The Sony Open at Waialae Country Club – 2025 Preview

With “The Sentry” being left off the schedule in 2026, the Sony Open, held at the venerable Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, is the first official tournament of the year. With legendary figures such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw winning championships here, the course endures to this day, withstanding the test of time. Having hosted the Sony Open since 1965, it is the third-oldest annual course on Tour, only behind Colonial Country Club and Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Waialae CC is a shot-maker’s golf course distinguished by its narrow corridors, sharp doglegs, unpredictable Bermuda rough, and firm greens. It is a positional track that has effectively neutralized any advantages held by bombers off the tee. This week is about strategy, position, and shot-making on a tight and flat course. In the words of Kevin Kisner, “I like that it’s a shot-maker’s golf course. It’s a shorter, ball-striker’s paradise. You’ve got to play to certain spots. I think it’s Point A to Point B and make some putts.” This is why we typically see the same type of player (shorter-hitting ball-striker with a quality short game) succeed here year after year.

While not a complete birdie-fest, minus the wind-blown 2020 event, the average winning score over the past five tournaments has been 20-under par. It’s a course where quality shots can lead to birdies on almost every hole. But if you are in the rough or out of position, scrambling for par can be a challenge. It is also the fifth-most predictive course on the annual PGA schedule. Those who have a successful track record at Waialae tend to contend here on a yearly basis.

 

 

The Field

 

 

Around half the field from Kapalua will island-hop to Oahu, but most of the 144 players are making their first official start of the year. As the course trends show, those who did not play last week need to shake off the competitive rust and will be slightly disadvantaged. Past performance at Waialae is significant this week as it’s the ninth most predictive out of any course on Tour.

While not the star-studded event we saw at Kapalua, this will still be one of the strongest Sony Open fields ever with 20 of the top 50 Official World Golf Rankings in attendance. The main headliners include Sahith Theegala, Brian Harman, Robert Macintyre, Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, Tom Kim, Corey Conners, and last week’s winner and past Sony Open champion, Hideki Matsuyama.

Other past champions in the field include Si Woo Kim, Mat Kuchar, Patton Kizzire, Zach Johnson, and Ryan Palmer. Last year’s winner, Grayson Murray will be remembered this week following his death last May. The purse is $8,700,000 with a winner’s share north of $1.5 million. FedEx Cup points earned will go toward the Aon Swing 5, the path to the next signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

 

Waialae CC – Course History

Completed in 1926 by legendary architect, Seth Raynor, the course, at what is now Waialae Country Club was first opened in 1927. Raynor was known for designing courses with exceptional routing that made players think their way around the property. It has many of the same characteristics as the classical “Golden Age” of golf courses. Almost every other hole faces a different direction, forcing players to shape their shots and account for the wind at all times.

Raynor’s mentor and friend was the legendary course designer Charles Blair Macdonald. Many of the courses Raynor designed were influenced by Macdonald’s thoughts and ideas. He also incorporated elements from Scottish links-style courses that forced golfers to be creative shot-makers and to think their way around the property.

Unfortunately, Raynor passed away from pneumonia in 1926 just after completing Waialae. Originally named “The Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Waialae Golf Course”, it was built by the Territorial Hotel Company as part of a promotional program to develop luxury travel trade to Hawaii. And much like resort courses today, it was meant to be used by anyone staying at the hotel. Then in 1930, a collection of players at the course decided to designate it as an exclusive club and the name was changed to Waialae Country Club.

In the years after the Great Depression during the 1930s, business started to dramatically slow due to people not being able to afford to travel to vacation spots. When a fire destroyed portions of the clubhouse in 1941, it was decided that major renovations were needed. It was slow at first because parts of the course were used to aid the military during World War 2, but in the years after things started to progress. Amenities were added and certain holes were moved and redesigned in the early 1960s.

By 1965, Waialae Country Club was ready to host a PGA Tour event. The first Hawaiian Open on the PGA Tour was held at the course in November 1965. Since then, a PGA Tour event has been held here every year except for 1970. Over time there have been numerous minor renovations to the course led by numerous architects including Robert Trent Jones, Desmond Muirhead, Rick Smith, and Tom Doak.

 

Finish Position and Strokes Gained Course History (2016-2024)

This includes average finish position and Strokes Gained per round in each category. Players are sorted by SG: Total. Waialae CC is the 9th most predictive annual course on Tour.