KAPALUA, HAWAII – Collin Morikawa posted a clubhouse-leading, eight-under (65) and looked great doing it until Sahith Theegala came along and bested Morikawa and four others with a first-round leading (64) at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui. Theegala, making his second start at The Sentry (33rd/2023), opened with a career-best (10) birdies. (His previous-high was nine during the third round of the 2022 ZOZO Championship). Theegala also posted a career-best birdie streak with six in a row on Nos. 10-15.

The Sentry is the first event of the 2024 PGA TOUR Season and is serving as the season-opening event on the PGA TOUR schedule for the first time since 2013. Since 2013, the PGA Tour went with 10 “wrap-around” seasons.

In 2024, the TOUR returns to a calendar year schedule, with 36 FedEx Cup Regular Season events followed by the FedExCup Playoffs and FedEx Cup Fall season.

The Sentry is the first of eight Signature Events in 2024, which offer increased purse sizes ($20 million) and FedEx Cup points to the winner (700).

Making his first start since winning the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship in back-to-back starts, reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland (T2/-8) opened with a (65), just one stroke off the lead.

Camilo Villegas (T2/-8) also posted a (65), his 16th consecutive under-par round on the PGA TOUR. He has the most rounds of 65 or better in the last four events (13 rounds) on the TOUR.

Sentry: First Round Leaderboard

1 Sahith Theegala 64 (-9)

T2 Collin Morikawa 65 (-8)

T2 Camilo Villegas 65 (-8)

T2 Sungjae Im 65 (-8)

T2 Jason Day 65 (-8)

T2 Viktor Hovland 65 (-8)

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

ARCHITECT(S): Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000; Winner: $3.6 million.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 700

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KAPALUA, HAWAII – Happy New Year 2024 and Welcome Home to PGA Tour Brunch and six-times-a-week coverage of the PGA Tour and other assorted news from the world of golf. From today through the Tournament of Champions (conclusion of the FedEx Cup Playoffs), you’ll receive a mobile friendly, e-news drop to your inbox. In most cases it will be around Noon with the following schedule:

• Wednesday – Tournament Preview with Odds; Field, Tee Times
• Thursday – Look at 1st Round; News; Field Update(s)
• Friday – Recap of 1st Round; Leaders; Look at R-2
• Saturday – Recap of 2nd Round; Notable MTCs; Weekend Preview
• Sunday – Recap of 3rd Round; Leaderboard; News
• Monday – Tournament Recap; First Look at Next Tournament
• Tuesday – Off Day

As the Tour heads east to Eastern Standard, and then Eastern Daylight Time, PGA Tour Brunch will post earlier to be ahead of tee-off times. The general idea is for PGA Tour Brunch to provide a little light reading at breakfast or lunch – thus “brunch.”

Here we go for 2024. Enjoy the season and don’t let the negotiations between the Tour, LIV Golf and all the other distractions get you down.

The Sentry Tournament of Champions is the first of eight Signature Events on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule. The Signature Events will bring together the game’s top players, competing on historic courses while playing for elevated purses and increased FedExCup points.

This year, the Sentry field is comprised of all tournament winners from 2023, along with the Top 50 in last season’s FedExCup standings. FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will highlight the 59-man field. Reigning Sentry champion, Jon Rahm will not compete after signing a $600 million deal with LIV Golf. Rahm will await the completion of PGA Tour-LIV Golf negotiations now expected to be finalized before The Masters. Rory McIlroy (load management) will not compete this week but 21 of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking will play. The 59-player field is the largest field in tournament history (breaking the mark of 42 set in 2021).

In 2022, Cameron Smith posted a pair of (64s) book-ended by a pair of (65s) to post an amazing 258 (-34) to take T of C honors and the $1,476,000 prize. In 2021, Harris English won in Maui despite not winning a tournament the previous year.

The Plantation Course at Kapalua was the easiest course on Tour relative to par during the 2022-23 season with an average of 4.078 strokes under par, its third consecutive season with the lowest scoring average on the schedule.

Much of the PGA Tour’s charitable efforts for this tournament are dedicated to helping the Maui Community recover from deadly and devastating fires that destroyed Lahaina. See the considerable and ongoing efforts HERE.

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

ARCHITECT(S): Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000; Winner: $3.6 million.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 700

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Sentry_TOC

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Basics

The Tee Times to begin the new year at the Sentry start Thursday at 12:45pm (ET) to 4:39pm (ET).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a 10% chance of rain. As per usual, the trade winds blow in Kapalua and they’re forecast to be at 8-14 mph with gusts to 20mph. Temperatures will range from 67-80 degrees. Chance of rain increases to 25% for Friday-Sunday.

