Of the seven highest-rated players appearing in last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, six did not enter this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, the exception being Webb Simpson. Going down the list a bit, eight of the top 11 have departed or found something else to do in Hawaii, the other exceptions being Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott. The Champions winner, Harris English, is playing again this week, and, overall, 31 of the 42 members of the Champions field are expected to tee it up Thursday. Still, it’s not a real strong statement about the quality of field in this event just a few miles around the coast from Honolulu.

Those top few returnees are a good place to start looking for Sony favorites. Going at it in their Hawley Ratings order, here are:

• Webb Simpson – The probable favorite has an exceptional record of three top-fives and three finishes in the top 15 in six appearances in this event in the past eight years. He was out of the top 20 only once in six events since the Tour Championship, the best finish being a top-10 in the U.S. Open. Strong fit for the course based on accuracy off the tee and scrambling ability. He is sixth in the Hawley Ratings.
• Hideki Matsuyama – Generally steady player has one top-10 and one top-20 in five appearances here in the last eight years. Was one spot up from the bottom after going 73-75 in the first two rounds last week on a course where 67 would have been good. Ninth in the ratings.
• Adam Scott – Has had a difficult time getting things back in order after sitting out five months in the middle of last season. He hasn’t cracked the top 20 in any of six events going back to the August PGA. 12th in the ratings.
• Daniel Berger – Opened up with a win and a third when the Tour re-started last June. Since then it’s been some weeks in contention, some not, with top-15 finishes at the two majors (PGA/ U.S. Open) and a 10th last week. Very good fit for the course. 16th in the ratings.
• Harris English – Has posted back-to-back wins in the Champions and Shootout, the latter as half of a team with Matt Kuchar, and top-10s in five of the last six overall. Had three straight top-10s on this course in 2013-’15 and is a very good fit for the course. 17th in the ratings.

Per pgatour.com, at just under 7,050 yards on the scorecard, the 93-year old Waialae Country Club is in the bottom 25 percent of Tour courses in length. (On the other hand, it does have the iconic “W” formed by coconut palms behind the 16th hole.) The Hawley course fit statistics indicate driving distance, driving accuracy, and scrambling as the top statistics as correlated with success in this event over the past eight years. Shots gained in approach also is a good indicator. Simpson is the clear leader in course fit with Russell Henley, Berger, and English next. Among the lesser-knowns, Adam Schenk, Kramer Hickock, and Brian Stuard appear to have reason for optimism about playing this track.

Among players who are outside the top 100 in the ratings, these four have done the most to improve their rating number since the Tour Championship back around Labor Day:

• Tom Hoge – third at Mayakoba, preceded by five straight made cuts and two missed cuts.
• Matthew NeSmith – top 20 at the RSM, top 10 at the Shriners among six appearances.
• Stewart Cink – won the Safeway, the 47-year-old’s first victory in 11 years.
• Tyler McCumber – in the top 10 at the Sanderson after being Puntacana runner-up, but missed his last three cuts.

The field includes a few of what you might call the sport’s elder statesmen, who may enjoy the expected 80-degree Honolulu weather more than playing a full 72 holes. Included in that group are Jerry Kelly, Davis Love, Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, and YE Yang. Among them they have six majors, 68 Tour victories (the last of which was by Love in 2015), two Sony victories, and a million golf stories. It doesn’t seem likely that any update to the victory totals will occur this weekend.