How about a playoff to start things off? Jonathan Byrd and his precision putting edged out Robert Garrigus’ booming driver in extras to walk away the victor. The pair was nearly joined by Graeme McDowell, who shot a tournament-best 62 on Sunday, missing the playoff by one stroke. Meanwhile, a couple of big names never saw the weekend. Two-time defending champion Geoff Ogilvy withdrew after gashing his finger in the ocean and a fan used Twitter to flag Camilo Villegas for a rules violation.

The action will stay in Hawaii for one more week, shifting to the Waialae Country Club. After last week’s winners-only event, the field expands to 144 players. In addition to strong putting, top performers in recent years have also climbed the leaderboard by hitting greens.

[Note: My picks are sorted by the player's rank in the Official World Golf Ranking.]

Robert Allenby

Since 2003, Allenby has competed in this event on five occasions. In that span, the Australian owns three top-10 finishes, including last year’s runner-up performance. Allenby ended the 2010 regular season with a share of 17th in THE TOUR Championship before going on to notch top fives in two October events, firing seven of those eight rounds in the 60s. Look for more fun in the sun with the wind very much at the back of the Aussie.

Justin Rose

One of 24 players staying in Hawaii to compete in both events, Rose is looking to build off his solid three final rounds of play in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. After shooting 2-over 75 to start the event, Rose compiled three straight sub-70 rounds to finished T12. In last year’s Sony Open, Rose finished in that same position thanks to a second-round 65 and 6-under 64 on Sunday. Such streakiness is common for the Englishman, but the end result could pay big dividends.

Steve Marino

Among players with three or more starts in the Sony Open, Marino’s average finish of 15.0 ranks second. If not for finishing T34 in 2007, that number would be even more impressive as he finished T4 and T7 in the next two years. Marino skipped last year’s Hawaiian opener, but went on to post his lone top-five finishes of 2010 in two of his first three starts. Returning to a place where Marino has seen success, another fast start could be in the works.

Chad Campbell

In his last four starts in the Sony Open, Campbell owns three top-10 finishes since 2006. A quick review of statics shows Campbell is a fairly average player with limited success at most other venues. Owners in allocation formats will surely want to have him in their lineups to take full advantage of his love for the Aloha State. It’s a long season and early start savers like Campbell are key to saving your studs for more stacked events.

Charles Howell III

They don’t come much safer than Howell this week. He’s made nine consecutive cuts in the Sony Open, the longest streak among anyone in this week’s field. In those starts, Howell has finished fifth or better five times, including the last two events and in three of the last four. Howell also enters with some Fall Series momentum, finishing inside the top 10 in two of his last three starts.