Sony Open in Hawaii preview

The PGA Tour remains in Hawaii this week after the weather-affected Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Johnson Wagner defends the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club.

Johnson Wagner
Fergus Bisset
By
published

Lowdown: The PGA Tour remains in Hawaii this week after the weather-affected Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Johnson Wagner defends the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club.

Wagner will face strong competition from a field that's set to include 19 men who played at Kapalua in the Hyundai. The tournament will also feature all 25 men who graduated from the 2012 Web.com Tour and 20 of those who made it through PGA Tour Q school in December.

The Hawaiian Open has been contested at Waialae CC since 1965 and the list of winners is impressive - Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh have all lifted the trophy.

Last season's tournament was very closely contested with 11 players within a shot of the lead at one point during the final round. In the end it was Johnson Wagner who came out on top for a third career PGA Tour victory. He pushed Charles Howell III, Carl Pettersson, Sean O'Hair and Harrison Frazar into a tie for second.

Opened for play in 1927, the course at Waialae has a long and distinguished history. The layout was originally by Seth Raynor and Charles Banks though Desmond Muirhead completed a redesign in 1990. It's a course where the wind is often a significant factor.

Venue: Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii Date: Jan 10-13 Course stats: par 70, 7,068 yards Purse: $5,600,000 Winner: $990,000 Defending Champion: Johnson Wagner (-13) Sony Open in Hawaii TV Coverage: Thursday 10 - Sky Sports 3 from 12 midnight Friday 11 - Sky Sports 3 from 12 midnight Saturday 12 - Sky Sports 3 12 midnight Sunday 13 - Sky Sports 3 from 12 midnight Player Watch:

Carl Pettersson - Last season's runner-up and an ever-consistent performer, Pettersson will look to go one better this time.

Mark Wilson - The 2011 winner's game is definitely suited to this course and he tends to perform well early in the season. Brendon de Jonge - Will look to continue his excellent finish to the 2012 season.

Key hole: 1st. Modelled by course architect Seth Raynor on the Road Hole at St Andrews, this hole used to be a par 5. At 488 yards to a shallow green protected by a huge bunker, it now plays to an average of almost 4.5. Skills required: Driving accuracy. This is one of the tightest courses on the PGA Tour schedule, regularly ranking in the top-10 of most difficult fairways to find on the circuit. The greens are tough to hold when not playing in from the short stuff so finding the shortest cut will be crucial for success this week. The wind will also be a factor.

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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