Sony Open in Hawaii: Spectator’s Guide and Tournament History
While most of the United States suffers through sleet and snow in January, banana trees and bright flowers dotting lush fairways with nothing but sunshine in the sky is only a click of the remote away. The Sony Open is the second PGA Tour event of the calendar year and dates back to 1965 when it was first contested at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Lee Trevino, and Cameron Smith, among many other greats, have won the Sony Open. The 2023 Sony Open offered a $7.9 million purse and Si Woo Kim took home more than $1.4 million when he won at Waialae in 2023.
Waialae Country Club
Waialae CC is known to set the stage for exciting finishes at the Sony Open. The 16th hole leads golfers right up to the Pacific Ocean, greeted by palm trees that form a "W", for Waialae, between the green and the sea. The Redan-style 17th hole, a 183-yard par 3, often plays over par. Players in contention to win are happy to card a 3 and move on.
After the tough penultimate hole, the finishing hole at Waialae CC is more of a birdiefest. In 2022 the scoring average on the par 5 18th was just 4.4, yielding birdie 57% of the time. The 18th is a sharp dogleg left, offering a sweet reward for a well-executed aggressive drive, capping an entertaining closing stretch.
Waialae Country Club is one of the top golf courses on the Hawaiian Islands and would have made our list of top courses if it were a public track and anyone could play. This Seth Raynor and Charles Banks design has hosted the Sony Open since 1965.
If you play Waialae, you won't get the same finishing stretch as the pros. The front and back nines are flip-flopped for the Sony Open, and that routing is only in effect during the tournament.
As you can see from recent cutlines, Waialae is one of the easier courses on the PGA Tour slate, but the numbers don’t always tell the full story. What appears to be a relatively flat oceanside course is very much a Jekyll and Hyde challenge, depending on the ocean winds. On calm days, tour players eat Waialae alive. On high-wind days, it’s quite the opposite. Waialae Country Club plays 7,048 yards from the professional tees with a 75 rating and 136 slope (par-70).
Sony Open Cut Line
The Sony Open has a traditional 36-hole cut before heading into the weekend rounds. Over the past decade, the cutline was typically between 1- and 3-under par, but that number has seen a shift recently, reaching 4- and 5-under in 2021 and 2022.
| Year | Cut (Total) |
Players to Make the Cut |
| 2023 | -2 (138) | 76 |
| 2022 | -5 (135) | 65 |
| 2021 | -4 (136) | 73 |
| 2020 | +1 (141) | 66 |
| 2019 | -2 (138) | 81 |
| 2018 | -2 (138) | 76 |
| 2017 | -3 (137) | 82 |
| 2016 | -3 (137) | 87 |
| 2015 | -2 (138) | 85 |
| 2014 | -1 (139) | 79 |
| 2013 | -2 (138) | 74 |
Sony Open History and Results
Four players have won the Sony Open back-to-back, including Jimmy Walker (2014-15), Ernie Els (2003-04), Corey Pavin (1986-87), and Hubert Green (1978-79). Walker completed the feat in 2015 with the largest margin of victory in tournament history, a nine-stroke win.
The Sony Open has gone to a playoff 14 times, most recently in 2022 when Hideki Matsuyama defeated Russell Henley with an eagle on the first playoff hole, Waialae's 18th. Speaking of going low, Justin Thomas’ win in 2017 was highlighted by an opening-round, 59. His winning score of 253 is the lowest in tournament history.
The Sony Open invites up to three competitors each year from emerging golf markets. This can include geographical locations, female tours, or junior tours. In 2004, Michelle Wie famously made her first of eight starts on the PGA Tour. Then 14 years old, Wie missed the cut by only a single shot after posting a second-round score of 68.
In 1983, Isao Aoki won and became Japan's first winner on the PGA Tour. Paul Azinger won in 2000 after three runner-up finishes (1986, 1990, 1992).
Prior to Sony’s sponsorship, United Airlines was the event’s title sponsor from 1991-1999 when it was called the United Hawaiian Open and then the United Airlines Hawaiian Open.
1989 is the only year when the event didn't go 72 holes. It was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
The first Sony Open was played in 1965 and the purse was $60,300. Adjusted to 2022 inflation, that’s about $565,000 today. The 2023 Sony Open boasts a $7.9 million purse, up $400,000 from 2022. The event’s purse has grown almost every year as the PGA Tour continues to attract top talent to the event, which many pros consider a vacation/work outing. Here’s a progression of the Sony Open’s purse over the past 58 years.
