Sony Open in Hawaii 2025 FRL Tips: Griffin to be hot out of traps on Thursday

The Sony Open is the PGA Tour’s first full-field event of the season and it gets underway at Waialae Country Club tomorrow. With breezy conditions on the cards later on, Jamie Worsley attempts to use that to his advantage to try and find the first-round leader in Hawaii.

Here's Jamie's four Sony Open in Hawaii 2025 FRL Tips.

The morning starters – who tee-off between 07:10 and 09:00 – will be greeted by a gentle breeze of a mere 7mph when they begin their rounds. This is forecast to increase gradually throughout the morning/afternoon, with the later starters (teeing off between 11:50 and 13:40) confronted with gusty winds that could hit as high as 20mph, that are predicted to remain for much of the afternoon.

If this transpires, it should give a clear advantage to those off early and that is where I’ll focus all of my attention in this week’s first-round leader market.

0.75pts Ben Griffin each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

Start time: 07:30

My first selection is Ben Griffin. He’s amassed several low rounds on his two visits to Waialae Country Club so far and as a player who was in good first-round form at the end of last year, he can take advantage of this early tee time.

2024 was another nearly year for Griffin, as he finished runner-up in the Canadian Open and recorded 12 other top-25 finishes, six of which came over his final nine starts of the year.

He was regularly going low in the opening rounds over those closing events, firing a round in the 60s in seven of those nine starts. He looked especially good when opening with an 8-under 64 in the Sanderson Farms Championship to sit 3^rd after 18 holes.

Griffin has finished 12^th and 30^th on his two visits to Waialae, shooting six out of eight rounds in the 60s and never finishing over par. His 65 in round one in 2023 took him into 4^th place and any repeat of his 62 in round two last year would give him every chance of taking the lead on Thursday.

0.75pts Eric Cole each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 70/1

Start time: 08:20

Eric Cole is another player making his third appearance here. There’s been enough encouragement in those previous two visits to suggest he can find a low one tomorrow.

Cole was showing positive form at the end of last year, missing just two cuts across his last 13 starts and recording seven top-20 finishes, four of which resulted in top 10s.

Many of these performances were engineered by positive starts, as he ranked 31^st in round one in this field over that period. He made a particularly fast start in the ZOZO Championship three starts ago, as a 6-under 64 had him sat in 2^nd place after the first round.

Cole debuted here in 2023, finishing 61^st but improved massively last year, finishing 13^th. He’s fired 6/8 rounds in the 60s and showed he can score well last year, shooting a round of 64 and two 66s.

0.5pts Sam Stevens each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 80/1

Start time: 07:20

The strong-driving Sam Stevens has often looked at his best on wind-affected courseS since stepping up to the PGA Tour. Having gone low here last year, he can capitalise on the benign early conditions to take the first-round lead in Hawaii.

Stevens showed an appealing level of consistency throughout 2024, missing just five cuts in 30 starts and recording 10 top-25 finishes. He went closing to winning when stepping back down in grade in the Wichita Open on the Korn Ferry Tour, finishing 2^nd and was playing well at the end of the year, making each of his last six cuts and recording another top 10 in the World Wide Technology Championship.

He's a player who has developed into a strong all-rounder, ranking 17^th off-the-tee and top 40 in putting and greens-in-regulation on the PGA Tour last year.

Stevens is a solid starter, ranking top 50 in round one performance over the last three months and this was evidenced here last year, as he opened with a 3-under 67 to sit 18^th after the first round. He then went four better than that in the third round, with his 63 rating as the joint-best round of the day – a score that would at least have him in contention to top this market tomorrow.

0.5pts Keith Mitchell each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 80/1

Start time: 07:10

Finally, Keith Mitchell looks attractively priced to sit atop the field tomorrow. He was among the best ball-strikers on tour last season and having gone low countless times at Waialae CC, he looks a real danger from this early tee time.

Mitchell missed his final four cuts last year but that shouldn’t take away from what was a largely productive and consistent season. He recorded 12 top-25 finishes prior to that, including four top 10s, the last of which came five starts ago when 3^rd in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

He ranked among the top 15 both off-the-tee and in approach in 2024 and was the second most prolific birdie-maker on tour. This is a pretty dangerous combination in this market, especially on his favoured bermudagrass surfaces.

Mitchell has played here seven times, missing two cuts and recording four top 25s, with a best of 7^th in 2022. He’s shot many a low round at the course, including a 62, three 63s and a 64, any of which would have him in the mix on Thursday.

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