The Unconventional Strategy Used By Four-Time PGA Tour Winner Charley Hoffman At The Sony Open

Charley Hoffman at the top of his backswing.

Golfers are always trying to find ways of making the game as easy as possible and, at the Sony Open in Hawaii, that's exactly what Charley Hoffman did.

Playing the 18th hole, a dogleg par 5, the four-time PGA Tour winner opted for a unique line off the final tee box, playing his drive down the 11th fairway to the left hand side.

Seems like Charley Hoffman figured something out on 18 this week pic.twitter.com/wFwhpGPoG0January 13, 2025

The move, which was first shown on X/Twitter by Data Golf, yielded three birdies for Hoffman, as he birdied the 18th in the second, third and fourth rounds. If he hadn't of birdied those holes using the unique line, Hoffman would have dropped 11 spots to two-under and in a share of 70th.

What's more, it's not the first time that Hoffman has done it off the 18th. Back in 2024, the American used the move for all four rounds with various degrees of success.

Last year, Hoffman bogeyed the 18th in his first round, before a par followed in the second round and back-to-back birdies came in the third and fourth round. Finishing 42nd in 2024, Hoffman ended his tournament in a share of 59th in 2025.

Nick Taylor claimed the tournament win, via a birdie at the second playoff hole (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to reports, that was Hoffman's plan all week, as his line off the 18th yielded some great scores. However, rounds of 71, 65, 68 and 71 meant a five-under-par tournament total to finish well down the leaderboard.

It's not the first time we have seen players opt for unique lines off the tee box. At the Genesis Invitational, Viktor Hovland decided to use the 17th fairway from the 15th tee at Riviera, with Hovland claiming it suited his eye better.

Playing as the second easiest hole of the week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the 18th was -0.670 under-par and, in terms of the event winner, Nick Taylor defeated Nico Echavarria with a birdie at the second playoff hole.

In regulation play, Taylor chipped-in for eagle at the 72nd hole, as birdies at the first and second playoff hole gave the Canadian a fifth PGA Tour win and third via a playoff. In total, 21 eagles were made in the week at Honolulu, with Taylor one of those 21.