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The Packers out-gained the Bears 367 to 224 yet lost 24-22. Equal turnover at two but three sacks and bad third down efficiency got the Pack.
The Cowboys out-gained the Commanders 378 to 269 yet lost 23-19. They won the turnover margin 0-1 but bad red zone offense got dem boys.
The Falcons out-gained the Panthers 537 to 425 yet lost 44-38. A 1-0 turnover ratio, poor coaching and poor red zone got the dirty birds.
The Bengals out-gained the Steelers 314 to 193 yet only won 19-17. A 2-1 turnover ratio and very poor special teams and red zone hurt the Bengals cover.
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The PGA TOUR’s Opening Drive continues with the first full-field event of the 2025 FedExCup season at the Sony Open in Hawaii, hosted at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. This two-week kickoff to the TOUR’s schedule highlights elite competition at a historic venue known for its classic design and picturesque views. Waialae Country Club, one of the longest-tenured host venues on the PGA TOUR, is a par-70 layout measuring 7,044 yards. The champion in Honolulu will earn 500 FedExCup points.
Fresh off a record-breaking performance at The Sentry, Hideki Matsuyama captured his 11th career PGA TOUR title in dominant fashion. Matsuyama’s 35-under 257 at The Plantation Course at Kapalua set a new PGA TOUR record for the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par, finishing three strokes clear of runner-up Collin Morikawa.
Grayson Murray claimed his first PGA TOUR title in over six years at last year’s Sony Open in Hawaii, defeating Keegan Bradley and Byeong Hun An in a dramatic playoff after all three finished at 17-under 263. Murray’s clutch 40-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole sealed the victory. Tragically, Murray passed away last May at the age of 30.
In honor of Grayson’s legacy, his parents, Eric and Terry Murray, have launched the Grayson Murray Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to raise awareness and provide support for mental health and addiction challenges. It will focus on funding innovative research, expanding access to essential services, and fostering a culture of understanding inspired by Grayson’s resilience and compassion. Beyond financial aid, the foundation hopes to inspire kindness, empathy, and acceptance while supporting those facing similar struggles.
The much-anticipated debut of TGL presented by SoFi takes place at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The inaugural match features Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, and Xander Schauffele of New York Golf Club taking on Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Åberg, and Shane Lowry of The Bay Golf Club. Fans can watch the action on ESPN and ESPN+.
This is the first of 15 regular-season matches, with six teams and 24 of the world’s top golfers competing for a spot in the SoFi Cup Finals Series on March 24-25. The season will culminate in a best-of-three showdown to crown the first SoFi Cup champion.
The Sony Open in Hawaii is one of the PGA Tour’s longest-standing tournaments, held annually at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu since its inception in 1965. Originally known as the Hawaiian Open, the event gained Sony as its title sponsor in 1999, making it a key stop on the Tour’s early-season schedule.
Waialae Country Club, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, is one of the most iconic venues on the PGA Tour. Established in 1927 and designed by Seth Raynor, the course boasts a rich history of hosting professional golf events, most notably serving as the home of the Sony Open in Hawaii since 1965. Known for its picturesque setting along the Pacific Ocean, Waialae blends stunning coastal views with a challenging layout that rewards precision over power. The course features narrow fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and small greens, emphasizing accuracy and shot-making. Waialae is one of the few courses on the PGA Tour that plays to a par 70 and is renowned for its classic design, which has remained largely unchanged over the years, preserving its traditional charm. The event marks the first full-field tournament of the year and provides a stark contrast to the Plantation Course at Kapalua, offering players a chance to test their skills on a shorter, more strategic course.
Duration | Course | Location |
1965-Present | Waialae Country Club | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
Duration | Tournament Name |
1965-1969, 1971-1990 | Hawaiian Open |
1991 | United Hawaiian Open |
1992-1998 | United Airlines Hawaiian Open |
1999-Present | Sony Open in Hawaii |
Waialae Country Club presents a completely different challenge compared to last week’s test at Kapalua. Playing approximately 400 yards shorter, Waialae places a premium on accuracy over distance. Players will face shorter wedge shots into greens, making approach play a critical factor for success, as it has been a key to victory at this venue in the past.