Tournament Overview: (link)

FedEx Cup Info: (link)

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Sentry Tournament of Champions – PGA Tour Wrap-Up

Cameron Smith won the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions by one stroke over World No. 1 Jon Rahm, Smith’s fourth PGA Tour victory in his 157th start.

Rahm finished runner-up for the eighth time in his 114th start and equaled the Tour record for most birdies (32) in a 72-hole event, tying Paul Gow (2001 B.C. Open) and Mark Calcavecchia (2001 Waste Management Phoenix Open)

Matt Jones (3rd) tied the 18-hole tournament scoring record with Sunday’s 12-under (61) and records the lowest 36-hole score to par (23-under) in consecutive rounds in TOUR history. Rahm and Justin Thomas had set course record (61) on Saturday.

Defending champion Harris English finished T-30, extending the lack of repeat winners at Kapalua. The last repeat winner of the event was Geoff Ogilvy (2010).

Sentry Tournament of Champions Final Leaderboard

Cameron Smith – 65-64-64-65—258 (-34)

Jon Rahm – 66-66-61-66—259 (-33)

Matt Jones – 70-67-62-61—260 (-32)

Patrick Cantlay – 66-67-66-67—266 (-26)

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The Sentry Tournament of Champions: Final Round

Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii – Scoring conditions are off the charts at The Plantation Course, here at Kapalua. The reason? Low winds and great players, great even after the PGA TOUR holiday break.

At 26-under, Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm turned-in the second-lowest opening 54-hole score to par in PGA Tour history (Patrick Reed/27-under/2014 The American Express). Smith and Rahm set the Sentry Tournament of Champions 54-hole record at 26-under 193 (194/Ernie Els/2003).

Meanwhile, Rahm and two-time Sentry Tournament of Champions winner Justin Thomas each set the tournament record with matching 12-under (61s).

The third-round scoring average (67.711) was the lowest in a single round since the event moved to The Plantation Course in 1999.

A purse of $8,200,000 is on the line today with $1,476,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points going to the winner.

Tee times today at 7:50am (local)/12:50pm (ET) with the leaders at 10:55am (local)/3:55pm (ET).

Leaderboard After Round 3:

Cameron Smith 65-64-64 – 193 (-26)

Jon Rahm 66-66-61 – 193 (-26)

Daniel Berger 66-66-66 – 198 (-21)

The Basics:

Weather: The forecast for today calls for sunny skies. Temperatures ranging from 72-79 degrees, with a 2% chance of rain. (link)

PGATourBrunch will post a recap of the Sentry TofC at Noon (ET) Monday.

Later This Week: SONY Open in Hawaii  – The Tour stays in Hawaii (link)

Suscriptions: Feel free to forward this edition of PGA Tour Brunch to your friends and/or family who love pro golf. Through January 15th, we’re offering a New Year’s Discount.

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Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii – Cameron Smith equaled the Sentry Tournament of Champions 36-hole record (129) and holds second-round lead/co-lead for the second time in career at a tour stroke-play event. He’s 0-for-1 to date in the effort to hold lead.

Smith shot a nine-under (64) after posting a (65) on Thursday and has a three stroke lead over World No. 1 Jon Rahm and Daniel Berger (132/ (-14).

Smith (Australia) and Rahm (Spain), who will play together today in the final group, are among four international players in the Top 6 at the Tournament of Champions. Four-time PGA Tour winner Daniel Berger (T-2) of USA trails by three after matching 7-under (66s) in the first two rounds.

With low winds (6-12 mph), the second round scoring average (67.816) was the lowest since the event moved to the Plantation Course at Kapalua in 1999. Due to wet conditions, preferred lies were in effect for both the first and second rounds.

Leaderboard After Round 2:

Cameron Smith 65-64 – 129 (-17)

Jon Rahm 66-66 – 132 (-14)

Daniel Berger 66-66 – 132 (-14)

Patrick Cantlay 66-67 – 133 (-13)

Suscriptions: Feel free to recommend PGA Tour Brunch to your friends and/or family who love pro golf. Through January 15th, we’re offering a New Year’s Discount.

Get 20% off for 1 year

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Kapalua, Hawaii – Cameron Smith shot an 8-under (65), three strokes off the course record and holds a one-stroke lead over reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, World No. 1 Jon Rahm and four-time PGA Tour winner Daniel Berger.

