#SonyOpenGolf #FantasyGolfPicks #PGAPicks PGA Tour Sony Open Golf Preview and Picks – Hall of Fame golfer Jan Stephenson and PGA Tour analyst Jared Smola preview the Sony Open golf field from Waialae Country Club in Hawaii with key favorites, longshots and picks including top ‘One and Done’ options!
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Okay so as far as picks and then just uh look it’s a deep field so as I mentioned Fitzpatrick and aberg are now the co- favorites at 16 to1 Hatton at 18 to1 uh and then you have Harmon Henley Connors and so forth um so it’s not like there’s
A lot of big names here but it’s a very deep field where you could go down like I could go all the way down to like say um you know even a Milano Grio who won last year is 80 to one uh you know hell’s 90 to one you know so these are
Players that um if it was a considered a a a pretty weak field would would be more like cut in half 30 to1 40 to one so it just shows you there’s just and the quality of players of course this is going to make it that much tougher uh
Every year as it goes on Jared and we’ll talk about one and duns a little in a little bit too uh because that’s the game and the contest that uh you’ve been playing playing for a few years Jan and I started last year and we’re going to
Continue to play it and that just I think becomes harder and harder to win and to figure out which one player is gonna win an event each week for sure yeah and yeah we we we’ll talk to the strategy again here it’s good we’re it’s good we have these young
Golfers coming up like Aber Berg because you know we’re we lost John ROM to tour we’ll see who follows him there but um you know that that that’s watered down it’s it’s going to make the majors even more exciting though because it’s you going to be the four times a year that
We finally you know get to see all these guys playing in the same tournament again yeah it’s crazy we again we we’ll draft a live tour guys in just a little bit so as far as this field you know what’s interesting is I have did you
Know who your picks were last year in this event Jared yes it’s it’s nice I you know I keep all my um notes for these shows saved so I can go back and look last year you know what I said about the course who I picked um I picked Connors
In this tournament last year as well so same same money same odds wow 25 to one so Jared’s going to invest 40 bucks on Connor so 25 to one and again Connor’s uh he’s played here five times he has four top 15s one top
Five but he he does not have a top five since this Texas open Win um so I’m a little I would be a little bit concerned with that uh but again this is a good golf course for him yeah I mean it’s concering the only the only tournament he’s ever won on the
PGA tour is is Valero um so uh but so Conor’s he didn’t finish well last week I think he was well he was 33rd last week at the century but he was eighth in that field T to Green he lost seven strokes putting which is always a potential concern with Conor you know
He’s not a good putter but for whatever reason he’s gained Strokes putting in four of his last five appearances here so he seems to I don’t know maybe it’s luck but maybe he just you know feels good on these greens feels comfortable on the green so I you know I trust the
Ball striking to be there and then if we can get him you know gaining Strokes on the green um I think he has a really good chance to win this this event we talked about I like I like I like Conor and you know you he finished second in
The the mixed Team Championship the Grant Thornton that they had in Naples at the end of the year so he has been playing and uh he played really well and he actually parted quite well in that tournament we talked about uh International Players uh who have had
Success here three out of the last four four of the last eight and out of our nine picks seven of them are international players uh Cory Connor leads your list why Fitz Patrick leads my list as one of the co- favorites uh I I just think right now he’s dialed back
In again I know last year wasn’t a great year for him we were a little bit surprised that he just wasn’t very consistent but he gained uh his game again late in the year eight straight top 30s six of those top 15s four of those top fives a runner up and a win
He’s the highest ranked player in the field he’s eighth uh Harmon by the way ninth those are the only top 10 players in the field played last week played pretty well last week as well so yeah I think uh the way he’s playing I I believe he’s definitely the class of the
Field that doesn’t mean he’s going to guarantee win but um I definitely think he should be the favorite of this event and um and I’m not even sure Terrell Hatton should be second or third to tell you the truth uh he only has two top 10
In his last eight events did have a runner up at the BMW PJ Championship but uh yeah it sound like Terrell hatton’s on his game and yet he’s got the same odds as as Fitzpatrick I’m a little bit surprised by that interesting neither of those guys neither Hatton nor Fitzpatrick has ever
Played Sony y now I think Fitzpatrick especially he you know again he’s seventh on my list of um best players on the short par 70s so like he’s done well at these types of courses so it should be a good good fit for his game well plus you know they’ve they’ve
Been uh they still base out of England even though um Fitzpatrick and Hatton still play a lot in well actually Fitzpatrick bases out of Hilton Head and uh Hatton has been playing in in Florida the fact that they can get to Hawaii and warm up on their game and with the
