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Charley Hoffman seems to be starting a trend.
Hoffman took an unconventional line on Waialae Country Club’s par-5 18th hole for all four rounds of the Sony Open in Hawaii, hitting his tee balls down the 10th fairway and chipping away at least 60 yards from the 546-yard hole.
Hoffman’s line starts about 45 degrees left of center off the tee and travels through a small opening in some palm trees, over some thicker trees and tents, before the ball finds its landing area, just above the 10th green. From there, Hoffman had just 112 yards over the left bleachers to the field.
Tom Hoge mapped the Hoffman window via X:
The 18th hole used stakes to mark the inner out of bounds that remained when the tournament was played during the COVID-19 pandemic. But when the bleachers returned, the stakes were removed. The 13th hole, however, still has an internal OB right to prevent players from playing down the 12th fairway.
Hoffman tried this plan last year, although he dragged his first attempt too far, discovering an outlier near the Kahala Hotel. He didn’t do it again until the weekend, when he produced a pair of birdies on Saturday and Sunday. This year, Hoffman played the hole in 3 under with three birdies. He parred the hole on Thursday after what was probably a free TIO relief.
Despite the creative shortcut, Hoffman shot a 1-over 71 on the final day, slipping to T-59.
