The second event of the PGA tour season is the Sony Open, held at Waialae Country Club on the island of Oahu and Sam Harrop kindly provides the preview

Whilst the tournament takes place in Hawaii like last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the similarity pretty much ends there. Players that are teeing it up at Waialae this week can only dream of the wide rolling fairways of the Plantation Course, this week is all about accuracy on a course that boasts some of the hardest fairways to hit on tour.

The fact that the fairways are hard to hit is not solely down to their width, but also a result of regularly windy conditions on the island of Oahu.

Looking at recent winners here, it’s no great surprise to see names such at David Toms, Zach Johnson and last year’s winner Mark Wilson cropping up. With the odd exception, winners here are accurate drivers of the ball who hit plenty of greens and have sharp short games. The other key to success here is experience. To win here, you really have to know your way around Waialae, and the fact that it’s been over 30 years since a debutante has won here tells us all we need to know.

With that in mind, last week’s winner Steve Stricker is very much the rightful favourite here, ticking all the above boxes and posting top-5 finishes in three of his last five starts here. However, I’ve never been one for backing players who won the previous week, and back-to-back wins is something Steve Stricker hasn’t achieved so far in his prolific career, so I’ll be looking elsewhere.

Here are my 7 men against the field this week:

Zach Johnson – Although the price might leave a little to be desired, there’s a lot to like about Zach Johnson this week. In his last tournament start (albeit a limited field tournament) he pushed a resurgent Tiger Woods all the way and missed out by just a single stroke at the Chevron Challenge. Johnson is a previous winner of the Sony Open back in 2009 and he posted a tie for 12th the following year, so he certainly likes something about Waialae. If you’re looking for a player who hits plenty of fairways and greens and is adept on and around the greens, Zach Johnson is a standout bet.

5pts win only 18/1 Sportingbet

Kevin Na – 2011 was a breakthrough season for Kevin Na. In his eighth full season on the PGA tour, Na bagged his first tournament win at the JT Shriners Hospitals for Children Open back in October. It was a solid effort for Na on his debut at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last week too. On a course which doesn’t really suit Na on paper, he shot a second round 64 before a mediocre weekend sent him sliding down the pack. This week, however, Na is back on a course that suits him down the ground. The 28 year-old has two top-5 finishes in his last four starts here and he clearly relishes shorter tracks where short game is key.

3pts each way 33/1 Ladbrokes, (Voltbet win only)

Jason Dufner – One player I’m hoping to see on the winner’s podium in 2012 is Jason Dufner. The Alabama resident made a name for himself in last year’s PGA Championship where he narrowly missed out on the Wanamaker Trophy but picked up a lot of fans on the way. Having finished no worse than 13th in last three tournament starts, Dufner is in a rich vein of form which hopefully won’t have been interrupted by the Christmas break. Dufner’s best finish at Waialae came in 2007 when he finished in a tie for 13th, but more recently he finished tied 20th in 2010 including a final round 64.

2.5pts each way 40/1 Ladbrokes, Sportingbet (Voltbet win only)

Spencer Levin – Spencer Levin begins his fourth full season on the PGA tour without a victory also, but the 27 year-old has been showing a lot of promise lately. Levin’s 2011 season included six top-10 finishes (including a runner-up finish at Mayakoba where Mark Wilson is a past champion), and I’m encouraged by his GIR and Scrambling stats. Levin also proved he is more than capable of handling windy conditions when he led the Arnold Palmer Invitational after the first round, shooting a 66 when many players were unable to break par in very strong winds. Levin’s record at Waialae is solid if unspectacular, but with a few years experience under his belt, he could be a lively outsider this week.

1.5pts each way 66/1 Sportsbet, Hollywood, BetXchange, Ladbrokes, , World Sports Betting, Sportingbet (Voltbet win only)

John Rollins – Experience won’t be a problem for John Rollins who enters his (hopefully not unlucky) 13th season on the PGA tour. Rollins doesn’t religiously tee it up at the Sony Open, but it’s a wonder why not when the course should suit his game better than just about any track on the circuit. Rollins’ ball striking stats are consistent amongst the best on tour, and the Texas resident is happier than most when the wind blows. His last start at Waialae came two years ago when he finished tied for 8th, improving with every round he played to shoot a final round 65.

1.5pts each way 60/1 Sportsbet, BetXchange (66/1 Voltbet win only)

Heath Slocum – 2011 was a disappointing season for Heath Slocum. The four-time PGA tour winner didn’t post a single top-10 finish and missed 12 cuts along the way. However, he did show promising signs towards the end of the season, finishing with a brace of top-20 finishes at the McGladrey Classic and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. Slocum has a top-10 finish to his name at Waialae (back in 2008), and the course should certainly suit a player who ranked 2nd in both Driving Accuracy and GIR last year.

1pt each way 100/1 Sportsbet, Hollywood, BetXchange, World Sports Betting, Sportingbet, (Voltbet win only)

Jimmy Walker – In his fifth start at Waialae last year, Jimmy Walker seemed to finally get to grips with how to play the course, finishing solo 4th and shooting no worse than a 68 across all four rounds. After a fast start to his 2011 year, Walker’s form dipped around the middle of the season before a solid finish including a tie for 13th in Malaysia. Although Walker’s driving accuracy stats leave a little to be desired, he’s a solid scrambler and has threatened to win on more than one occasion.

1pt each way 90/1 BetXchange, , World Sports Betting

You are most welcome to add your own picks on our discussion forum

Sam Harrop has been a golfing enthusiast most of his life and has developed an in depth knowledge of the players, tournaments and stats on the PGA Tour. He has launched a website www.golfpuntersguide.com and he has kindly made his preview available to Goodforthegame.

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