2022 PGA Tour: Sentry Tournament of Champions preview

2022US PGA Tour
Sentry Tournament of Champions
Plantation Course at Kapalua, Kapalua, Hawaii
6th-9th January

Doesn’t it feel like forever since Viktor Hovland won the Hero World Challenge? The PGA Tour returns for the traditional opening event of the calendar year: the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

First staged in 1953, this event was previously used as the season opener between 1896 and 2013. But the event now takes place at about the quarter-way mark following the PGA Tour’s decision to switch to a wraparound format.

This event is the most difficult event on the PGA tour to qualify for: the field is restricted to players who won an event in the previous season. The only absentee in this year’s exceptionally strong field is the resurgent Rory McIlroy.

But this year’s event has added significance due to Jon Rahm’s precarious hold on the World Number one ranking. He and Collin Morikawa will be engaged in their own mini duel in what should be a blistering start to the year.

Opened for play in 1991, the Plantation Course at Kapalua was co-designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. It is unique in that it’s the only par 73 course on the entire PGA Tour rota.

This will be the 24th consecutive staging of this event at Kapalua. This long, wind-exposed track is traditionally an extremely low-scoring affair. The wide fairways are ridiculously forgiving while the large Bermuda greens are easy to find.

Jordan Spieth won here in 2016 with a winning score of 30-under par. That actually failed to break the 72-hole record of 31-under obtained by Ernie Els in 2003. You can expect this absolutely stacked field to obliterate the course this year.

As with all resort level scoring events, players will need to be lethal around the greens. But the big hitters will certainly enjoy an advantage this week. Many of the holes feature dramatic elevation shifts and result in highly reachable par 4’s and 5’s.

Jon Rahm will be teeing it up for the first time since his disastrous missed cut at the Andalucía Masters last October. He visibly needed a mental reset after a gruelling season that saw him claim his maiden Major Championship.

But that hiatus afforded Collin Morikawa the opportunity to make massive gains on Rahm in the world rankings. The American followed victories at the WGC-Workday Championship and the Open by winning the DP World Tour Championship in November.

He became the first-ever American to win the European Order of Merit. That contest will clearly be the focus of this intriguing week. But I’m also interested in the form of various other players.

Can Bryson DeChambeau find a little more consistency in his game? Can Jordan Spieth continue his recent resurgence of form? Sidenote: Xander Schauffele qualifies for this year’s event courtesy of his victory at last year’s Olympic Games.

Past Winners

2021: Harris English (-21) *playoff
2020: Justin Thomas (-14) *playoff
2019: Xander Schauffele (-23)
2018: Dustin Johnson (-24)
2017: Justin Thomas (-22)

To Win Outright

Jon Rahm 8/1 | Justin Thomas 9/1 | Collin Morikawa 10/1 | Bryson DeChambeau 12/1 | Viktor Hovland 12/1

Value Bets

Hideki Matsuyama- To Win 20/1 | To Place 4/1

It always feels slightly risky to back Matsuyama when you know that he’s going to need to hole a lot of putts. But Matsuyama’s form with the flat stick has certainly improved of late (a fact clearly demonstrated by his Masters victory last year). Matsuyama is already a champion this season after claiming the ZOZO Championship in his native Japan. But more importantly, Matsuyama has excellent course form. He finished solo 2nd here in 2017 and followed that up with a T4 in 2018. I think that Matsuyama is an enticing dark-horse pick at 20/1.

Garrick Higgo- To Win 100/1 | To Place 20/1

I love this pick as a wild outside chance. Higgo earned his place in this event by virtue of his victory at Congaree last year. That victory was even more impressive considering it was only his 2nd start on the PGA Tour. Sure, his form dropped off over the course of the year. But he still won four times worldwide last year. And his two victories in the Canary Islands highlighted his ability to take down fairly simple resort courses. Higgo’s game should suit Kapalua: he is a massive hitter with exceptional touch around the greens. 20/1 to place looks a worthwhile venture.

The Man to Beat- Patrick Cantlay- To Win 14/1 | To Place 28/10

I’m opting for the meticulous Patrick Cantlay this week. His intense levels of preparation should make him a dangerous competitor this week after a three-month hiatus from the game. And he was in sensational form towards the end of 2021. Cantlay was devastating at the Ryder Cup, going unbeaten through his four matches and absolutely pummelling Shane Lowry in the Sunday singles. Cantlay also produced a putting masterclass to see off Bryson DeChambeau at August’s BMW Championship. That level of putting brilliance makes him an ideal pick for this week’s event. He also finished 4th here in 2020.