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. The Sony Open gained attention for granting four consecutive sponsor invitations 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 schoolclassmate of Wie. In 2007, amateur Tadd Fujikawa become the second youngest player ever 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 in 1957 at the Canadian Open, 3½ 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.
Winners
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records. ;Previous incarnations recognized by PGA Tour
Year
Player
Country
Score
To par
Winner's share
1948
Cary Middlecoff
274
−10
2,000
1947
Dutch Harrison
275
−13
2,000
1929
Craig Wood
289
+1
1,600
1928
Bill Mehlhorn
291
Multiple winners
Five men have won this tournament more than once through 2019.
