Thomas, Schauffele and Spieth look good for Sentry Tournament of Champions

The PGA Tour is back in action after the Christmas break with the Sentry Tournament of Champions part one of a two-tournament stay in Hawaii to start the year. 

The Plantation Course at Kapalua on the island of Maui plays host to the event, which was once the season opener, for the 24th time as a small but select field descends on the tropical paradise. 

Only players who won an event on the PGA Tour last season are invited to take part so we have an all-star cast of 39 players with only Rory McIlroy not taking up his invitation to play. 

Dustin Johnson is the other notable absentee as he failed to win on the PGA Tour last year, but that still makes it eight of the top 10 players in the world rankings taking part - so the field is about as strong as you could get it. 

Usually a low scoring affair in Hawaii 

As for the Plantation Course itself, it’s unusual as it’s the only par 73 on the PGA Tour and it’s also the only one with seven holes measuring 500 yards or more on the schedule – but being a bomber off the tee hasn’t proved to be essential to win here. 

The wide open, sweeping fairways have plenty of elevation changes in them and lead into some of the biggest greens the players will see all season on the PGA Tour – so it’s a case of finding the right spots on the greens rather than just merely making the short stuff in regulation. 

You’ll need to be a good scrambler to win here while lag putting is crucial as these huge putting surfaces will offer up some of the longest, most undulating putts of the season – we’ll see a few more three-putts than usual. 

Putting in the wind is also a handy commodity around here, but unless the wind really gets up then scoring is usually pretty low – with 14-under being the worst winning score in the last six and 30-under being the best with the rest in the mid 20-unders. 

Jon Rahm is not shaping up as a possible winner in Hawaii at the relatively short price of 12

Course specialist Thomas the favourite 

Justin Thomas is the 9.0 favourite here and rightly so given he’s won this event twice and finished third on another two occasions in just the last five years. His game suits the course and it’s a track where course form is important. 

World No.1 Jon Rahm finished second here on his debut, and while he’s had three Top 10s since, he’s not shaped up like a possible winner and at 12 is short enough to swerve. 

Open champion Collin Morikawa could replace Rahm in top spot in the world rankings this week but a pair of seventh-placed finishes here, plus throwing away a five-shot lead at the Hero World Challenge doesn’t give him the best form coming in. 

His wizardry with his irons though will always give him plenty of birdie looks on these greens and at 12.5 for victory he’s behind only Rahm and Thomas in the betting. 

Xander Schauffele is a 15 shot and has all the course form in the book – finishing first, second and fifth over the last three runnings of the event, while the Olympic champion also has the joint second-best scoring average around here over the last six years alongside Thomas. 

The one man who can top those two for scoring average around the Plantation Course is Jordan Spieth, who has missed the last three events here but must stand a great chance this week at 24. 

Spieth is another former champions here who has finished first, second, third and ninth in his four appearances – he's a great player in the wind, is arguably the best scrambler on Tour and we all know what that putter can do when it’s hot. 

Recommended bets 

Justin Thomas at 9.0 

Xander Schauffele at 15 

Jordan Spieth at 24