It hasn’t been too bad of a start to the 2025 PGA TOUR season for Hideki Matsuyama, to say the least. The 32-year-old Japanese star won the season-opening tournament, The Sentry, at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, and did it in record-setting fashion, posting a 35-under 257, the best to-par score in PGA TOUR history. He was masterful in every aspect of the game, ranking 16th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, second in Strokes Gained: Approach, 12th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, and third in Strokes Gained: Putting among the 60 players in the limited-field event.
While many of the world’s best players headed back to the continental United States after the tournament, Matsuyama remained in Hawaii and will compete at the PGA TOUR’s second tournament of the season, the Sony Open in Hawaii. Waialae Country Club in Honolulu will play host to the tournament, as it has every year since 1965.
While seven players have won both The Sentry and the Sony Open, only two players — Ernie Els in 2003 and Justin Thomas in 2017 — have won the tournaments back-to-back in the same year. Matsuyama — who finished second behind Thomas at The Sentry that year before tying for 27th the following week — has a chance to join the elite company this weekend.
As the only top-ten player in the world playing at the Sony Open (the second-best is 17th-ranked Russell Henley), Matsuyama should have a great chance to go back-to-back. He’s currently the favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with +900 odds to hoist the trophy on Sunday afternoon.
Matsuyama is familiar with the course, having made 10 starts at the Sony Open in his career. Although he only has one top-ten finish at the tournament, it was a memorable one, when he hit a beautiful three wood from 277 yards on the par-five 18th hole for a tap-in eagle to top Henley in a playoff in 2022. It was his eighth PGA TOUR victory; he’s since added three more.
The only problem with Matsuyama’s game, historically, has been his flat stick. However, he switched to a new Scotty Cameron putter prior to The Sentry and putted well all tournament. Also, four of his 11 career victories have come on the Bermuda grass greens that he will face at Waialae Country Club. Historically, Waialae has been an easier course for putting than The Plantation Course at Kapalua, so Matsuyama should be able to continue his strong putting form this weekend.
Is it anywhere near a guarantee that he’ll emerge victorious? Of course not. Golf is a fickle game, and there’s a reason only two men have ever won the Hawaii double in consecutive weeks.
Still, he’s the favorite for a reason, and it would surprise nobody if he is once again holding a trophy on the 18th green on Sunday afternoon.
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