Change of the rules at the century where now it’s the top 50 and it’s one of the designated tournaments so the field was a lot stronger a lot more players and a lot of them decided to like make this a let’s let’s make this a two- we venture
And and because they know the weather’s going to be great they can work on their game you know I love Terrell hat and swing I just love it and it’s and it’s a little left to right which is good because of Crossing some of those be
Right to left and a couple of those dog legs you got to be careful you don’t hit it too far left too quickly um and Fitz Patrick I heard well you know he got engaged last year and and that was he was pretty busy that there you go see
That distracted him that’ll distract anybody yeah he was dating he was going back and forward to Hilton Head she’s from Hilton Head she’s a chiropractor so he was pretty pretty busy with that and um now that they’re engaged and wedding stuff so anyway that I think
He settled down and she’s with him in Hawaii and cool they say he’s rolling it really well well there you go so uh that’s what you can count on this year on on this channel uh Jan’s inside information on these play by the way we’re going to record as I was just
Mentioning before so we’re going to record your first full Insider segment which will be on Monday and so we’ll have it on the channel on Monday uh so keep an eye on that cuz that’s going to be we’re going to have all of the players that you need to keep an eye on
For all sorts of reasons for 2024 yeah I’ll try to get some insid of scoop I’m actually got a call in for one of the caddies on the lift tour to get some Insider on those guys that’s right live tour too we’ll have a little bit uh
Because that’s uh matter of fact I think there you know I was looking over it to go over our draft and there seems to be a pretty good field now of about 30 players so that’s that’s okay nothing wrong with that so getting better getting better again
The team thing distracts you when you’re watching it and the whole Visual and the way they produce the the event is still it’s it’s it’s kind of distracting but um yeah it’s just a better field okay so uh you’re number two pick by the way I
Put uh 45 on Fitzpatrick at 16 to1 you put uh also 40 on Henley is that is that is that correct no rose excuse me you had Henley last year uh I was thinking about Henley because you drafted him uh Justin Rose who I drafted so you have
Justin Rose at 35 to1 and Hideki matama at 45 to1 as your next two as your next two picks Jared you put 25 on each yeah so Rose um he had a he had a weird week last week I don’t know if you guys saw he got the two-stroke penalty
On Thursday for hitting the wrong golf ball he hit hit Taylor Morris golf ball yeah he shot he shot a 71 on um Thursday which you know kind of took him out of it but he shot a 61 on Sunday um so he’s kind of rolling into this week
Off a hot he led he led the entire field in approach on Sunday was second in Tia green so hopefully he can kind of carry that momentum into this week Rose hasn’t played here since 2017 but he did come in second that year and then he came in
12th and 13th and his two appearances here before yeah that so um he he’s had success here it’s just it’s just been a while um and you know Rose he’s he’s number one for me in the stat model I ran this week just based on the stuff
I’m looking at I looked at you know driving accuracy Rose is fifth in good drives gained he’s second in this field in approach he’s first in uh greens and regulation gain so more of the accur accuracy stuff I looked at Rose um last year was very good at so I think I think
This course should should fit him and matama uh three top 20s and 10 appearances at this event and he won here just a couple years ago yeah I I didn’t go into this week um expecting to bet haki but I just think 45 to1 is just way too big of a number
For him in this field I still think he’s one of you know the best five or six players in this field and like you said Greg he won here just a couple years ago so I’m I’m still confused he now he Hideki was not good last week which is
Probably why he’s at these odds um but again I’m not too worried about that I I like the fact that he played last week hopefully knocked some of the rest off and again you know he’s he’s here before and he didn’t he didn’t play that well at the century before winning here so
Like he’s he’s done this before where he didn’t play well and he gets the Y Line and wins so Jan do we still have to keep an eye on him as far as his back and his neck or is that past history well it just depends on the weather if it gets
Windy he’s not a great win player if it’s if it’s stays calm I I like his sides because you know again you’ve got a good feel for the golf course when you’ve won there and he he took some time off and uh came to Vegas late be
Just to warm up for a week and then went back to Hawaii so he’s he took quite a bit of time off in Japan it’s too cold to play there so he’s it last week was a good warmup week for him and and I agree
I mean it’s a good golf course for him he hits the ball very high so if it gets windy it’s a little more difficult to control when he won there it wasn’t that windy so and but the scores were really low so he was making everything and um
He’s good on slow greens the greens in Japan tend to be very slow compared to American and even though he’s one of the Masters but the greens were a little bit slower that year so he’s somebody that likes them you know because he he likes to he’s I would think it’s his weakest
Part of his game but he’s in in um he gets too tentative whereas the really good part is just kind of jam him in but there is a lot of grain on those greens they’re playing that new ppin on the greens but it’s still grainy and it’s
