The PGA Tour continues this week as it visits Waialae Country Club for the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the tournament, as well as my predictions for who will finish in the top 10, my dark horse, and my player to fade.
Winner: Marc Leishman- Leishman has started his season off strong, with 2 top 5’s and 3 top 10’s in 5 starts. Leishman brings his strong play into one of his better courses on tour, as he has 4 top 10’s, 7 top 20’s, and 0 missed cuts in 12 career starts at Waialae. Leishman had a T-10 finish last week at Kapalua and paired with the success that fellow Aussies Cameron Smith and Matt Jones had last week at Kapalua, I predict that Marc Leishman will keep the Aussie streak going and bring home a victory on Sunday!
Top 10: Webb Simpson- Simpson is one of several players in the running for the title of Mr. Waialae, with 8 top 20 finishes in 11 career starts, including 7 consecutive top 20’s and 3 straight top 5 finishes in this event. Simpson is rounding into form as well, coming off of back-to-back top 20 finishes to close out the 2021 portion of the PGA Tour schedule. Simpson is always a threat to win in this event, and the same will hold true this week as he brings home another top 10 finish.
Dark Horse: Keith Mitchell- Last season was up and down for Mitchell, as he had just 4 top 10’s in 28 starts, to go alongside 12 missed cuts. Mitchell has started off the new season trending in the right direction, with 2 top 20’s in 6 starts, including a T-3 finish at The CJ Cup. Mitchell brings his recent success into Waialae County Club, where he has 2 top 20 finishes and 3 top 25’s in 4 career starts. A win would be unlikely, but Mitchell can keep his play heading in the right direction with another top 25 showing this week.
Player to Fade: Kevin Carll- Hailing from Honolulu, HI, Carll comes into this tournament as a bit of a fan favorite. However, his results are far from spectacular, as Carll has missed the cut in both of his prior appearances in this event. Carll is a lock to miss the cut again this week.