Sony Open Each-Way Tips: Lee can win at Waialae

• 33/1 K.H. Lee has the game and form for success here

• 33/1 Keith Mitchell has numerous low rounds here

• Past winner Ryan Palmer looks a value play at 100/1

Main Bet: K.H. Lee each-way @ 34.033/1

After Collin Morikawa Jon Rahm took victory in the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Sunday, the PGA Tour island hops from Maui to Honolulu for the second leg of the two-week Hawaiian Swing.

The Sony Open is a very different beast to the Sentry. It's a full-field event, played on a course - Waialae Country Club - with narrow fairways and doglegs and par is 70.

The Seth Raynor design is far shorter and far flatter than the Plantation Course and measures in at just 7,044 yards.

As usual with a coastal track, winning scores are determined by the weather. This year winds look fairly gentle although it could be a little breezy on Sunday.

Cameron Smith triumphed in a playoff in 2020 having shot just 11-under but, in calmer conditions, the last two winners here fired 21-under (Kevin Na 2021) and 23-under (Hideki Matsuyama 2022).

Despite the massive differences between the two Hawaii courses, both are by the sea and feature Bermuda greens. Six players since the turn of the century have won at both the Plantation and Waialae so last week's results still count for plenty.

In fact, eight of the last 10 Sony winners had played at the Sentry the week before. It makes sense that a competitive runout following the Christmas break sharpens players up.

Strong putting has been another key metric at the Sony Open. Those trends were added to last year when winner Matsuyama ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Putting and runner-up Russell Henley 3rd.

Looking at putting performances from last week, K.H. Lee ranked 4th for SG: Putting and that helped him finish in a tie for seventh.

The Korean was third at the CJ Cup two starts earlier and fifth in the BMW Championship four tournaments before that so it's no surprise to check the world rankings and find him up at 36th.

Lee has ranked 1st for Greens In Regulation in two of his last three events and he's made the last two editions of the Sentry TOC thanks to back-to-back wins in the Byron Nelson. This is a player on the rise.

He's yet to really take off in this event but Lee has broken par at Waialae in each of his last nine rounds and closed 66-66-64 to finish tied 19th two years ago.

In the same way that Lee improved his previous best Sentry TOC finish from 33rd to 7th last week, it's fair to expect a similar jump here given his current form.

Playing in the Presidents Cup added to his fast-growing self-belief and his skill-sets - 25th Driving Accuracy, 4th GIR, 17th Birdie Average this season - marry up well to this week's test.

Next Best: Keith Mitchell each-way @ 34.033/1

Keith Mitchell didn't play last week but he does have another prized asset: course form.

The correlation between past deeds at Waialae and future success is strong so that brings Mitchell sharply into focus.

The American was 25th on debut in 2018, 16th in 2019, 14th in 2021 and 7th last year. Impressive as those results are, a deeper dive shows that he was in the top three with 18 holes to play in 2019 and also in the top 10 after 54 holes two years ago.

What also stands out is Mitchell's round scores: a Friday 62 in 2021 and three other rounds of 63, including one to round off with last year.

Mitchell has forged a reputation for being one to watch on Bermuda greens ever since he won the 2019 Honda Classic.

He's added to that with a pair of top sixes in Arnold Palmer's event at Bay Hill and gave us a recent reminder of his prowess on such surfaces when ninth in November's Houston Open.

Speaking here in 2021 after he'd logged middle rounds of 62, 63, Mitchell said: " It's been fun staying with all the Georgia boys in a house this week. We've been cooking every night and just having a good time. I've always been used to bermuda greens and fortunately I found my stroke the last two days."

Mitchell has a comfort zone in this event and one other factor worth noting is that he's currently hovering just outside the top 50 in the world rankings.

To get back in, and secure a Masters invite for the first time since 2019 will have likely been a goal when he took stock over the Festive period.

Prior to Christmas Mitchell and J.J. Spaun finished 12th out of 12 at the QBE Shootout but they had two good days out of three and were only two shots off 8th.

"Keith played great, striped it. It was easy to hit from where he hits it off the tee," said Spaun after day one.

Spaun himself went on to finish fifth at the Sentry TOC last week so just keeping the engine running by playing in that event which finished on December 11 seemed beneficial.

Hopefully Mitchell will come at fast too so let's play him at 33s.

As for Spaun, four missed cuts and a 47th suggest this course is one that he hasn't worked out.

Final Bet: Ryan Palmer each-way @ 101.0100/1

I'm going to turn to a former winner for my final bet.

Ryan Palmer won this event way back in 2010 and he's gone well here in subsequent years.

The Texan went 8th-17th-13th from 2014-2016 and in the last three years he's posted a top four in 2020 and 12th in 2022.

Looking at round scores, Palmer's last seven laps of Waialae read: 65, 65, 69, 64, 68, 68, 65.

"It's always nice to go back to where you've won," he said several years ago. "I love coming to the island and playing in this tournament."

What thrusts him further forward is his runners-up finish in the QBE Shootout alongside Charley Hoffman.

Finishing second (with 33-under) in a silly-season event may not sound much but Palmer seems to have taken an awful lot from it following a slow start to the season after he finished the previous one with a top 20 in the St Jude Championship.

This was Palmer talking about his week at the QBE in Florida. "This was huge for me. I've been working with that new putter for the last three or four tournaments, but the ball-striking has been so bad.

"Seeing the shots I hit this week, drove it well most of the week and just my iron play was where I need to be. I told [caddie] James [Edmondson] when we got done, I said 'Sony Open can't get here fast enough'.

"It was the perfect week I needed for me for sure to gear up for '23. Now home to enjoy some time with the family. Sony can't get here fast enough."

He's keen then! This event can be kind to veterans and the 46-year-old is still capable of getting in the mix. Take him at a three-figure price.

At the front end of the market, Tom Kim leads the way at 11/1 ahead of Jordan Spieth and Sungjae Im at 14s.

Brian Harman and Russell Henley are 20s and, from that bunch, I'd probably look at 14/1 Im if having a 'win only' punt.