{"id":47374,"date":"2012-01-11T22:54:02","date_gmt":"2012-01-12T06:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.capperspicks.com\/blog\/?p=47374"},"modified":"2012-01-11T22:54:02","modified_gmt":"2012-01-12T06:54:02","slug":"2012-sony-open-tournament-preview-picks-11112","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/pga-golf\/2012-sony-open-tournament-preview-picks-11112\/","title":{"rendered":"2012 PGA Sony Open of Hawaii Preview | Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"

PGA Betting \u2013 Sony Open Preview & Pick<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cappers Picks\u00a0Golf handicappers<\/a>\u00a0have all your latest golf news and information so be sure to make us your trusted source for up-to-the-minute golf details.\u00a0PGA Golf betting<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0fans will also have plenty golf action to focus on as this year\u2019s Fed Ex Cup Championship and the Major’s are just around the corner. <\/p>\n

Sony Open<\/strong>
\nDate:<\/strong> Jan 12-15
\nVenue:<\/strong> Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
\nCourse stats:<\/strong> par 70, 7,068 yards
\nPurse:<\/strong> $5,500,000 Winner: $990,000
\nDefending Champion:<\/strong> Mark Wilson (-16)<\/p>\n

The second PGA event of 2012 takes place this weekend as the tournament pros move to the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. Unlike last week a full field will be chasing the $900,000 prize. Mark Wilson will attempt to defend his title against 144 of the world\u2019s best golfers.<\/p>\n

The Waialae Country Club will be a good test for the field this week \u2013 driving accuracy is paramount in the winds of the Big Island \u2013 the course also consistently ranks in the top 3 most difficult in driving accuracy. Last year\u2019s winner Mark Wilson predictably was second in fairways hit. Eight of the top 12 finishers last year finished in the top 15 in that category. Tight fairways and tough, smallish greens are the order of the day at Waialae \u2013 accuracy and trust in your game will serve players well at this event.<\/p>\n

There are some definite front-runners ahead of this week\u2019s tournament and some interesting long-shots that could make a splash in the first real event of 2012.<\/p>\n

THE FAVORITES<\/h3>\n

Steve Stricker<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 7\/1<\/p>\n

Stricker is the favorite for a reason. He finished 2011 with a bang and won running away last week at the Hyundai Championship. He’s posted top 10s in four of his last five trips to Waialae, including the last two years \u2013 he was third in 2010. He ranked second on TOUR in 2011 in both scrambling and Strokes Gained-Putting \u2013 both good traits for the track at the Sony. Stricker is absolutely on top of his game right now and it appears as though this is his tournament to lose!<\/p>\n

Webb Simpson<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 10\/1<\/p>\n

Simpson is a sexy pick to break through this week \u2013 he seems to be in the thick of absolutely every tournament. Simpson led the TOUR in the all-around in 2011 and finished an impressive third last week at the Hyundai. Simpson will be there on Sunday – it is just a matter of how high he finishes.<\/p>\n

THE CONTENDERS<\/h3>\n

Zach Johnson<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 14\/1<\/p>\n

Johnson looked great at the end of 2011 with second place finishes at the Chevron and the Sherwood. The question is \u2013 can he overcome the bridesmaid role and win one? He certainly has the skills to get it done \u2013 he ranked inside the top 10 on TOUR in fairways hit and was fourth in scrambling last year, both crucial elements for success at Waialae. He is accurate and he has the short game to get it done this week. Johnson won this tournament in 2009.<\/p>\n

K.J.Choi<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 16\/1<\/p>\n

Choi is another former winner of this event back in 2008. However, since that time he has struggled at Waialae. Choi\u2019s consistency should serve him well this weekend and his fifth place finish last week is a sign that he is ready to contend again this week \u2013 his final round 65 at the event was a thing of beauty. Choi should definitely be on your radar!<\/p>\n

Charles Howell III<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 28\/1<\/p>\n

Howell loves Waialae \u2013 he has five Top-5s in this event in 10 appearances. He finished top seven on TOUR in scrambling the last two years and will surely be putting those skills to the test this weekend.<\/p>\n

THE SLEEPERS<\/h3>\n

David Toms<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 33\/1<\/p>\n

I touted Toms last week but he was awful at the Hyundai. But Waialae is exactly his type of course. He is accurate off the tee (sixth in both fairways and greens hit on the PGA TOUR last year) and he is a very a solid putter. Toms had a very good 2011 and won here in 2006. He also finished T2 in 2009. I love Toms\u2019 game but I didn\u2019t like the way he looked last week. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n

Rory Sabbatini<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 33\/1<\/p>\n

Sabbatini may not be the most popular guy on TOUR but there is no denying his success at this event. In his last six trips, he’s finished second twice (2006 and 2008) and he posted two more top 15s. Sabbatini finished Top 10 last week and could be due for a win at Waialae.<\/p>\n

Mark Wilson<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 40\/1<\/p>\n

Wilson won this event last year \u2013 no reason that he should be in the Sleeper category! En route to his two-stroke victory here a year ago last year he ranked second in fairways hit, T10 in greens, fifth in putting and T2 in birdies. He played his last 40 holes in bogey-free 11-under. Ya, he appears comfortable on this course!<\/p>\n

Davis Love III<\/strong>
\nSony Open Odds: 81\/1<\/p>\n

So ya wanna deep sleeper? Why not Davis Love III. In his last 12 starts at Waialae, Love has six Top-10s and two second place finishes. He also finished T5 in 2010 and T9 in 2011. Love has an incredible streak of eight straight rounds in the 60s at this course.<\/p>\n

THE PICK:<\/h3>\n

It is impossible not to love Steve Stricker this weekend \u2013 he finished 2011 on a tear and he controlled the Hyundai last week. At 7\/1, the price isn\u2019t terrific but that is definitely where the smart money is going. Stricker\u2019s game is taylor made for a good finish this week, his patience and experience is even more reason to give him the nod.<\/p>\n

As far as sleepers go, Rory Sabbatini looked good last week and he loves this course.<\/p>\n

Pick:<\/strong> Steve Stricker 7\/1 with a sprinkle on Rory Sabbatini at 33\/1.<\/p>\n

VIEW OUR TOP CAPPERS PICKS FOR ALL SPORTS – EVERY SINGLE DAY 24\/7 \u2014\u2013><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Preview and free golf picks for the PGA 2012 Sony Open, which is hosted by Waialae CC in Hawaii. The purse is $5.5 million, and the defending champ is Mark Wilson\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":30896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[39626,53320,53321,53322,187,16692,528,28024,1676,534,10988,6794,980,10989,42514,11245,11246,22490,42509,42510,42511,42512,42513,42515,42516,42517,22491],"class_list":["post-47374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pga-golf","tag-39626","tag-2012-sony-open-betting-odds","tag-2012-sony-open-picks","tag-2012-sony-open-tee-times","tag-betuscom","tag-free-golf-picks","tag-golf-betting-picks","tag-golf-handicapping","tag-golf-odds","tag-golf-predictions","tag-pga-betting-picks","tag-pga-odds","tag-pga-picks","tag-pga-predictions","tag-pga-sony-open-picks","tag-pga-tour-golf-preview","tag-pga-tournament-picks","tag-sony-open","tag-sony-open-free-pick","tag-sony-open-odds","tag-sony-open-pga-odds","tag-sony-open-preview","tag-sony-open-tournament-pga-picks","tag-the-sony-open-odds","tag-the-sony-open-picks","tag-the-sony-open-predictions","tag-waialae-cc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47374"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59172,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47374\/revisions\/59172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}