Sony Open betting odds: Why Corey Conners is an excellent pick to win 2025’s first full-field event

Canadian Corey Conners has two career PGA Tour victories, and remarkably, both came at TPC San Antonio in 2019 and 2023.

We believe that will change this week, as Conners is our pick to win the Sony Open in Hawaii outright at 14-to-1. The Ontario native arrives at Waialae Country Club with the second-highest odds — trailing only Hideki Matsuyama — after his T-5 finish at The Sentry in Maui.

Conners led the field at Kapalua in strokes gained putting, a stark departure from his usual struggles on the greens. Last year, he ranked 124th in strokes gained putting and 142nd in putts from within 10 feet, converting only 87% of his opportunities. It’s also worth noting that Conners hit 1,099 greens in regulation across the 2024 season but made only 349 birdies. That equates to a conversion percentage of 31.76%, which ranked 87th on the PGA Tour. And yet, Conners, one of the best ball-strikers in the world, ranked third in strokes gained approaching the green last year. Only Scottie Scheffler and Tony Finau fared better.

Conners hits plenty of greens in regulation, and considering Waialae is a short course that prioritizes ball striking and positioning, the Canadian should fare well this week. Throw in the fact that he has a hot putter, and Conners is our pick to click. History is on his side too. The former Kent State standout has played in the Sony Open on six occasions, making the cut all six times. His best finish came in 2019, when he fired a pair of 6-under 64s over the weekend to tie for third. He tied for 57th a season ago, his worst result there, but in his three prior starts, in 2020, 2022, and 2023, Conners finished no worse than 12th. He finally breaks through this week, which will solidify his desire to begin the season on a high note.

Pre-tournament odds for players to win provided by FanDuel:

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.