The Sony Championship Hawaii (formerly known as the Hawaiian Open and the Sony Open in Hawaii) is a professional golf tournament that is an event on the PGA Tour Champions. It is contested on the second week of January at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. The tournament was formerly an event on the main PGA Tour from its inception in 1965 to 2026.

History

Originally a mid-autumn event for its first five editions, it was skipped in 1970 as it moved to its winter slot in early February 1971. Currently, it is held in mid-January and is the first full-field event of the calendar year, following the Tournament of Champions on Maui. The front and back nines of Waialae are switched for the PGA Tour event, finishing at the dogleg ninth hole.

The first lead sponsor was United Airlines in 1991, succeeded by current sponsor Sony in 1999. There have been five multiple winners of the tournament, all two-time champions: Hubert Green, Corey Pavin, Lanny Wadkins, Ernie Els, and Jimmy Walker. All have won major championships. The tournament is currently organized by Friends of Hawaii Charities.

In 1983, forty-year-old Isao Aoki became Japan's first winner on the PGA Tour. He holed out a wedge shot for an eagle-3 on the 72nd hole to beat Jack Renner by a stroke.

In 1998, John Huston broke the then PGA Tour scoring record to par. He shot 28 under par, beating Ben Hogan's record originally set in 1945.

The Sony Open gained attention for granting four consecutive sponsor invitations (PGA Tour Exemption #11) to Michelle Wie, the first in 2004 when she was age 14. She missed the cut in all four appearances, and did not receive one of the four available sponsor exemptions in 2008. One of the invitations went to Alex Ching, a 17-year-old former high school classmate of Wie.

In 2007, amateur Tadd Fujikawa become the second youngest player ever (16 years, 4 days) to make a 36-hole cut in an official PGA Tour event. His achievement was highlighted by a eagle putt on his 36th hole, Waialae's 551-yard par-5 18th. Incidentally, the PGA Tour's 2006 media guide shows that the youngest player ever to make a 36-hole cut in an official Tour event was Bob Panasik (15 years, 8 months, and 20 days) in 1957 at the Canadian Open, 3 months younger than Fujikawa.

Preparations for the 2018 Sony Open were briefly disrupted by a false emergency alert stating that a ballistic missile had been launched toward Hawaii. Staff members reportedly attempted to take shelter in the players' locker room, the media center was ordered to evacuate, and several players posted messages on social media about the erroneous alert, which was sent to all smartphones in the state. The alert was ultimately determined to have been sent in error. Before the final round, Golf Channel cameramen also staged a walkout.

On April 20, 2026, the PGA Tour announced that the tournament, along with The Sentry in neighboring Maui, would no longer be events on the season schedule. On July 1, 2026, the PGA Tour announced that the tournament would move to the PGA Tour Champions senior circuit, where it would be renamed to the "Sony Championship Hawaii" and feature a $3 million purse.

