The opening drive of the PGA Tour’s 2024 season is moving from Maui Island to the capital of Hawaii, Honolulu. The Sony Open will start the season’s first full-field event and kick off the intense competition on January 11. The event has been on Tour since 1965 and will complete its 57th edition in 2024.

The 144-player field is packed with unconditional talent; one can expect unexpected turns of events and mind-blowingly dramatic golfing actions on the Hawaiian greens. Throughout the four rounds, many will miss the cut, and only one will come out victorious. Who are the top five golfers to look out for during this year’s Sony Open?

The top five contenders for the Sony Open

The Sony Open title is the second event of the 2024 season but will be marked as the first full-field event with a cut. This time around, the players are at risk of missing the hefty prize purse and the FedExCup points. Out of the 144 players, only one will win 500 points and $1.494 million in prize money from the $8.3 million total purse. From the Wai’alae Country Club, here are the top five contenders for the Sony Open.

1. Chris Kirk: Going one for one, Kirk has had a spectacular comeback on the greens and in his life. After overcoming his alcohol addiction and depression, Kirk won The Sentry with a bogey-free final round. With 29 under 263, the 38-year-old carded his sixth victory on Tour.

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In the last 14 years, Kirk has never missed the Sentry. Moreover, he had a consistent record of finishing in the top positions, with two runner-up finishes in the last few editions. If Kirk does win the Sony Open, he will be the third PGA Tour pro to win the Hawaii Drive back-to-back after Justin Thomas (2017) and Ernie Els (2003). Will the six-time PGA Tour winner achieve the demanding feat?

2. Sahith Theegala: Joining the Tour in 2022, Sahith Theegala already has one PGA Tour win under his belt and has had an impressive start to this season at the Sentry. Although Theegala did not win this year’s first signature event, his two days of constant contention and his only stroke away from victory are evidence of what he is capable of achieving.

The 2023 Fortinet Championship winner will be playing the Sony Open at Wai’alae Country Club. In the last events played by Theegala, he has had fourteen top-10 finishes in his career till now. The 28-year-old has proven that he has what it takes to be in the winner’s circle since the initial stages of his career.

PGAT rookie claiming the 3rd spot

3. Eric Cole: The 2023 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, saying that Eric Cole has had a remarkable debut year, would not be wrong. In the last six starts for Cole, he has had top-five finishes four times, including the runner-up position at the ZOZO Championship.

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Moreover, the 35-year-old had T14 at The Sentry, which is excellent as it was his first year in Kapalua among the toughest field of champions and top-ranked. With a record shining brightly, Cole may attain his maiden victory at Honolulu.

4. Si Woo Kim: The defending champion has returned to protect what is his. Si Woo Kim won the Sony Open in 2023 with 18 under 262 and a one-stroke lead over Hayden Buckley. This was the fourth PGA Tour title for Kim and the first after The American Express (2021).

Coming to Honolulu as the defending champion, he held the T25 position on the leaderboard; however, the Korean golfer won a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games. And he will surely put all his effort into making the back-to-back victory in Hawaii to his name.

5. James Tyree Poston: Poston won his last PGA Tour title in 2022 at the TPC Deere Run, the Jon Deere Classic. With only two victories spanning his six years of career at Tour, the North Carolina native is hungry for another victory. He finished T5 at The Sentry, Kapalua. Additionally, counting back to his 2023 runs for the last six months, Paston has had six top-10 finishes, the last two months apart. He would want to secure a third win to start his 2024 season with a boost.

The Sony Open will be a four-day event starting on January 11 and concluding on January 14 at the Wai’alae Country Club. The second event of 2024 will be televised from 7-10:30 pm on Golf Channel (Thursday to Saturday), 4-6 pm on NBC, and 6-8 pm on Golf Channel on Sunday (all times ET).

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