Golf: Mike Kern previews the Sony Open

So we come to the second tournament on the real part of the PGA Tour schedule (we don’t really count what happened last fall after the Ryder Cup. Sorry), the Sony Open in Hawaii. Honolulu to be precise. It’s not the Tournament of Champions, which was held last week and won by Xander Schaufelle, who beat Gary Woodland by one by shooting lights out on the final day. But it is a decent stop, albeit one of those that the heavy hitters tend to skip.

That means this could be a chance to, well, take some chances. Justin Thomas, who finished third in Maui, won it in 2017, when he was also coming off a victory at the T of C. He’s the favorite, at 13-2. But you can probably do better than that, in terms of trying to get a bigger payday.

Bryson DeChambeau is next, at 10, followed by Woodland at 14. Jordan Speith, who didn’t qualify last week because he hasn’t won in over a year, is also at 14. And a lot of times getting him at 14 is a bargain. But it’s been awhile, so I would stay clear until we get maybe a better handle on where he’s at. But hey, if you’re a Spieth guy and just want something to root for, feel free. You never know in this game sometimes.

I’m going to throw a few longer shots at you, to see if anything sticks. And keep in mind they may not. But Charles Howell III is 33, and he has two seconds here and two thirds. So that might be worth a couple of bucks. Brian Harman, who’s been in the top 10 in all four starts this season (he didn’t play last week either), is 50. And Emiliano Grillo, at 33, could be worth a gander. He’s been in the top 15 in three of his last four starts, so maybe he can make a run.

Among the favorites, Marc Leischman, who played well last week, could be a shot at 16.

It’s always nice to hopefully have at least a little something to cheer for on Sunday, while the Eagles are playing the Saints. Or maybe that’s more than enough for one afternoon.