The PGA Tour’s 2022-23 season resumes this week in Hawaii with the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Contested at picturesque Kapalua on the island of Maui, the Tournament of Champions will feature a small, but superbly-talented, field of 39 golfers, including tournament winners from 2022 as well as those who finished inside the top 30 of last season’s FedEx Cup race.
The star-studded field in Hawaii will include a bevy of top-ranked players but will be missing its 2022 record-setting champion Cam Smith, who signed with the LIV Golf League last summer.
Kapalua winners, who will be teeing it up, include Jordan Spieth (2016), Xander Schauffele (2019), and two-time champ Justin Thomas (2020, 2017).
Other big names in the Maui field include Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Will Zalatoris, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tony Finau.
As we do each week, here’s a roundup of information and data points to prep you for the week in Hawaii.
The Skinny
Sentry Tournament of Champions
Title Sponsor: Sentry
PGA Tour Debut: 1953
Event Week: 10 of 43
Dates:Â Jan. 5-8, 2023
Where: Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Venue:Â Plantation Course at Kapalua
Distance: 7452 yards, Par 73
Architect: Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore
Field: 39 players (2022 winners and Top 30 FEC)
Format: 72-hole stroke play, NO CUT
Purse: $15,000,000
Winning Share: $2,700,000
2022 Champion:Â Cam Smith
How to Follow the Sentry Tournament of Champions
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 6-10 p.m. (GOLF); Sat-Sun: 4-6 p.m. (NBC), 6-8 p.m. (GOLF)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu: 2:15-10 p.m. (ESPN+); Fri: 2:30-10 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 12:45-8pm (ESPN+)
Subscribe to ESPN+
PGA TOUR RADIO: Thu-Fri: 4-6 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 3-8 p.m.
PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio
LINKS: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Sentry Tournament of Champions History
The Sentry Tournament of Champions is annually held during the first week of January, and, since 1999, has been played at the Kapalua’s Plantation Course on the island of Maui.
The inaugural winner was Al Besselink who shot a 280 to edge Chandler Harper by a single stroke in 1953. For his second career PGA Tour victory, Besselink, then a swashbuckling 31-year-old from New Jersey, was awarded a wheelbarrow of silver dollars worth $10,000. Known for his propensity to gamble, the University of Miami product, however, banked another $12,500 by placing a $500 bet on himself at 25-1.
For its first 16 editions, the limited-field tournament was contested in Las Vegas, Nevada – first at the Desert Inn Country Club from 1953-66, then for two years at the Stardust Country Club (1967-68).
In 1969 the tournament moved further west to Carlsbad, California, with La Costa Resort and Spa playing host until 1999 when it was moved to Maui.
There have been six title sponsors over the years with MONY (75-90), Infiniti (91-93), and Mercedes (94-09) holding the rights for the first 35 years. The title sponsor has been far less stable in recent years, however, with Hyundai (11-16), SBS (10, 17), and Sentry (18-22) sharing the marquee for the past thirteen editions.
Past tournament champions include Hall of Famers such as Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson, Johnny Miller, and Tiger Woods. Recent marquee winners include two-time champs Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson, alongside Jordan Spieth, Cam Smith and Xander Schauffele.
History: Recent Winners
2022: Cam Smith
2021: Harris English
2020: Justin Thomas*
2019: Xander Schauffele*
2018: Dustin Johnson
2017: Justin Thomas*
2016: Jordan Spieth*
2015: Patrick Reed
2014: Zach Johnson
2013: Dustin Johnson
*In 2023 field
History: Records
Wins: 5, Jack Nicklaus (1963-64, 71, 73, 75)
Consecutive Wins: 3, Stuart Appleby (2004-06)
72-Hole Scoring: 258 (-34), Cam Smith (2022)
18-Hole Scoring: 61 (-12), Jon Rahm (Rd3, 2022), Justin Thomas (Rd3, 2022), Matt Jones (Rd4, 2022)
The Course: Plantation at Kapalua
The Plantation Course at Kapalua is located on the island of Maui, and measures 7,452 yards from the championship tees.
Designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, the Plantation track is a traditional links-style course offering dramatic elevation changes with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and ocean.