At 7,044 yards, Waialae is one of the shortest courses on the PGA TOUR and plays as a Par 70. This setup puts a significant emphasis on Par 4 scoring, with the course featuring just two Par 5s. Additionally, there are four Par 3s, all playing around 200 yards or less. Last year, Waialae ranked as one of the easiest stops on TOUR in terms of scoring on Par 3s and Par 5s.
The four Par 3’s range from 176 to 204 yards. Last year, Hole No. 4 and Nole No. 17 were the only Par 3’s to have a scoring average over par.
No. 7, 176 yards, Par 3: The second of the par-3s on the tournament’s front nine, this green is as wide as the par-3 hole #4 is long. Originally, this green was completely surrounded by sand, giving the hole its name. Bunkers still wrap around the entire front side of this green with a lone bunker on the backside. A deep ridge on the front of the green runs laterally front to back.
No. 17, 194 yards, Par 3: The most scenic hole at Waialae bears the name of the Sony Open fire-bird according to Hawaiian lore. Hole #17 is a very difficult par-3 requiring a long or middle iron. The green features the original Seth Raynor design which is a classic Redan-style green with a large bunker on the left and a series of three deep, hidden bunkers guarding the right. Par-3 is a good score here, especially in the final round.
There are twelve Par 4’s at Waialae with the majority of those holes ranging between 400 and 500 yards. In terms of scoring average, the toughest Par 4 last year was No. 1 (+0.211).
No. 1, 480 yards, Par 4: This hole was originally designed in 1927 by Seth Raynor with the famous Road Hole of St. Andrews, Scotland in mind. The forward tee constructed in 1999 makes this former par-5 hole play as a par-4 and 1/2! Depending on the wind, the second shot to a very shallow green guarded in front by a deep bunker and a bunker surrounding
the right half of the green can be played with anything from a 3-wood to a 9-iron.
No. 16, 417 yards, Par 4: Tee it high and let it fly! A finish with the wind at your back. The best place for the drive is on the right side of the fairway. The second shot is a short iron played to a green framed by the Pacific Ocean and several large palm trees. This hole is considered the signature hole at Waialae
There are only two Par 5’s on the course, No. 9 and No. 18. Both of these holes had a scoring average under par in 2024. No. 9 was the easiest hole on the course last year with a scoring average of 0.887 below par.
No. 9, 506 yards, Par 5: Normally played as hole #18 by Waialae members, this par-5 requires accuracy on both the drive and the second shots. O.B. runs down the left side of the fairway and a red penalty area down the right. A strong left-to-right wind makes this hole even tougher. It is reachable in 2 strokes, however, and has given up its share of birdies.
No. 18, 551 yards, Par 5: “A great finishing hole! Isao Aoki proved this in 1983 with a spectacular eagle for his victory. Aoki knocked it in from 128 yards out, but this hole is reachable in 2 strokes. A bunker set in the dog-leg makes the drive off the tee a “thinking shot.” A second shot can be played straight downwind to the green.
Featured/ Signature Hole(s): 16
The Sony Open takes place at Waialae Country Club, here are the key statistics to keep an eye on for this week’s event.
Statistics | PGA Tour Average | Waialae Country Club |
Driving Distance (Yards) | 283.70 | 286.53 |
Driving Accuracy | 62% | 54% |
GIR Percentage | 66% | 66% |
Avg GIR Prox to Hole (Feet) | 29.17 | 28.92 |
Scrambling Percentage | 58% | 59% |
Avg 3 Putts / Round | 0.55 | 0.50 |
Per DataGolf, this is the favored skillset for the Waialae Country Club.
This year’s Sony Open in Hawaii will feature a total of 144 competitors.
