And here we go again.

The 2026 PGA TOUR season begins at the Sony Open in Hawaii at the storied Waialae Country Club with the field a mix of top-ranked stars, something-to-prove players who have made the leap to the TOUR for this season and more.

Plus, it’s the first week where players can earn points towards the Aon Swing 5 and elevate the start to their years in the field of a Signature Event.

Great course, serious field, and some Hawaiian beauty all make this a lovely layout for a season-opening debut.

Here’s everything else you need to know.

FIELD NOTES: The 120-player field to open the 2026 PGA TOUR campaign features four top-10 ranked golfers in the world: Russell Henley, J.J. Spaun, Robert MacIntyre and Ben Griffin – Ryder Cup participants, all. … Keegan Bradley, the American captain and No. 15 in the world, is also in the field. Bradley lost in a playoff in 2024 and finished T6 last year. … Nick Taylor is back in Hawaii as the defending champion. He’s looking to become the first golfer to go back-to-back at the Sony Open since Jimmy Walker in 2014-15. … Jordan Spieth returns to the Sony Open for the first time since 2023. Spieth has had some hit-or-miss results at the event, with a third-place finish in 2017 as his best. He’s had three missed cuts in five starts at Waialae. Spieth had four top 10s last season, earning his way into the FedExCup Playoffs. … Other top 20 golfers in the world who are starting their seasons at Waialae include 2022 champion Hideki Matsuyama (who hasn’t missed a cut at the Sony Open since 2013) and Collin Morikawa, who is returning to the Sony Open for the first time since 2021 when he finished T7. … As the calendar has turned to a new year, that means there is a fresh crop of stars and stars-in-waiting who are looking forward to a solid start to their TOUR seasons including seven of the top 10 players who earned TOUR status via the DP World Tour, 19 of the top 20 from the Korn Ferry Tour including No. 1 Johnny Keefer, and all five who earned TOUR status via Q-School, including the medalist AJ Ewart.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Multi-time major champion and past Sony Open winner Zach Johnson leads the way amongst the sponsor invites. … Also earning spots in the 2026 Sony Open include University of Hawaii junior Anson Cabello, Kota Kaneko (who finished T33 at the Baycurrent Classic in October), Taisei Nagasaki (who lost a five-shot lead heading into the final round at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship), eight-time Japan Golf Tour winner (and 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner) Kazuki Higa, Yuta Sugiura (who just won on the Japan Golf Tour in November,) and 26-year-old Ren Yonezawa, also from Japan.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: The Sony Open marks the first event of the Aon Swing 5 for 2026. … The top five FedExCup points earners in the Sony Open, The American Express, Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open will earn spots in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am via the Aon Swing 5.

COURSE: Waialae Country Club, par 70, 7,044 yards. Tom Doak recently put his touch on his Seth Raynor design, featuring tree-lined fairways, small greens and 83 bunkers. The Honolulu course is one of the longest host venues on the PGA TOUR.

72-HOLE RECORD: 253, Justin Thomas (2017)

18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Justin Thomas (Round 1, 2017)

LAST TIME: For the third straight season on the PGA TOUR, Nick Taylor won in a playoff – and there was no shortage of drama at the 2025 Sony Open in Hawaii. Taylor, who had won the RBC Canadian Open in 2023 and the WM Phoenix Open in 2024 in extra holes, chipped in for eagle on the 72nd hole in Hawaii and made a pair of birdies in a playoff to defeat Nico Echavarria. Taylor missed short birdie tries on Nos. 15 and 16 down the Sunday stretch, but after his final-hole eagle and a pair of late bogeys by the late leaders Stephan Jaeger and J.J. Spaun (on No. 16 and 17, respectively), he and Echavarria headed to extra holes. On the second playoff hole, Echavarria left his 40-foot eagle try about 7 feet short and missed the birdie, handing Taylor the trophy.

How to watch Sony Open in Hawaii (all times ET)

Television:

• Thursday-Sunday: 7-10 p.m. (Golf Channel)

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+

• PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.COM/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 4-10 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 5-10 p.m.

Special Programming Alerts:

• PGA TOUR's "The Drop" returns Monday, Jan. 12: 7 p.m. on Golf Channel and watch again on FAST.
• Tuesday, Jan. 13: TGL Jupiter Links vs. New York at 7 p.m.; ESPN
• Korn Ferry Tour action at The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island:
  • Monday: 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
  • Tuesday: 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
  • Wednesday: 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel)