The 2018 golf year kicks off in Hawaii this week with the Sentry Tournament of Champions on the PGA Tour, an event which sees the winners of each event of last season invited to take part. That means we have 37 qualifiers in all of which 34 have taken up their spot to get their year underway on the island.
Justin Thomas blasted his way to glory here last year and he is back to defend the title with a number of the stars of the game looking to dethrone him in what should be a high quality week of golf.
Recent Winners
2017 – Justin Thomas
2016 – Jordan Spieth
2015 – Patrick Reed
2014 – Zach Johnson
2013 – Dustin Johnson
2012 – Steve Stricker
2011 – Jonathan Byrd
2010 – Geoff Ogilvy
2009 – Geoff Ogilvy
2008 – Daniel Chopra
The Course
Once again the Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort in Maui is our host course. It is a par 73 which stretches to 7,452 yards but it isn’t overly long. With just three par threes on the track those who score well on par fours and fives should prosper here.
The fairways are wide here and the greens are large so this can turn into an approach and putting contest. The greens are bermuda grass which will appeal to some but the biggest factor to take into consideration here is the wind. Scoring is usually low so we’re looking for comfortable wind players who make plenty of birdies.
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The Field
Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose are the three men who qualified for the tournament who have chosen not to compete but we are still left with three of the four 2017 major winners in Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and the defending champion Justin Thomas.
Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama and Jon Rahm add stellar quality to the field while the likes of Rookie of the Year, Xander Schauffele is one of a number of debutants looking to come through the 34 man line up to land another title.
Market Leaders
It is the 2016 champion Jordan Spieth who leads the betting this week at 5/1. We know all about his prowess in the wind having won The Open last year and we have seen his top class scrambling skills time and time again in the past so he is a worthy favourite this week. The big question is about motivation and whether he is rusty heading into 2018. Those questions put me off at a short price.
Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler come next in the betting at 7/1. Thomas showed his class in a real purple patch here last year and at the USPGA later in the campaign while Rickie Fowler already has one island success to his name in recent times having powered to the Hero World Challenge title. I’ve said in the PGA Tour Money List preview that I expect big things from Fowler this year but both are a touch short given nobody has swung a competitive club for a month.
Dustin Johnson is slightly bigger at 15/2 and when he is bang on it you would think he has the game to tear this place apart. The 2013 winner is always there or thereabouts on leaderboards but as with the other three he is plenty short enough for this time of year.
Hideki Matsuyama and Jon Rahm are both 12/1 to win the event. Matsuyama was touched off by Thomas here last year while Rahm will make his debut but we know he functions in the wind from the way he destroyed the field and the course in the Irish Open. Neither can be counted out.
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Main Bets
I’m going to go with two main bets this week who offer value compared to the short prices on show for the main four. If I was taking a short price I’d be all over Rickie Fowler but he would bank a nice purse to go on the money list if he wins so I can handle him winning and me not being on him given the price.
Pat Perez has shown a liking for good things in the wind. He won the OHL Classic in Mexico two years ago and has already followed that up by winning in the CIMB Classic earlier this season. He was third here last year and looks a much more solid player heading to Hawaii this year. His record in the Sony Open suggests that he enjoys Hawaiian conditions and I expect him to go very strongly here.
As ever I can never resist Daniel Berger when Bermuda greens are in play. He has the ideal profile for this track too. He gets it out there off the tee, is a very good player into the greens and can putt too. We saw at the Presidents Cup how windy conditions do not necessarily get the better of him and his record in Texas highlights that further. I’m convinced Berger will be motivated throughout 2018 having tasted team golf and at 40/1 I’ll pay to see how he goes.
Outsider
Wesley Bryan probably hasn’t kicked on in the way he would have liked since his maiden win but it might just have been that the victory came a little too soon for him. Nevertheless he has had time to reflect on all of that and gear himself up to go again. We saw when he won that tournament that his wedge game and his putting can be devastating and that should serve him well this week. If you follow his social media accounts you will see he is having a great time in Maui which is half the battle. He can outshoot a few here.
Tips
PLACED – Back P.Perez to win Sentry Tournament of Champions (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 31.00 with Betfred (1/4 1-4)
Back him here:
Back D.Berger to win Sentry Tournament of Champions (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 41.00 with Unibet (1/4 1-4)
Back him here:
Back W.Bryan to win Sentry Tournament of Champions (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-5)
Back him here:
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