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Tour Rundown: A tale of 2 nines decides Sony Open

Published

4 years ago

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The second week of 2022 professional golf on the US PGA Tour saw the traveling band remain in Hawaii, albeit only after a move from the island of Maui to the enclave of Oahu. The Waialae Country Club, originally designed by the skilled Seth Raynor, rewards the thoughtful player. Its traditional routing and distance demand the ability to negotiate angles and turns, as well as back off from the long ball. Architect Tom Doak’s restoration of Raynor features and inclinations returned the course to its authentic state. Waialae finds a way to reward the strategist, and it will be no surprise if a true ball-worker hoists the winner’s trophy on Sunday afternoon.

Thursday: Na Leads The Way

Kevin Na, the defending champion, turned up the heat on Thursday afternoon with a stellar round of 61. Na went out in 29, highlighted by a rifled hybrid to ten feet at the ninth hole. He converted the eagle putt to reach six-under on the day. Na added three more birdies coming home, and took a one-shot advantage over Russell Henley and Jim Furyk. Henley’s round was flawless, with the only difference being birdie at nine, rather than eagle. Furyk had a bogey on hole number one, but countered that with a number of birdies and the beauty that you see below at the 17th hole. Five other players turned in rounds of 63, ensuring that low scores in Hawaii will continue for the second consecutive week.

Friday: where’d they go?

Of the three Thursday leaders, only one stood tall on day two of Hawaii’s second PGA caravan stop. While Kevin Na (71) and Jim Furyk (72) each soared 10 strokes higher than his opening round, Russell Henley dropped but one stroke over day one. His 63 on day two was a wild affair. It included a pair of bogeys, and also a pair of eagles. Threes at the 9th and 18th holes melded with five birdies, to give the South Carolina resident a three-shot lead over a resurgent Haotong Li. Li followed his 63 with 65 on day two, to reach 12-under par. Matt Kuchar added 64 to his opening 64, to reach -11. Michael Thompson was the only other contestant at double-digits under par; his 63-67 stood him at minus-ten. The cut fell at five-under par, meaning a pair of 68s earned nothing more than a rescheduled return flight, or a pair of days on the beach.

Saturday: holding on

Round three at Waialae was a game of chess. Russell Henley won the SONY Open nine years ago, reaching 24-under par. His day three was not the stumble that Na and Furyk experienced on Friday, and he escaped moving day with a two-shot lead intact. Making a bold move with his knights and bishops was current Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. The stalwart from Japan chipped away with birdies and pars, posting seven under par on the day, to move three spaces up the leaderboard. As with last week, a lesser-known, lesser-decorated golfer will spar with a growing legend and current major champion. Cameron Smith was able to hold off Jon Rahm last week in Kapalua. Might Henley repeat the same formula? Poised to pounce if the leaders stumble, is a quartet of challengers at -14. The United Nations of Adam Svensson (Canada), Seamus Power (Ireland), Haotong Li (China) and Matt Kuchar (USA) will need to go 62-low to have a chance on Sunday, and that’s what makes it fun.

By the way, if Henley tosses a day-four 64 to match his 24-under total from 2013, this writer says that he will once again lift the trophy.

Sunday: a tale of two nines

We all know the notion of how the Masters doesn’t really begin until the back nine on Sunday. It’s both a truism and a myth. Tournaments begin in round one, but the nitty-gritty of regular and major events often takes place over a three-hour period in round four. No place was this more in evidence than Waialae on Sunday in 2022. Russell Henley stood at -18 when he teed off, then played the front nine in a sublime 29, including eagle at the 9th. He moved to 24-under par, the same total that won him this event in 2013. Remember what I wrote on Saturday evening (see above) about that number?

Chasing him was playing partner Hideki Matsuyama. The Masters champion played the same stretch in three-under, but found himself five in arrears as they turned to the inward half. Roughly two hours later, Henley had dropped a shot after playing the back in plus-one 36. Matsuyama, meanwhile, made birdie at two of the final four holes to complete a closing 31. Just like that, the five shot lead had disappeared, and Henley found himself in a gut-wrenching playoff. Had Henley finished at -24, he would have won in regulation.

The pair returned to the par-five, closing hole, the one where Isao Aoki holed from 110 yards to defeat Jack Renner in regulation. Well, Aoki’s shot may have been relegated to the second-best finisher on the last at Waialae. From 277 yards out, Matsuyama ripped a three-metal into the setting sun. It moved gently rightward on a cut arc, and settled softly on the putting surface. When it rolled to 24 inches, the tournament was complete. Henley’s six were twice the strokes that heroic Hideki required, and the 8th PGA Tour title of the young champion’s career was secured.

The tour leaves the islands for the mainland, setting down in the California desert this week. Si Woo Kim looks to defend his title at The American Express in La Quinta.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

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May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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