TOC preview: What to expect for the TOUR's kickoff to 2022
After a brief hiatus, the PGA TOUR returns to the beautiful island of Maui for the first event of 2022 - the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The field is comprised of all of last season's PGA TOUR winners; Xander Schauffele was granted a special exemption for his Olympic gold medal victory.
This year, 39 of the world's best will compete for over $1 million. Here's what you need to know for the week ahead in Hawaii.
When: Jan. 6-9
Where: The Plantation Course at Kapalua
Purse: $8.0 million
Winner's Purse: $1.44 million
How to watch (all times ET)
Thursday, Jan. 6: 6-10 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Friday, Jan. 7: 6-10 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Saturday, Jan. 8: 6-10 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Sunday, Jan. 9: 4-6 p.m. (NBC Sports), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel)
The field
The Sentry Tournament of Champions features a loaded field comprised of 19 of the top 25 players in the world rankings. Harris English returns to defend his title, and he will be joined by former winners Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Reed. Other headliners include World No. 1 Jon Rahm, defending Open Championship winner Collin Morikawa, 2021 PGA TOUR Player of the Year Patrick Cantlay, and nine-time PGA TOUR winner Bryson DeChambeau.
The full field can be found here.
Featured groups (all times ET)
Group: Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau
Thursday - 4:55 a.m.
Group: Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson
Thursday - 5:05 p.m.
Group: Collin Morikawa, Patrick Reed
Thursday - 5:15 p.m.
Group: Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas
Thursday - 5:25 p.m.
Group: Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele
Thursday - 5:35 p.m.
Group: Patrick Cantlay, Harris English
Thursday - 5:45 p.m.
The full list of tee times can be found here.
The course
The Plantation Course at Kapalua was designed in 1991 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who also completed a recent renovation of the course in 2019. The Coore and Crenshaw design plays as a par 73 and measures 7,596 yards. It's the only par 73 course on the PGA TOUR. Kapalua is known for its massive fairways, measuring 59 yards wide on average, as well as its gigantic Bermuda greens, which measure nearly 9,000 square feet.
With such generous fairways and inviting greens, players can take advantage of Kapalua in calm conditions. The course's greatest defense is the wind, and while 2020 saw blustery conditions (only a 14-under was required to win), Jordan Spieth shot 30-under in 2016 in a more tranquil setting. With little wind in the forecast for this week, fans should prepare for a low-scoring affair to start 2022.
Betting corner
Jon Rahm 6-1
Justin Thomas +850
Collin Morikawa 10-1
Bryson DeChambeau 12-1
Viktor Hovland 12-1
Xander Schauffele 12-1
Patrick Cantlay 14-1
Sam Burns 18-1
Daniel Berger 20-1
Cameron Smith 22-1
Hideki Matsuyama 22-1
Jordan Spieth 22-1
Sungjae Im 22-1
Patrick Reed 28-1
Tony Finau 28-1
Abraham Ancer 30-1
(Odds source: theScore Bet)