Sleeper Picks: Sony Open in Hawaii

Joel Dahmen(+225 for a Top 20) … He checks, count ‘em, three boxes to deserve this attention. First, he’s no stranger to Waialae where he’s 3-for-3 with top 25s in his last two appearances and owns a scoring average of 68.67 in 12 rounds. Second, he’s set an impressive pace early this season with six paydays in as many starts, including a T5 in Houston in November. Last, and this is the bonus, he’s among the 21 in the field who played Kapalua last week. As noted in the Power Rankings, seven of the last eight champions of the Sony Open in Hawaii opened the calendar year with a warm-up act on Maui.

Peter Malnati(+550 for a Top 20) … He doesn’t populate leaderboards often, or even occasionally, but give him a course short enough where he can flash his extraordinary ability to roll in putts and special things are more likely to occur. Quite simply, there’s no denying that he’s among the horses for this course. In seven appearances, he’s made five cuts, the last two going for a top 15. Not surprisingly, and in sync, he ranked inside the top 15 in Strokes Gained: Putting in both editions. And don’t discount whiffs of forms upon arrival. He’s already 5-for-8 with a pair of top 25s this season.

John Huh(+350 for a Top 20) … He’s cashed six times in eight trips to Waialae but not yet for a top 25. The 31-year-old already fits the profile of a tee-to-green tactician, so he’d need to connect with the putter to fulfill this prop. After a successful Korn Ferry Tour Finals last year, he went on to record a pair of top 20s in November, so he’ll peg it this week with some momentum.

Aaron Rai (+300 for a Top 20) … In a sense, the 26-year-old experienced two micro-seasons to open his rookie campaign in the fall. Immediately following the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, where he opened with a co-runner-up in Boise to secure his PGA TOUR card, he finished T14 at the BMW PGA Championship. As a member of the European Tour, the sudden crossover of commitments with the PGA TOUR is a nice problem to have, but he debuted here 0-for-3 before returning to his home circuit for a T25 in Spain. The Englishman then made an overdue week off count by running into the holiday break with four paydays in as many weeks, the last three of which for a top 20. Of all of the debutants at Waialae, he belongs on the short list to add another.

Chan Kim(+700 for a Top 20) … It’s OK that he’s been a regular Sleeper because he’s a non-member of the PGA TOUR, but only casual fans (and gamers) truly aren’t familiar with his success on the Japan Golf Tour. The 31-year-old is 62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, highest of all American non-members. (He was born in South Korea.) Since last delivering a T15 (you guessed it, as a Sleeper) at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in October, he went on to win the Dunlop Phoenix and finish atop the JGTO’s money list for the first time.

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2021. For live odds, visit betmgm.