This is very much heart over head, but wouldn't it be so cool if Jordan Spieth could come out firing straight away after an injury-hit 2025?

Spieth shook off a bit of the rust at the Hero World Challenge, so the Sony Open shouldn't be as much of a shock.

With plenty of practice under his belt as well, I live in hope that Spieth might be able to put in a surprise challenge and alert his rivals that 2026 might see his return to the top.

Golf Monthly Betting Picks: Wins In 2025