| Year | Winner | Score | Purse | Winner's Share |
| 2023 | Si Woo Kim | 262 (-18) | $7,900,000 | $1,422,000 |
| 2022 | Hideki Matsuyama | 257 (-23) | $7,500,000 | $1,350,000 |
| 2021 | Kevin Na | 259 (-21) | $6,600,000 | $1,188,000 |
| 2020 | Cameron Smith | 269 (-11) | $6,600,000 | $1,188,000 |
| 2019 | Matt Kuchar | 258 (-22) | $6,400,000 | $1,152,000 |
| 2018 | Patton Kizzire | 263 (-17) | $6,200,000 | $1,116,000 |
| 2017 | Justin Thomas | 253 (-27) | $6,000,000 | $1,080,000 |
| 2016 | Fabián Gómez | 260 (-20) | $5,800,000 | $1,044,000 |
| 2015 | Jimmy Walker | 257 (-23) | $5,600,000 | $1,008,000 |
| 2014 | Jimmy Walker | 263 (-17) | $5,600,000 | $1,008,000 |
| 2013 | Russell Henley | 256 (-24) | $5,600,000 | $1,008,000 |
| 2012 | Johnson Wagner | 267 (-13) | $5,500,000 | $990,000 |
| 2011 | Mark Wilson | 264 (-16) | $5,500,000 | $990,000 |
| 2010 | Ryan Palmer | 265 (-15) | $5,500,000 | $990,000 |
| 2009 | Zach Johnson | 265 (-15) | $5,400,000 | $972,000 |
| 2008 | K.J. Choi | 266 (-14) | $5,300,000 | $954,000 |
| 2007 | Paul Goydos | 266 (-14) | $5,200,000 | $936,000 |
| 2006 | David Toms | 261 (-19) | $5,100,000 | $918,000 |
| 2005 | Vijay Singh | 269 (-11) | $4,800,000 | $864,000 |
| 2004 | Ernie Els | 262 (-18) | $4,800,000 | $864,000 |
| 2003 | Ernie Els | 264 (-16) | $4,500,000 | $810,000 |
| 2002 | Jerry Kelly | 266 (-14) | $4,000,000 | $720,000 |
| 2001 | Brad Faxon | 260 (-20) | $4,000,000 | $720,000 |
| 2000 | Paul Azinger | 261 (-19) | $2,900,000 | $522,000 |
| 1999 | Jeff Sluman | 271 (-9) | $2,600,000 | $468,000 |
| 1998 | John Huston | 260 (-28) | $1,800,000 | $324,000 |
| 1997 | Paul Stankowski | 271 (-17) | $1,200,000 | $216,000 |
| 1996 | Jim Furyk | 277 (-11) | $1,200,000 | $216,000 |
| 1995 | John Morse | 269 (-19) | $1,200,000 | $216,000 |
| 1994 | Brett Ogle | 269 (-19) | $1,200,000 | $216,000 |
| 1993 | Howard Twitty | 269 (-19) | $1,200,000 | $216,000 |
| 1992 | John Cook | 265 (-23) | $1,200,000 | $216,000 |
| 1991 | Lanny Wadkins | 270 (-18) | $1,100,000 | $198,000 |
| 1990 | David Ishii | 279 (-9) | $1,000,000 | $180,000 |
| 1989 | Gene Sauers | 197 (-19) | $1,000,000 | $180,000 |
| 1988 | Lanny Wadkins | 271 (-17) | $600,000 | $108,000 |
| 1987 | Corey Pavin | 270 (-18) | $600,000 | $108,000 |
| 1986 | Corey Pavin | 272 (-16) | $500,000 | $90,000 |
| 1985 | Mark O'Meara | 267 (-21) | $500,000 | $90,000 |
| 1984 | Jack Renner | 271 (-17) | $500,000 | $90,000 |
| 1983 | Isao Aoki | 268 (-20) | $325,000 | $58,500 |
| 1982 | Wayne Levi | 277 (-11) | $325,000 | $58,500 |
| 1981 | Hale Irwin | 265 (-23) | $325,000 | $58,500 |
| 1980 | Andy Bean | 266 (-22) | $325,000 | $58,500 |
| 1979 | Hubert Green | 267 (-21) | $300,000 | $54,000 |
| 1978 | Hubert Green | 274 (-14) | $250,000 | $50,000 |
| 1977 | Bruce Lietzke | 273 (-15) | $240,000 | $48,000 |
| 1976 | Ben Crenshaw | 270 (-18) | $230,000 | $46,000 |
| 1975 | Gary Groh | 274 (-14) | $220,000 | $44,000 |
| 1974 | Jack Nicklaus | 271 (-17) | $220,000 | $44,000 |
| 1973 | John Schlee | 273 (-15) | $200,000 | $40,000 |
| 1972 | Grier Jones | 274 (-14) | $200,000 | $40,000 |
| 1971 | Tom Shaw | 273 (-15) | $200,000 | $40,000 |
| 1970 | No Event | No Event | ||
| 1969 | Bruce Crampton | 274 (-14) | $125,000 | $25,000 |
| 1968 | Lee Trevino | 272 (-16) | $125,000 | $25,000 |
| 1967 | Dudley Wysong | 284 (-4) | $100,000 | $20,000 |
| 1966 | Ted Makalena | 271 (-17) | $57,000 | $8,500 |
| 1965 | Gay Brewer | 281 (-7) | $60,300 | $9,000 |