Smith carded his third-ever opening-round lead/co-lead on Tour but is 0-for-2 to date.

FedEx Cup points leader, Talor Gooch, posted 5-under 68 in tournament debut. Gooch and nine other players in the Sentry field are making their Tournament of Champions debut.

Daniel Berger (T-2) opened with a score of 7-under (66) or better for the first time in his PGA TOUR career while 1994 and 1998 Sentry Tournament of Champions winner Phil Mickelson (T-25) posted 2-under (71) in first Kapalua start since 2001.

Justin Thomas (T-36) carded an opening-round (740, just his third over-par score in 25 rounds in the event (R2/R3/2018).

Due to wet conditions, preferred lies were in effect for the first round.

Leaderboard After Round 1:

Cameron Smith 65 (-8)

Daniel Berger 66 (-7)

Jon Rahm 66 (-7)

Patrick Cantlay 66 (-7)

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Kapalua, Hawaii – The PGA Tour season resumes with the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The first event of 2022 comes after a six week break on the schedule for the holidays and some silly season activities. PGA Tour event winners from the 2021 calendar year along with 2020 Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele will tee-it-up at Kapalua (in Maui) today.

The field includes reigning FedExCup Champion Patrick Cantlay (making season debut), World Nos. 1 and 2 Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa, and current FedEx Cup points leader Talor Gooch. In addition, 2021 PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson will make his first start in the Sentry Tournament of Champions since 2001 (T28). All four major champions are represented this week.

Watch the Birdie: The par-5 fifth hole at Kapalua was the easiest hole on the PGA Tour last season relative to par, with an average score of 4.095 (-0.905) and had the lowest average score relative to par of any hole on TOUR since the 2005 FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Ten players in the Sentry field are making their Tournament of Champions debut.

The Basics:

With the limited field and the time zone adjustment to Hawaii, the Sentry Tee Times start today at 9:40am (local)/2:40pm (ET) and going to 12:45pm (local)/5:45pm (ET).

Cameron Champ withdrew from the Sentry after testing positive for COVID-19, the Tour announced Tuesday.

Weather: Today’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies. Temperature 74-degrees, but humidity 75% with winds 13 mph NE. (link)

PGATourBrunch will post at Noon (ET) Friday.

Next Week: SONY Open in Hawaii  – The Tour stays in Hawaii (link)

Sentry Tournament of Champions

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua – (Maui, Hawaii)

ARCHITECTS: Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,200,000/$1,476,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Harris English

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points / to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Sentry_TOC

OFFICIAL SITE: (Sentry TofC)

TV COVERAGE:  This evening, January 6, and Friday, January 7: TV coverage goes from 6:00pm to 10:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel.

On Saturday, January 8, Round 3 coverage 6:00pm to 10:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel. On Sunday, January 9: NBC opens final round coverage 4:00pm to 6:00pm (ET) and Golf Channel wraps it up from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (ET)

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will now be featured on ESPN-Plus, starting today at 3:15pm (ET) and continuing at 6:00pm (ET) with Featured Hole and Featured Groups. On Saturday, ESPN+ will stream coverage at 3:15am and 6:00pm (ET). On Sunday, ESPN+coverage is online at 1:30pm ET and 4:00pm ET.

Here’s the Scoop: (From official news release) – ESPN+ and PGA TOUR provided details for the inaugural season of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, with extended and expanded coverage that more than triples the total coverage – adding more than 3,200 new hours of live streaming available for a total of more than 4,300 exclusive hours. All PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ coverage will be available to ESPN+’s more than 17.1 million subscribers.

In 2022, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will include live coverage of 35 tournaments – from the Tour’s Hawaii events this month – all the way through the FedExCup Playoffs and into the Fall – with at least 28 events having four full days of coverage and four simultaneous live feeds each day.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of the The Sentry with broadcasts from 4:00pm to 10:00pm (ET) today and Friday. Weekend coverage on Sirius XM Radio runs from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and from 3:00pm to 8:00pm (ET) on Sunday. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATour(dot)com.

On This Day in Golf History:

January 6, 1950 – Eleven months after nearly being killed in a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus, Ben Hogan returned to tournament golf when he teed-off at the Los Angeles Open. The Los Angeles Times reported that 9,000 fans were in the gallery to watch Hogan shoot a two-over par 73 in R-1. After 72 holes, Hogan lost in a playoff to Sam Snead. – Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE

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