Class is back in session for The Opening Drive!

There isn’t a better place to be in mid-January than Hawaii. While objectively true pretty much anytime and especially during the winter, you’d find unanimous agreement among the 120 in the field at the Sony Open in Hawaii that launches the 2026 PGA TOUR season.

The 61st edition of the tournament will be contested on the only track it’s ever known, Waialae Country Club in Honolulu on Oahu. Expectations, a season’s greeting, setup, immediate rewards and more are detailed beneath the ranking of those projected to contend for the first trophy of the year.

Even if the outcome isn’t what a golfer at Waialae would prefer, the mere fact that he puts the holiday break behind him while in paradise is the reminder that he earned the opportunity to be there in the first place. Of course, a strong performance can set the tone for the season, while a victory would yield a pot of gold that actually exists at the end of one of the ubiquitous rainbows in the 50th state.

The first tournament of 34 in the regular season brings together the latest cohort of PGA TOUR membership. It includes 22 first-time members, 20 of whom are rookies. Like anyone in the field, the freshmen also want to win the Sony Open, but it’s not a realistic goal, at least in the context of its tournament history. Since the late 1970s, Russell Henley in 2013 is the only rookie and/or tournament debutant to prevail at Waialae, and he was both.

To wit, Waialae is a shot-maker’s track that rewards experience. Not dissimilar to Harbour Town Golf Links, host of the RBC Heritage, placement off the tee for approaches demands respect. Greens average 7,100 square feet, so they are large for a par 70 that tips at just 7,044 yards, but the lushest rough is 3½ inches tall. With a scoring average that typically drops below 69, as it did in each of the last five editions, it’s advised to arrive with a midseason mindset to grind out pars more often that it seems necessary.

The property is blanketed with Bermudagrass and the putting surfaces are groomed to measure 12 feet using the Stimpmeter. Despite surrendering an average of about 12.5 scoring opportunities per round, the greens possess the subtlest of undulations that slotted Waialae in the vicinity of the top-third toughest in three-putt percentage in each of the last three years.

Because the entire setup is the same for those who have returned, not only are they familiar with where they need to be mentality, they have a significant edge with course history. All of it supports a familiar face finishing atop the leaderboard.

When the winner reaches into his bag of goodies, he’ll grab a membership exemption through at least 2028. He’ll also secure spots in the Masters, THE PLAYERS Championship and the PGA Championship this year. Oh, and because the Sony Open leads off the season, the winner will open atop the first phase of the Aon Swing 5 for entry into the first two Signature Events of the season, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational, but he’ll be guaranteed a spot in all eight Signature Events via the victory.

Another headwind for the uninitiated is, well, the actual wind. Trade winds from northeasterly directions are forecast to blow pretty good either during parts of or throughout each of the first three days of competition. This favors ball-strikers no matter course experience, so guys will get an immediate read on their feels with the lights on. Breezes could abate by Sunday’s finale; otherwise, passing clouds could spit an idle rain shower when the wind lays down. Daytime temps will climb into the mid-70s.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton previews and recaps every tournament. Refer to the timing of his contributions below. He’s also active as @RobBoltonGolf on X where you can connect with him.

• MONDAY: Power Rankings
• TUESDAY: Fantasy Insider; Expert Picks*; Sleepers**
• SUNDAY:Qualifiers

*Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks, which publishes on Tuesday.
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