PGA Tour
SONY OPEN
Location: Honolulu.
Course: Waialae Country Club. Yardage: 7,044 yards. Par: 72.
Total Prize Money: $8.7 million. Share for the winner: $1.566 million.
TV Broadcast: Thursday and Friday, 7-10:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday and Sunday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous Champion: Grayson Murray.
FedEx Cup Leader: Hideki Matsuyama.
Last Week’s Standout: Hideki Matsuyama captured victory at The Sentry.
Notes: Matsuyama aims to join Ernie Els from 2003 and Justin Thomas from 2017 as the only players to achieve a clean sweep of the Hawaii swing. The competition includes 37 players from the previous 59-man field that participated in The Sentry last week. Matsuyama remains the sole player from the global top 10, with five more competitors ranked in the top 20. Grayson Murray secured his win through a playoff last year but tragically passed away by suicide last May after the Colonial event. Additionally, Luke Clanton, a junior from Florida State, received a sponsor exemption; he boasts four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour over eight starts since last June, including a second-place finish in the RSM Classic during the last 2024 season. The Waialae layout is a refreshing change for players as well as their caddies coming from the challenging terrain of Kapalua. Rikuya Hoshino and Jesper Svensson are the only participants who obtained their PGA Tour cards by finishing in the top 10 in Europe.
Upcoming Event: The American Express.
European Tour
TEAM CUP
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Course: Abu Dhabi Golf Resort. Yardage: 7,648 yards. Par: 72.
Prize Money: None.
TV Schedule: Friday, 3-8 a.m. (Golf Channel), 10:30-11 p.m. (NBC Sports app), and 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 1:30-7 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending Champion: Continental Europe.
Race to Dubai Leader: John Parry.
Recent Tournament: John Parry triumphed at the Mauritius Open.
Notes: The Team Cup features a showdown between players from Continental Europe against their counterparts from Britain and Ireland. This event is unofficial and serves to prepare potential contestants for the Ryder Cup scheduled for September at Bethpage Black. No monetary rewards or Race to Dubai points will be awarded this week. Francesco Molinari heads the Continental Europe team, while Justin Rose captains the British and Irish squad. Among the 20 players and team captains from last year’s Team Cup, six participated at Marco Simone. Four players from the previous Ryder Cup — Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Tommy Fleetwood — are also in this year’s Team Cup. Hojgaard is joined by his twin brother Rasmus, who holds a PGA Tour card this season. The Britain and Ireland team consists of nine English players with Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland as the sole exception. Continental Europe features five Danish players in its 10-member roster.
Next Week: Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Korn Ferry Tour
BAHAMAS GOLF CLASSIC
Location: Nassau, Bahamas.
Course: Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis. Yardage: 7,118 yards. Par: 70.
Prize Money: $1 million. Winner’s Share: $180,000.
TV Broadcast: Sunday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Monday and Tuesday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel); Wednesday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous Winner: Jeremy Paul.
Current Points Leader: Matt McCarty.
Notes: The inaugural two events held in the Bahamas commence on Sunday and conclude on Wednesday. The tournament will feature over twenty players who have previously won on the PGA Tour.
Next Tournament: The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic from January 19 to 22.
LPGA Tour
Recent Tournament: Jeeno Thitikul emerged victorious at the CME Group Tour Championship.
Next Tournament: Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions from January 30 to February 2.
Race to CME Globe Winner: Jeeno Thitikul.
Other Tours
PGA Tour of Australasia: Webex Players Series Perth, Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Perth, Australia. Defending Champion: New event.
