2025 Sony Open in Hawaii: What are the W trees at the Waialae Country Club?

The PGA Tour will resume play this weekend at the 2025 Sony Open in Hawaii. The field is set for Thursday's tee times, which will include some of the top golfers on tour. While they're there, they will undoubtedly notice the natural W logo at Waialae Country Club, the tournament's venue.

This W is made of coconut trees near the course. They form a bit of a scenic background for the seventh hole, and this is a bit of a rarity. While golf is outdoor and takes advantage of nature, most courses don't have a built-in logo like this one does.

The website says:

"The golf course at Waialae is world-renowned for its location and natural beauty. The coconut trees forming the iconic 'W,' or Waialae’s living logo, play backdrop along with the Pacific Ocean to the green on the member's 7th Hole."

Palm trees often grow at angles, and it's not uncommon to see them growing towards each other. It just so happened that the trees formed a perfect W to match the name of the course, giving golf a truly unbelievable backdrop for an annual January tournament.

The Sony Open comes one week after Hideki Matsuyama dominated at another Hawaiian golf course. In Maui for the Sentry, the Japanese golfer set a record with an astonishing -35 showing.

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Full odds for Sony Open at Waialae Country Club explored

The defending champion of the Sony Open is Grayson Murray. The golfer will not be in the field to defend his crown as he passed away during the 2024 PGA Tour season.

The Sony Open returns this weekend (Image via Imagn)

After a thrilling season opener, Hideki Matsuyama is the favorite, but there's plenty of competition this weekend. Per CBS Sports, here are the official odds:

• Hideki Matsuyama +900
• Corey Conners +1400
• Tom Kim +2000
• Russell Henley +2000
• Byeong Hun An +2200
• Keegan Bradley +2500
• Robert MacIntyre +2800
• Maverick McNealy +2800
• Si Woo Kim +3500
• Kurt Kitayama +3500
• Sahith Theegala +3500
• Taylor Pendrith +3500
• Luke Clanton +4000
• J.T. Poston +4000
• Austin Eckroat +4500
• Davis Thompson +4500
• Brian Harman +4500
• Harry Hall +5000
• Ben Griffin +5000
• Chris Kirk +5500
• Sepp Straka +6000
• Cam Davis +6000
• Daniel Berger +6500
• Denny McCarthy +6500
• Tom Hoge +6500
• Harris English +6500
• Thomas Detry +7000
• Billy Horschel +7000
• Andrew Novak +7000
• Mackenzie Hughes +7000
• Michael Thorbjornsen +7000
• Seamus Power +7500
• Stephan Jaeger +8000
• Matt Kuchar +8000
• Eric Cole +8000
• Keith Mitchell +8000
• Nick Dunlap +8000
• Doug Ghim +9000
• Patrick Fishburn +9000
• Michael Kim +9000
• Nico Echavarria +9000
• Mac Meissner +9000
• Patrick Rodgers +9000
• J.J. Spaun +10000
• Sam Stevens +10000
• Lucas Glover +10000
• Joe Highsmith +10000
• Andrew Putnam +10000
• Chandler Phillips +11000
• Emiliano Grillo +11000
• Rico Hoey +11000
• Gary Woodland +11000
• Adam Svensson +11000
• Max McGreevy +11000
• Vince Whaley +12000
• Adam Hadwin +12000
• Nick Taylor +12000
• Mark Hubbard +12000
• Lee Hodges +12000
• Justin Lower +12000
• Taylor Moore +12000
• C.T. Pan +15000
• Bud Cauley +15000
• Matt McCarty +15000

A few golfers aren't in the field, such as Scottie Scheffler. He is still rehabbing a hand injury he suffered at the end of 2024 after a win at the Hero World Challenge.