Here are the current favorites for this week’s event, along with a summary of their recent form and course history:
Hideki Matsuyama (+900): Matsuyama comes off a victory at The Sentry, marking a strong start to the 2025 PGA TOUR season. This will be his 12th appearance at Waialae Country Club, where he previously won the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2022.
Corey Conners (+1400): Conners finished T5 at The Sentry last week, continuing his solid form. He returns to Waialae for his seventh appearance, with four top-12 finishes in his previous starts.
Tom Kim (+2000): Kim finished as runner-up at the Hero World Challenge in his most recent event. He made his tournament debut at Waialae last year but missed the cut.
Russell Henley (+2000): Henley also finished T5 at The Sentry. He will be making his seventh appearance at Waialae, where he won in 2013 and finished runner-up in 2022.
Since 2016, the Sony Open in Hawaii has featured a playoff every other year. The most recent occurred last season when Grayson Murray triumphed over Byeong-Hun An and Keegan Bradley to secure his first PGA TOUR victory in more than six years. If the trend continues, this year’s tournament will not require a playoff to determine the winner.
Last year at this tournament, there were no holes in one made. However in 2023, there was two holes in one made one on No. 7 and one made on No. 17.
There have been only four wire-to-wire winners in the history of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club. The most recent occurred in 2022 when Hideki Matsuyama captured the title. Prior to Matsuyama, Howard Twitty accomplished the feat in 1993, John Huston in 1998, and K.J. Choi in 2008.
Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | |||
Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | |||
Golfer | Events Played | Scoring Avg. (per round) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Byeong Hun An | 2 | 66.38 | 2 | 12 | – | – | – |
Taylor Montgomery | 2 | 67.00 | 13 | 12 | – | – | – |
Corey Conners | 6 | 67.29 | 57 | 12 | 11 | – | 12 |
Russell Henley | 12 | 67.33 | 4 | 32 | 2 | 11 | MC |
Ben Griffin | 2 | 67.38 | 30 | 12 | – | – | – |
Chris Kirk | 14 | 67.48 | 18 | 3 | 27 | 2 | MC |
Hayden Buckley | 3 | 67.00 | MC | 2 | 12 | – | – |
Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | |||
Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | |||
Golfer | Events Played | Scoring Avg. (per round) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Doug Ghim | 3 | 71.50 | MC | – | – | MC | MC |
Alex Smalley | 3 | 69.50 | MC | MC | MC | – | – |
Takumi Kanaya | 4 | 69.38 | MC | – | MC | MC | – |
Gary Woodland | 9 | 68.41 | MC | MC | – | – | – |
C.T. Pan | 3 | 69.17 | MC | – | – | MC | – |
Mattias Schmid | 2 | 69.75 | MC | MC | – | – | – |
Carson Young | 2 | 70.50 | MC | MC | – | – | – |
Camilo Villegas | 7 | 69.78 | MC | – | MC | – | – |
David Skinns | 2 | 70.75 | MC | – | MC | – | – |
Max McGreevy | 2 | 71.00 | – | MC | MC | – | – |
Rico Hoey | 2 | 71.25 | MC | – | – | – | MC |
Vincent Norman | 2 | 72.25 | MC | MC | – | – | – |
Rafel Campos | 2 | 73.25 | – | – | – | MC | MC |
Chan Kim | 2 | 69.50 | MC | – | MC | – | – |
Gary Woodland | 9 | 68.41 | MC | MC | – | – | – |
SG: Off the Tee | SG: Tee to Green | SG: Approach | SG: Around the Green | SG: Putting | |
Grayson Murray | 1st | 1st | 31st | 15th | 29th |
SG: Off the Tee | SG: Tee to Green | SG: Approach | SG: Around the Green | SG: Putting | |
Si Woo Kim | 32nd | 1st | 1st | 13th | 38th |
SG: Off the Tee | SG: Tee to Green | SG: Approach | SG: Around the Green | SG: Putting | |
Hideki Matsuyama | 5th | 5th | 25th | 22nd | 1st |
SG: Off the Tee | SG: Tee to Green | SG: Approach | SG: Around the Green | SG: Putting | |
Kevin Na | 44th | 2nd | 5th | 8th | 23rd |
SG: Off the Tee | SG: Tee to Green | SG: Approach | SG: Around the Green | SG: Putting | |
Cameron Smith | 18th | 30th | 53rd | 9th | 1st |
2024: Grayson Murray
Sony Open in Hawaii | |
Waialae Country Club | |
2021 | |
Grayson Murray | MC |
2023: Si Woo Kim
Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | |
Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | |
2022 | 2021 | 2019 | 2018 | 2016 | |
Si Woo Kim | T55 | T25 | MC | T58 | 4 |
2022: Hideki Matsuyama
Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | |
Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | |
2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2017 | 2015 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |
Hideki Matsuyama | T19 | T12 | T51 | T27 | T78 | MC | MC | MC |
2021: Kevin Na
Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | |
Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | |
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2005 | 2004 | |
Kevin Na | MC | T36 | T28 | T64 | T8 | MC | MC | T20 | T52 | T5 | T4 | MC | T41 |
2020: Cameron Smith
Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | Sony Open in Hawaii | |
Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | Waialae Country Club | |
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
Cameron Smith | T22 | T18 | T27 | T81 |
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative is always encouraged.
We have a great show for you today! Will Hill from @VSINLIVE, Bear Bets and the Gold Boyz discord joins us to talk some huge football! First, Kiev recaps the weekend with the good the bad in the ugly. Next, he gets into the college football playoffs with a few Free Plays. Then, Will comes on and we get into black Monday with some big coach firings. Who else should go? Then, Will and Kiev touch on the opening lines for the NFL Wildcard Weekend with a few Free Plays and some leans. Next, Will and Kiev talk college football playoffs. Finally, the guys give a few predictions on who might win it all! Should you have any questions for the podcast, or games that you want us to cap during our shows, please message us at Info@TheOddsBreakers.com. Have a wonderful week!
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Bills vs Patriots +3.5 O/U 35.5
Remember when we said that NFL Week 18 is more about motivation than anything else? Well, there a a few things going on here with this game. I think that the big reason that the Bills are favored here is that Josh Allen has a pretty long consecutive starts streak that he doesn’t want to break. How long does he play? I can’t think that it is going to be for more than a quarter as the Bills are locked into the two spot. If everyone remembers, the Bills always seem to be injured come playoff time and this year is an exception. I do not think McDermott will try hard to win this game. The Patriots on the other hand are not thinking about draft pick order. The Bears helped seal that thought this year when they crapped the bed due to poor coaching after having the top draft pick in Caleb Williams. Drake Maye will start this game, and I think that pretty much says it all for the Pats.
Patriots +3.5 – 2 stars
Bonus Play: Chiefs +10.5 – 2 stars – It is true that the Chiefs are locked into the number 1 spot, but these teams still hate each other. I expect Carson Wentz to play well in Denver while the Chiefs prove that they are deep.
As Of Thursday 1/2
Sharp Money On:
Sharp Totals:
ULCA vs Nebraska -2 O/U 132.5
This should be a good big 10 game for the first weekend of 2025. The Bruins travel to the Corn Huskers and I am sure that Nebraska won’t be all too welcoming. I like what UCLA has done this year so far with big wins against Oregon, Arizona and Gonzaga, but let’s be real. This team is a big overrated at 17. The Bruins have not played a great non-conference schedule ranking 272nd on Kenpom. This team plays slow, but doesn’t have the ability to play catchup. They only rank 265th in free throw percentage which could bite them in close games. Nebraska on the other hand has done very well from the charity stripe rankng 55th in the nation. They rank 75th in offensive efficiency and 17th on defense. I also like the fact that they have three big guys down low that can take on guys like Tyler Bilodeau and Aday Mara. I expect Nebraska to come out firing and take UCLA out of this team early.
Nebraska -2 – 2.5 stars
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