Kind of sticky so um they they were complaining last week because that grass is is really hard to chip off you know get Against the Grain and they were chunking him a lot and it catches the edge of the club so I I think his chipping is probably the next week as
Part of his game so if he’s hitting it good it doesn’t matter speaking of last week I just get this off my chest look I I don’t know the players are obviously getting better every year and I know that this event was designed for like uh
Let’s just have fun and have some 10 15 top players come and but now they’re trying to make it more serious if they’re going to try to make it more serious with the field please toughen this golf course up then I don’t know how you do it but nobody wants to
See 28 on the par 26 that’s just that’s you know it’s a little bit nobody needs to see that so if you’re going to make it a serious Golf Course make it a signature event toughen up toughen up the golf course can they toughen up a
Golf course like that Jan well it to me it’s a hot golf course because it’s so elevated and I can’t get to cross I can’t get over those Hills whereas now nowadays they’re just bombing them over the hills and they all go in the same
Spot which I don’t like as far as Golf Course design but it’s because the course is so hilly it’s it and the wind didn’t blow you know when the wind blows the scores get different they it blew on Saturday and the scores got a little bit
Up so it you you know you’re at the mercy of the weather it’s always going to be warm but if it’s windy and and and rainy then it’s a little different they can’t make it any longer because the golf course them wouldn’t be fair to the shorter hitters not that there’s many
Short hitters playing in how about the rough but the rough yeah they need to make the rough definitely need to grow up the rough and I would firm up the greens you know they tend to get the greens too wet and then they spin it back and then they can save themselves
Because there’s a couple of blind shots there where they can hit it you know as long as you don’t hit it short where it comes back to you so they hit it long and suck it back to the pen so if you made the greens where they were firm and
I think that’s the whole key they keep saying you got to make the golf courses longer for the Players let’s make a ball go shorter for them all they got to do is like you said Greg is is throw up the rough and firm up the greens and you
Miss and and you’re in trouble and you just don’t have that out there all right uh last week’s second place finisher is my second pick this week uh theala at 30 to1 I’m also going with benan at 30 to1 as my third pick of course Jared talked
About on and the stats that really work well the gala’s got five top 20s in his last seven he’s got the win at fortnet the runner up last week played here a couple years ago uh eight under par 48 so that’s good enough for me and on not
Only the stats uh 12th last year here fourth last week three top fives in his last six including a runner up at Windom and Jan is going to talk about uh why he is somebody to keep an eye on uh in The Insider report for
2024 uh so uh I just invested 25 in theala and 20 on on and then my last two picks were coocher and noren coocher 50 to1 norin 55 to1 I put five bucks on each and Jared his long shot was Nick Taylor the Canadian at 70 to one you put
10 bucks on Taylor Jared yeah my the second Canadian on my card and I didn’t even bet my favorite Canadian who is Adam Fenson who is in this field um be that’ be yeah that’d be painful if he he wins and I’m not on him but um
Yeah I just I like the number on Nick Taylor obviously the big win at the Canadian open last year um 11th and seventh his last two times here now both of those have been on hot Putters which is a little worrisome um you know the ball striking has just been okay for
Taylor at this event um but I just like the um the number I think he’s you know he’s better than this number and again he he’s a guy who he played last week he wasn’t great but I just I like the fact that he played and you know was able to
It was able to knock some rust off it’s not his first event in you know two or three months and you mentioned coocher also plays well here uh eight top 10 and 18 five top fives a win in 2019 matter of fact late he’s got eight top 15s in
His last 10 with seven top 10 four top fives and a win uh and and and he’s playing better lately because he didn’t have a great year last year but he is playing better three top 20s in his last five runner up at that worldwide technology championship event which he
Was leading big until he got a I don’t know what did he have like a quadruple bogey I never seen to watch oh my God I kept chunking it hitting it coming back and they tried and it kept get hitting that hybrid it’s like it’s
Not working change to it and he’s such a great wedge player I was shocked he did that he had like what a six-stroke lead or something like that and he went off the green he was like tied it was amazing so anyway um that was a runner
Up for him and uh and then of course uh as I mentioned to uh the other long shot being norin who has two tough FES in his last four events okay um anybody else before we move on uh uh Jared that you wanted to mention um
You you mentioned Grio I think he um is someone I’m still considering just at the number 80 or 90 to one in this big number yeah yeah and then the other the other guy I’m I’m still looking at who actually bet last week is Tom hogi um
Who’s just a really good wedge player I think he’s you know he won it um Pebble which is another you know short course um and hogi was third in last week’s field in Strokes gain approach so the the iron play was there he just he didn’t make enough putts