Winners YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-upPurse ($)Winner'sshare ($)Ref.Sony Championship Hawaii (PGA Tour Champions)2027 Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA Tour) 2026 Chris Gotterup 264 −16 2 strokes Ryan Gerard 9,100,000 1,638,000 2025 Nick Taylor 264 −16 Playoff Nico Echavarría 8,700,000 1,566,000 2024 Grayson Murray 263 −17 Playoff An Byeong-hun Keegan Bradley 8,300,000 1,494,000 2023 Kim Si-woo 262 −18 1 stroke Hayden Buckley 7,900,000 1,422,000 2022 Hideki Matsuyama 257 −23 Playoff Russell Henley 7,500,000 1,350,000 2021 Kevin Na 259 −21 1 stroke Chris Kirk Joaquín Niemann 6,600,000 1,188,000 2020 Cameron Smith 269 −11 Playoff Brendan Steele 6,600,000 1,188,000 2019 Matt Kuchar 258 −22 4 strokes Andrew Putnam 6,400,000 1,152,000 2018 Patton Kizzire 263 −17 Playoff James Hahn 6,200,000 1,116,000 2017 Justin Thomas 253 −27 7 strokes Justin Rose 6,000,000 1,080,000 2016 Fabián Gómez 260 −20 Playoff Brandt Snedeker 5,800,000 1,044,000 2015 Jimmy Walker (2) 257 −23 9 strokes Scott Piercy 5,600,000 1,008,000 2014 Jimmy Walker 263 −17 1 stroke Chris Kirk 5,600,000 1,008,000 2013 Russell Henley 256 −24 3 strokes Tim Clark 5,600,000 1,008,000 2012 Johnson Wagner 267 −13 2 strokes Harrison Frazar Charles Howell III Sean O'Hair Carl Pettersson 5,500,000 990,000 2011 Mark Wilson 264 −16 2 strokes Tim Clark Steve Marino 5,500,000 990,000 2010 Ryan Palmer 265 −15 1 stroke Robert Allenby 5,500,000 990,000 2009 Zach Johnson 265 −15 2 strokes Adam Scott David Toms 5,400,000 972,000 2008 K. J. Choi 266 −14 3 strokes Rory Sabbatini 5,300,000 954,000 2007 Paul Goydos 266 −14 1 stroke Luke Donald Charles Howell III 5,200,000 936,000 2006 David Toms 261 −19 5 strokes Chad Campbell Rory Sabbatini 5,100,000 918,000 2005 Vijay Singh 269 −11 1 stroke Ernie Els 4,800,000 864,000 2004 Ernie Els (2) 262 −18 Playoff Harrison Frazar 4,800,000 864,000 2003 Ernie Els 264 −16 Playoff Aaron Baddeley 4,500,000 810,000 2002 Jerry Kelly 266 −14 1 stroke John Cook 4,000,000 720,000 2001 Brad Faxon 260 −20 4 strokes Tom Lehman 4,000,000 720,000 2000 Paul Azinger 261 −19 7 strokes Stuart Appleby 2,900,000 522,000 1999 Jeff Sluman 271 −9 2 strokes Davis Love III Jeff Maggert Len Mattiace Chris Perry Tommy Tolles 2,600,000 468,000 United Airlines Hawaiian Open (PGA Tour) 1998 John Huston 260 −28 7 strokes Tom Watson 1,800,000 324,000 1997 Paul Stankowski 271 −17 Playoff Jim Furyk Mike Reid 1,200,000 216,000 1996 Jim Furyk 277 −11 Playoff Brad Faxon 1,200,000 216,000 1995 John Morse 269 −19 3 strokes Tom Lehman Duffy Waldorf 1,200,000 216,000 1994 Brett Ogle 269 −19 1 stroke Davis Love III 1,200,000 216,000 1993 Howard Twitty 269 −19 4 strokes Joey Sindelar 1,200,000 216,000 1992 John Cook 265 −23 2 strokes Paul Azinger 1,200,000 216,000 United Hawaiian Open (PGA Tour) 1991 Lanny Wadkins (2) 270 −18 4 strokes John Cook 1,100,000 198,000 Hawaiian Open (PGA Tour) 1990 David Ishii 279 −9 1 stroke Paul Azinger 1,000,000 180,000 1989 Gene Sauers 197 −19 1 stroke David Ogrin 750,000 135,000 1988 Lanny Wadkins 271 −17 1 stroke Richard Zokol 600,000 108,000 1987 Corey Pavin (2) 270 −18 Playoff Craig Stadler 600,000 108,000 1986 Corey Pavin 272 −16 2 strokes Paul Azinger 500,000 90,000 1985 Mark O'Meara 267 −21 1 stroke Craig Stadler 500,000 90,000 1984 Jack Renner 271 −17 Playoff Wayne Levi 500,000 90,000 1983 Isao Aoki 268 −20 1 stroke Jack Renner 325,000 58,500 1982 Wayne Levi 277 −11 1 stroke Scott Simpson 325,000 58,500 1981 Hale Irwin 265 −23 6 strokes Don January 325,000 58,500 1980 Andy Bean 266 −22 3 strokes Lee Trevino 325,000 58,500 1979 Hubert Green (2) 267 −21 3 strokes Fuzzy Zoeller 300,000 54,000 1978 Hubert Green 274 −14 Playoff Billy Kratzert 250,000 50,000 1977 Bruce Lietzke 273 −15 3 strokes Don January Takashi Murakami 240,000 48,000 1976 Ben Crenshaw 270 −18 4 strokes Hale Irwin Larry Nelson 230,000 46,000 1975 Gary Groh 274 −14 1 stroke Al Geiberger 220,000 44,000 1974 Jack Nicklaus 271 −17 3 strokes Eddie Pearce 220,000 44,000 1973 John Schlee 273 −15 2 strokes Orville Moody 200,000 40,000 1972 Grier Jones 274 −14 Playoff Bob Murphy 200,000 40,000 1971 Tom Shaw 273 −15 1 stroke Miller Barber 200,000 40,000 1970: No tournament 1969 Bruce Crampton 274 −14 4 strokes Jack Nicklaus 125,000 25,000 1968 Lee Trevino 272 −16 2 strokes George Archer 125,000 25,000 1967 Dudley Wysong 284 −4 Playoff Billy Casper 100,000 20,000 1966 Ted Makalena 271 −17 3 strokes Billy Casper Gay Brewer 42,500 8,500 1965 Gay Brewer 281 −7 Playoff Bob Goalby 45,000 9,000 Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Previous incarnations recognized by PGA Tour YearPlayerScoreTo parWinner'sshare ($)1948 Cary Middlecoff 274 −10 2,0001947 Dutch Harrison 275 −13 2,0001929 Craig Wood 289 +1 1,6001928 Bill Mehlhorn 291

Records Tournament record: 253 (Justin Thomas, 2017) 54-hole record: 188 (Justin Thomas, 2017) 36-hole record: 123 (Justin Thomas, 2017) 18-hole record: 59 (Justin Thomas, 2017)

References

Notes

External links

Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site