Sony Open Best Bets, Prop Picks, Predictions: Riding Alex Smalley, Robby Shelton, and More

Sony Open Best Bets, Prop Picks, Predictions: Riding Alex Smalley, Robby Shelton, and More

We had no luck at the Sentry Tournament of Champions last week with Seamus Power and Brian Harman. Harman was sitting inside the top 10 going into Sunday but a cold putter and a final round of 70 is never going to be enough when the majority of the field is moving in the other direction. It's not the start we were after but we stay in Hawaii this week for the Sony Open, it's the first event of the year where we see a full field and I've identified some exciting plays in the top 20 market.

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Sony Open Prop Bets and Best Bets

Alex Smalley Top 20 (+290) Bet $100 to collect $390 FanDuel as the best odds, click here to bet

Alex ended his year in excellent form. He finished T11th in Bermuda, T4th at the Houston Open, and T5th at the RSM Classic. A level of consistency we haven’t seen from him on the PGA Tour. I think very highly of Alex Smalley, he was an impressive amateur that has quickly progressed into a solid player on the PGA Tour. I struggled to get him right last year as he found it tough to back up a good performance with another but seeing him string those results together at the end of last year gives me enough confidence to chance him again here on a course that should suit. He played at Waialae Country Club for the first time last year and he missed the cut but there was some encouragement in there as he shot a round of 67. It was only his 12th PGA Tour event so he was definitely in the process of finding his feet at this level.

Alex has developed a lot as a player since then, qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs in his rookie season, and with his ties to Sedgefield CC you'd think he'd be well-equipped to tackle a similar type of course. That T5th finish last time out at the RSM Classic could also be significant. It's another short, positional, strategic course that has Bermudagrass greens. He hit the ball superbly ranking fourth OTT, 10th on approach, and first T2G it was just the flat stick that let him down losing over two strokes on the green. I'm banking on him coming into this event raring to go, full of confidence after that strong finish to his year and if he does, I find it difficult seeing him place outside the top 20 this week.

Robby Shelton Top 20 (+400) Bet $100 to collect $500 FanDuel as the best odds, click here to bet

Robby Shelton has marked his return to the PGA Tour with some excellent golf. He's only missed one cut from seven starts and he finished a season-best T10th last time out at the RSM Classic. His all-around game has been solid but his irons and short game have been exceptionally good. He's played at Waialae Country Club twice before missing the cut on his first try then a much-improved effort last time here carding four rounds in the 60s as he finished T25th. It was a top result considering he was coming off a run of three missed cuts.

He now arrives here in much better form and more experience and he's proven in the past that he can compete on these short, positional, coastal tracks with that T6th finish at the Mayakoba Golf Classic back in 2019 and that T10th at the RSM Classic. He's a four-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour that looks better equipped this time around to make an impression on the PGA Tour. He's definitely one to keep an eye on this year and I really like his chances to at least finish inside the top 20 this week.

Cole Hammer Top 20 (+850) Bet $100 to collect $950 DraftKings as the best odds, click here to bet

Cole Hammer is a young player with an extremely high ceiling. The former No. 6 ranked amateur hasn't got status on the PGA Tour but has an opportunity this week to secure temporary membership if he can finish solo 15th or better. He's had a few sponsored invites and he's made the most of them finishing T27th back home in Houston and T5th at the RSM Classic. He led after two rounds at the RSM Classic before a third round of 72 meant he fell down to as low as 17th going into the final round. It's quite easy to lose your head after a poor round but he didn't. He followed it up with a round of 65 to finish inside the top 10, which sets up a fantastic opportunity here in Hawaii.

He's really impressed and he'll be more than aware of the task at hand and what's required this week. He competed and played well in Hawaii back in 2019 during his amateur days. He finished fourth at the Amer Ari Invitational behind winner Matthew Wolff; albeit on a different course but having that experience on the island can only help settle the nerves in what is an important event for Cole. It's a long shot but if you couple his recent form with his personal motives this week, I believe it's a great opportunity for us to chance him in the top 20 market.

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