In addition to being the Tour’s only par 73, it’s also the only course on the schedule with seven holes measuring over 500 yards – two of those being the 549-yard par-4 17th and the 663-yard par-5 18th.
Notably, both closing holes play downhill, allowing most of the pros to reach in two despite the lengthy yardage.
The Field: Sentry Tournament of Champions
The field in Maui this week features 29 PGA Tour winners in 2022, including three former Kapalua champions: Justin Thomas (2020, 2017), Xander Schauffele (2019) and Jordan Spieth (2016).
Three of the 2022 season’s major champions will be on hand as well: Thomas (PGA), Matt Fitzpatrick (U.S. OPEN) and Scottie Scheffler (MASTERS). Cam Smith (PLAYERS and BRITISH OPEN) joined the LIV League, while Rory McIlroy (FedEx Cup) has opted out.
Other marquee tournament champions in the field include Patrick Cantlay (BMW), Hideki Matsuyama (Sony), Max Homa (Wells Fargo, Fortinet), Sam Burns (Valspar, Colonial), Tony Finau (3M, Rocket, Houston), and Jordan Spieth (Hilton Head).
First-time tour winners making their debuts at Kapalua include Ryan Brehm (Puerto Rico), Tom Hoge (Pebble), Tom Kim (Wyndham, Shriners), Sepp Straka (Honda), Chad Ramey (Corales), J.J. Spaun (Valero), Trey Mullinax (Barbasol), and Adam Svensson (Sea Island).
Familiar names in the field who finished inside the FedEx Cup top 30 include Sungjae Im, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa and Adam Scott
Top-5 Betting Favorites
Pos-Player-Odds
1. Jon Rahm (7-1)
2. Justin Thomas (9-1)
3. Patrick Cantlay (10-1)
4. Xander Schauffele (12-1)
4. Scottie Scheffler (12-1)
Full Field
Sentry Tournament of Champions | Plantation GC | Kapalua, Maui, HI | Jan. 6-9, 2022
2022 Tournament Winners
- Keegan Bradley (Japan)
- Ryan Brehm (Puerto Rico)
- Sam Burns (Valspar, Colonial)
- Patrick Cantlay (BMW)
- Tony Finau (3M, Detroit, Houston)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (U.S. Open)
- Russell Henley (Mayakoba)
- Tom Hoge (Pebble Beach)
- Max Homa (Wells Fargo, Napa)
- Billy Horschel (Memorial)
- Mackenzie Hughes (Sanderson Farms)
- Tom Kim (Wyndham, Shriners)
- K.H. Lee (Byron Nelson)
- Luke List (Farmers)
- Hideki Matsuyama (Sony)
- Trey Mullinax (Barbasol)
- J.T. Poston (John Deere)
- Seamus Power (Bermuda)
- Jon Rahm (Mexico)
- Chad Ramey (Corales)
- Chez Reavie (Barracuda)
- Xander Schauffele (Travelers)
- Scottie Scheffler (Phoenix, Bay Hill, Masters)
- J.J. Spaun (Valero)
- Jordan Spieth (Hilton Head)
- Sepp Straka (The Honda)
- Adam Svensson (Sea Island)
- Justin Thomas (PGA)
- Will Zalatoris (Memphis)
2022 FedEx Top 30
- Sungjae Im
- Aaron Wise
- Viktor Hovland
- Cameron Young
- Collin Morikawa
- Brian Harman
- Adam Scott
- Corey Conners
- Sahith Theegala
- Scott Stallings
Up Next On Tour
The PGA Tour tees it up in Honolulu for the long-running Sony Open, the second of the annual two-stop Hawaii set.
Jan. 12-15 – Sony Open in Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)
Jan. 19-22 – The American Express (La Quinta, CA)
Jan. 25-28 – Farmers Insurance Open (La Jolla, CA)
Feb. 02-05 – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Pebble Beach, CA)
Feb. 09-12 – WM Phoenix Open (Scottsdale, AZ)
Feb. 16-19 – The Genesis Invitational (Pacific Palisades, CA)
Joel Cook contributed to this report.
