This week in Hawaii sees the traditional year’s start to the PGA Tour with the Sentry Tournament of Champions to be held at the Plantation Course on Maui from Thursday to Sunday.
The prizefund is $8.2 million with a field of 39 players with only Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy declining the invitation.
The golf course, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, is a rare par 73 on Tour with just three par 3s and is celebrating its 30th anniversary as well as the 24th hosting of the tournament in Maui. The course is famous for its par-5 18th that can stretch to 667 yards.
American Harris English is the defending champion who won last year on the first play-off hole from Chile’s Joaquin Niemann after tying at 25-under.
The Tournament of Champions has seen 11 consecutive American winners from Jonathan Byrd in 2011 to English last year. World No. 1 Jon Rahm is one of the headliners in a field that includes eight of the top 10 in the world and 10 first-time winners on the PGA Tour.
The tournament week also includes, for the first time, the All Abilities Champions Playoff, featuring four golfers from four different countries.
The event was created so all abilities of golfers could have an opportunity to face the same test as the world’s best golfers. The All Abilities Champions Playoff, like the Tournament of Champions, brings together the winners from four of the world’s biggest all abilities events.
The All Abilities will have two 18-hole match-play events on Thursday on the Bay Course at Kapalua. On Friday, the foursome will play the first nine holes of an 18-hole stroke-play match at the Bay Course and finish with the last nine holes on the Plantation Course.
The four golfers participating in this event aligned with the European Disabled Golf Association are Spain’s Juan Postigo Arce, Swede Johan Kammerstad, American Chad Pfeifer and EDGA Dubai Finale winner Brendan Lawlor of Ireland
Full field for the Tournament of Champions
(* indicates first time in the tournament)
Abraham Ancer* (MEX)
Daniel Berger (USA)
Sam Burns* (USA)
Patrick Cantlay (USA)
Cameron Champ (USA)
Stewart Cink (USA)
Joel Dahmen* (USA)
Cameron Davis* (AUS)
Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
Harris English (USA)
Tony Finau (USA)
Lucas Glover (USA)
Talor Gooch* (USA)
Branden Grace (RSA)
Lucas Herbert* (AUS)
Garrick Higgo* (RSA)
Max Homa (USA)
Billy Horschel (USA)
Victor Hovland (NOR)
Sungiae Im (KOR)
Matt Jones (AUS)
Si Woo Kim (KOR)
Kevin Kisner (USA)
Brooks Koepka (USA)
Jason Kokrak (USA)
KH Lee* (KOR)
Marc Leishman (AUS)
Hideki Matsuyama (JPN)
Phil Mickleson (USA)
Collin Morikawa (USA)
Kevin Na (USA)
Seamus Power* (IRE)
Jon Rahm (ESP)
Patrick Reed (USA)
Xander Schauffele (USA)
Cameron Smith (AUS)
Jordan Speith (USA)
Justin Thomas (USA)
Erik Van Rooyen* (RSA)