I think Hog’s still like 100 to one something to maybe look at definitely a good one what’s what’s Eric Co what’s his odds pretty low 28 now I believe 2 yeah he’s gone down to 28 to one that’s kind of why I stayed away from him I
Like him we all like him how can you not the way he’s playing he’s got five top 15s in his last six four top fives and a runner up at do Zozo he hasn’t won yet so that’s coming but yeah uh that those odds I think were just a little too low
For me now that he’s 28 to one Kirk’s trying to make it back to back he’s playing here uh he actually’s been runner up here twice you mentioned him in the stats McCarthy is somebody to keep an eye on maybe as well uh he his odds aren’t that bad your boy Cam Davis
Is playing this week zalatoris started off at 30 to1 which was the biggest joke in the world I mean now he’s 50 to1 he should be 200 to one the guy is not winning this week he’s going to take us some time and and he even played in the hero
When he was at the last place I mean come on just give the guy a little time and I know you’re a little bit concerned with zotor too because of uh the injury it’s not something that’s you know who knows how he’s gonna respond to it yeah it’s it’s one that I’m concerned
With I know I know Jared loves zat torus and I like him as a person um I think he’s great you know his party’s always been horrible but the thing that concerns me is that with his golf swing it’s kind of like ash um theas is that
Um he’s he’s somebody they they call it the X Factor where your hips um start down before you finish your back swing and there’s a huge um lash then with that and because of his back that’s going to be a major problem that’s what they keep saying about baa if he ever
Put on weight and didn’t have that X Factor um he would not be able to hit it as far so I’m concerned with him how much he that’s his second surgery this was a major surgery um you know this was kind of dangerous and so I think he’s
Going to be very tentative if he goes if he goes out there hard I’ll be shocked yeah did he did he change his swing I thought I saw something about him changing his swing post he had to change it otherwise he wouldn’t be able to walk
Um but you know and it’s still he’s still got a good golf swing and it might actually be better for him now because he’s kind of going to do like um a couple of the players have done is shorten their follow-through so it’s a little more Compact and um it doesn’t
Have you know that X Factor what they call it there’s there certain term for it that it’s it’s it’s X something or rather where it’s the you know the difference between the hip and the and your shoulder on the way down and I I heard his swing is a lot more compact
But still I don’t know what happens once the gun goes off what how you you know if you can keep that going and it’s he’s only changed for the last year so I don’t know all right now before we move out one and done and again we’re going
To be talking about this so I have three players that I’m I’m thinking about with one and done and it’s the first event of the season so there’s a whole bunch of strategy involved there but one of the guys that I am looking at and we just mentioned
Actually all obviously all three of them but we just mentioned him and that’s Eric Cole I mean now I would mention him in this one because he’s hot I don’t know how I mean I don’t know if he’s going to continue to be hot this year
You know he’s still I know he’s 35 not like he’s 25 but still he’s he’s he’s new to to to success on the PGA tour so I’m thinking this week may not be a bad week to take him I’m also looking at theala and I’m looking at benan same
Thing now Jan is going to talk about why she thinks he could be hot all year but we don’t know that and he this might be a perfect time to take someone like Benny on um anyway those are the three players that I’m thinking about who you thinking about taking this week Jared
One and done yeah I have three players I’m thinking about too but they’re three different guys than you um so Corey Connors and Justin Rose I’m considering um I just again I just like both of them this week um the other guy is Russell Henley who I just think this is like
Just thinking for the rest of the season like what other spot would be better to use Russell Henley I’m not sure there is one uh my concern with Henley would be like is he gonna be the most popular pick which is always tough to know beforehand but I do think a lot of
People will be on Henley so I’m Pro I’m right now I’m leaning towards Connors I just I I just really like Connors this week um that that’s my lean as of now but I might end up going to Henley or Rose have you done any uh work on this
Yet Jan Oh yeah um I I’m I actually interesting about Justin Rose because he was not on my radar obviously I’ve got Eric is up there and I’m not going to do Ben an on this one I had him at first because you know I’m I’m so on I love
His new coach and what they’ve done with the swing and then you know and the new putting style but it he hits it they’re they’re carrying on how because he’s gained like 20 yards that he’s going to be great but you know distance isn’t the
Big thing on this golf course I like U Cory Connor I’m going to probably go with JT po I mean JT Poston is such a good Putter and he played well last week I don’t know that he finished well but I think he shot like five or 600 which is
Kind of like par over there yeah at kalaloa but it’s I think it’s a good golf course for him and he’s and His short game is so good so he’s somebody I’m looking at so I’m probably GNA keep Ben on for a longer Golf Course
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