The PGA Tour is finally back and the best players in the world are headed down to Hawaii for the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
Phil Mickelson, who earned a spot in the field due to his win at the PGA Championship, is teeing it up here for the first time in over 20 years. We’ll see if his nasty bombs can take care of the par 73 layout.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm hasn’t made a start on Tour since the Fortinet Championship where he missed the cut. Collin Morikawa can take over his Official World Golf Ranking spot this week depending on the outcome.
The aforementioned Plantation course will measure over 7,500 yards this week, and its generous fairways should allow the field to put on a long-drive competition with little fear that they’ll be penalized for wayward tee shots.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list.
Fantasy golf top 10
Jordan Spieth (+2000)
Jordan Spieth hits from the sixteenth tee box during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Spieth hasn’t played in this tournament for a few years, however, due to his win at the Valero Texas Open, he’ll be in the field for the first time since 2018. He’s never finished outside the top 10 at this event and even captured a win back in 2016.
Justin Thomas (+750)
JT loves this place. His last three finishes at Kapalua: 3rd, 1st, 3rd. Pretty good. His odds aren’t great as the betting favorite, and he’ll be on the expensive side for your fantasy lineups, but his course history here may be worth the hefty price tag.
Xander Schauffele (+1200)
Like Thomas, the gold medal winner just loves it here. His last win came at this event back in 2019, and he’s only in the field this week because of his Olympic win in Japan. His last three starts here: T-5, T-2, 1st.
Bryson DeChambeau (+1200)
When driving distance is one of the most important stats for the week, it’s almost impossible not to put this man in your lineup. His course history at the Plantation Course is decent, with his best finish coming in 2019 when he placed 7th (T-7 last year).
Viktor Hovland (+1300)
Viktor Hovland of Norway celebrates on the 18th green after winning during the final round of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba on El Camaleon golf course on November 07, 2021 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Hovland won’t stop winning in picturesque locations, so it’s easy to see why he’s on the list this week in Hawaii. He defended his title a few months back at Mayakoba and won the Hero World Challenge in his last start, however, he failed to crack the top 30 at this event last season. Expect him to improve on that finish this time around.
Sungjae Im (+2000)
Im cashed a top-five here last season and can make birdies in bunches. Justin Ray tweeted earlier this week that 10 of the last 11 winners of this event finished inside the top three in SG: Tee to Green for that week. Im is a SG: TTG machine, so don’t be surprised if he hangs around this week.
Patrick Reed (+3000)
Reed was the runner-up to Thomas in 2020, and also grabbed a T-6 back in 2017. He doesn’t have the firepower of some of the other players in the field, but his short game magic and putting ability should make up for that.
Brooks Koepka (+3000)
His game during the Match against DeChambeau looked sharp. He backed up that performance with three solid days at the Hero World Challenge before struggling on Sunday. His course history is bad here, there’s no way around that. However, his game looks to be in a good spot and his knee is finally getting healthy.
Patrick Cantlay (+1300)
This will be Cantlay’s first start of the 2021-22 season. He’s looking to back up a career year where he not only won Player of the Year honors but the FedEx Cup. In 2019, Cantlay bagged a top-five finish around Kapalua.
Collin Morikawa (+1000)
Collin Morikawa of the United States reacts to chipping in for eagle on the third hole during the third round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 04, 2021 in Nassau, . (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The 2021 Open champion looked primed to take home the Hero World Challenge trophy back in December before blowing up on the front 9 on Sunday. His game in the wrap-around season was strong, with his worst finish coming at the Zozo (T-7). He’s played in this event twice finishing T-7 in both appearances.