The second PGA Tour event of the season tees off on Thursday with the Sony Open. It doesn’t have all the big names, but Steve Stricker leads the odds for the golf tournament in Hawaii. His biggest competition for the $5.5 million prize purse may be Ernie Els.

Stricker has finished in the top four in three of the last four years at the Sony Open and his current form suggests he could do it again. He was tied for first after three days at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last week and finished tied for fourth. Stricker is a strong starter so keep that in mind for your online betting.

35 rookies are playing in Hawaii this week, but the veteran Els is second in the betting. He has plenty of experience on this course and knows how to handle windy conditions. The winds at the Waialae Country Club in Hawaii can reach up to 30mph. In the last seven years on the PGA Tour, Els has won the Sony Open twice (2003 and 2004), came in second once, third once and fifth once. He finished 12th last year and tied for 17th in the Tournament of Champions last week.

A good longshot bet may be last year’s winner Ryan Palmer. He beat Robert Allenby last yea with a 66 on the last round but didn’t do much after that. He finished 15th last week and should be the top Australian at this event after finishing in the top 10 in three of the last five Sony Opens. Last week’s Tournament of Champions winner Jonathan Byrd is another longshot, but he has better value as a top 10 finisher. 2009 Sony Open winner also has good value to finish in the top five. Dustin Johnson withdrew from this one to return home for family matters.

Sony Open Outright Odds (provided by Eurobet)

Steve Stricker: 9/1

Ernie Els: 11/1

Jim Furyk: 12/1

Matt Kuchar: 16/1

Charles Howell III: 20/1

Adam Scott: 25/1

Justin Rose: 25/1

Robert Allenby: 25/1

K.J.Choi: 28/1

Zach Johnson: 28/1

Jason Day: 33/1

Jonathan Byrd: 33/1

Tim Clark: 33/1

Anthony Kim: 40/1

Carl Pettersson: 40/1

Chad Campbell: 40/1

Bo Van Pelt: 50/1

Camilo Villegas: 50/1

Jerry Kelly: 50/1

John Senden: 50/1

K Na: 50/1

Rory Sabbatini: 50/1

Ryan Palmer: 50/1

Steve Marino: 50/1

Visit Eurobet for outright, match and first round odds for the Sony Open.