Harris English got back to winning ways on Sunday after a victory drought of more than seven years – and this week the giant Georgian could go close to completing a quickfire Hawaiian double.
Justin Thomas won both the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open in 2017, and English has been playing so well that he will fancy his chances of matching that achievement, having won the Sentry with some stunning shots down the stretch.
English beat Joaquin Niemann in a playoff for the Sentry title – and both players are teeing up in the Sony Open this week. English can be backed at 12/1, while Niemann is available at 20/1.
English won two PGA Tour titles in 2013 and was expected to develop into a superstar, but his career stalled. The Sentry success has propelled the in-form 31-year-old into the world’s top 20, though, and he has established himself as a member of the elite.
Morikawa Seeking to Put Horror Round Behind Him
A final-round 73 was a bitter pill to swallow on Sunday for Collin Morikawa, who many considered the man to beat with 18 holes to play at Kapalua. English and Ryan Palmer – the two players ahead of Morikawa going into the closing round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions – were both on long losing streaks. Morikawa was only a shot behind both.
Given the success Morikawa enjoyed last year, winning the Workday Charity Open and the US PGA Championship, he was expected to assert himself on Sentry Sunday. He had been playing superbly up to that point, hugely accurate from tee to green, but in the final round, he slumped two over par through eight holes to get left behind.
Morikawa calls Hawaii his “second-home” because he has so many family members there – and he was heartbroken to blow his Sentry chance with such a poor effort. The Californian is 12/1 to bounce back by winning the Sony Open.
Kisner Could Be the Value Option on Suitable Track
If English fails to sustain his gallop for another 72 holes and Morikawa has had his confidence dented by that Sentry 73, the Sony Open could become a great opportunity for Kevin Kisner to secure a fourth PGA Tour title.
Kisner licks his lips whenever he tackles a short course like the Sony venue. Waialae Country Club favours those who find plenty of fairways, adopt a sound, cautious strategy and putt well. These are all traits of the experienced Carolinian, who won the 2019 WGC-Match Play, and he can be expected to get among the birdies quickly this week.
Kisner has form figures of 5-4-25-69-4 from the last five Sony Opens and he warmed up nicely with a nine-under-par weekend in the Sentry last week.
The 2015 RSM Classic was Kisner’s PGA Tour breakthrough – and that event is played on a similar course to the one he faces this week. He will appeal to many at 28/1.
*All odds correct at time of writing