Sony Open in Hawaii 2020: Course and current form stats for Waialae

The PGA Tour heads to Honolulu for the Sony Open in Hawaii, which is being staged at Waialae Country Club for a 55th time.

As many as 23 of the 34 golfers who played at Kapalua on Sunday, have travelled 80 miles west to tee-up on the central Pacific island of Oahu.

Waialae has been in existence since 1927, and is one of the lowest-scoring venues on the pro calendar.

The average winning 72-hole total since the turn of the millennium is 262.3, with four of the last seven champions shooting lower than 260.

The course underwent a revamp during the late 1990s and provides a sharp contrast to the venue which hosted last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions on the island of Maui.

Contrast With Kapalua

From the wide open fairways of Kapalua, the players will now be tested by the shorter, tighter layout of Waialae.

Fairways are narrower and greens are smaller, placing a greater emphasis on accuracy from tee to green.

Unlike the many undulating fairways of the Plantation course, those at Waialae are generally flat.

One feature which should remain constant from last week is the coastal breezes, which blow across these vulnerable Pacific islands.

There are more than 80 bunkers at Waialae, a course which is yet to crown a European champion.

Greens in Regulation have usually been an important statistic at this course, with defending champion Matt Kuchar topping this category 12 months ago. He was also fourth in Driving Accuracy and fifth for Putting (GiR).

It is also worth noting that the last six winners at Waialae, had competed the week before at Kapalua.

Course Form

Winner on Sunday, Justin Thomas, tees-up again as does fellow American Patrick Reed who lost a play-off to his compatriot over the Plantation Course.

Thomas is a former champion at Waialae, while Reed appears to be regaining the sort of form which made him a much-feared opponent earlier in his career.

Check out latest betting ahead of this week's Sony Open in Hawaii

In addition to Thomas, others with decent course histories include Webb Simpson, Kuchar, Chez Reavie, Charles Howell, Brian Stuard and Brian Harman.

Although he is yet to win here, Howell has a remarkable Waialae record that features 10 top-10s, of which four were podium finishes.

With the exception of Howell, who on average belts the ball just over 300 yards, the others in this list cannot be considered long hitters, and the same goes for Jordan Spieth and Brandt Snedeker.

Spieth makes his first FedEx Cup start since early November, while Snedeker hasn't teed up since the first week of October.

Another golfer who doesn't fire the ball long distances is Kevin Na. Although he hasn't got a great record at Waialae, the world No 27 did play at Kapalua last week, so should be better placed than most to hit the ground running on Thursday.

Finally, two other names to consider are Kevin Kisner and Corey Conners, both of whom are teeing-up for the second week in a row.

The consistent Kisner is another of those players who regularly drives the ball less than 290 yards, while the mid-range Connors topped the category for hitting most (77%) Greens or Fringes in Regulation last season.

Twitter: Andy Swales @GolfStatsAlive

MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves