The Incredible 400/1 Odds Nick Taylor Defied En Route To His Sony Open Win

It would be fair to say that very few people expected Nick Taylor to win the Sony Open in Hawaii pre-tournament, with odds of +11000 (110/1) highlighting the lack of belief bookmakers had in the Canadian's chances.

That price was largely understandable, in all fairness, with the Winnipeg-born golfer having failed to record an individual top-10 since winning the WM Phoenix Open and managed just two top-25s in the same period. In addition, his putting stats have seldom pointed in the right direction for several months.

However, Taylor had enjoyed himself at each of the past three iterations of the Sony Open, finishing T11th in 2021 and T7th at both the 2023 and 2024 runnings.

And to further prove that the bookies aren't always correct, his compatriot - Corey Conners - was listed as second favorite behind Hideki Matsuyama but missed the cut.

In the end, it was Taylor who had the last laugh after seeing off Nico Echavarria at the second playoff hole - consequently taking his own record in extra holes on the PGA Tour to 3-0 (Canadian Open, WM Phoenix Open, Sony Open).

But before sinking the vital putt, the five-time PGA Tour champion's odds fluctuated significantly - both during the final round and along the closing holes.

Taylor navigated the opening six holes on Sunday at even par - trading a birdie and a bogey at the second and third, respectively - before losing another shot at the 7th. At that point, he was five strokes off the lead and priced at +10000 (100/1) to reign supreme.

That number was slashed considerably just a matter of holes later after the 36-year-old made gains on holes eight through 11, dropping his title chances to a reasonable +3300 (33/1).

Yet, six consecutive pars did little to aid his chances of winning as JJ Spaun and Stephan Jaeger reached 15-under - one shot in front. Per Data Golf, the World No.29 carried a 0.4% chance of triumphing at that stage - he was a one in 250 shot.

Stood in the middle of the 18th fairway, Taylor was trailing by two and fully aware his only chance of adding another PGA Tour title to his trophy cabinet was by making eagle. At that point, his odds of winning - according to FanDuel Sportsbook - were +40000 (400/1).

Curiously, even though Taylor slightly miscued his approach and watched it roll off the back of the green to the left side, his title odds dropped down to +25000 (250/1). Faced with an eagle chip - his last opportunity to muscle in on the trophy hunt - Taylor achieved the unlikely, ultimately dropping his price to +300 (3/1).

During the first extra hole against Echavarria, Taylor was priced at +160 (3/2) as he was forced to make a birdie which ultimately extended the playoff. But once the Colombian ran into trouble on the next go round, Taylor was free to laugh in the face of those who had doubted him and crown himself the PGA Tour's latest surprise champion.