The PGA Tour returns to The Sentry this week. This year's field expands beyond the PGA Tour winners for the first time, replacing the Tournament of Champions. The FedEx Cup points list for 2022–2023 will feature invitations to the top 50 players, which is why the name has changed.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii, will host the competition.
In the first of the year's hallmark tournaments, which are serious money-based and intended to draw the strongest field possible, FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland, who recently committed his future to the tour, will undoubtedly start as the favourite and be accompanied by a world-class field.
Rory McIlroy has chosen to skip the first Signature event of the PGA Tour season, although Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, and Scottie Scheffler are all in the lineup.
Hovland, who is currently fourth in the world, won three PGA Tour championships last year, including the Tour Championship. Scheffler won the Players Championship after he successfully defended the Phoenix Open in February. At the Rocket Mortgage Classic this summer, Fowler triumphed for the first time since 2019. Matsuyama finished in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup in 2023, but he did not add a PGA Tour victory to his record.
In the field as well as Tony Finau. He is one of the others who recently promised the PGA Tour his future.
Sahith Theegala, Vincent Norrman, Tom Kim, and Ludvig Aberg have also committed to play in Maui to start the season.
And I have to admit, Aberg is the man I am most excited to watch in action. The young Swede's professional career has gotten off to an incredible start.
Take a look at this guy; in just 16 starts, he has one win, three top fives, and four top tens. Oh, and he tied for fourth at the Czech Masters, won the European Masters, and finished tied for tenth at the BMW PGA Championship. Before he had even made his first major-league shot, made his Ryder Cup debut for Europe.
He is only travelling one way and is currently ranked 32nd in the world. Aberg doesn't have any vulnerabilities. In 2024, I anticipate him to be a frequent winner on the PGA Tour, and I wouldn't be shocked if he won a major.
Past Tournament Winners:
Jordan Spieth won in 2016, Dustin Johnson won in 2018, Xander Schauffele won in 2019, Harris English won in 2021, Cameron Smith won in 2022, and Jon Rahm won last year. Justin Thomas won in 2017 and 2020.
The Course:
The par 73 Plantation Course is 7,596 yards long. Its broad, forgiving fairways, which were designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, place a premium on precise iron play and accurate putting. Given that it is situated on the Hawaiian island, wind is a common aspect. You may also see a few 400-yard drives because there are many elevated tees. 61 is the course record.
Form Guide:
I'm sure someone will make me look foolish, but in a restricted field event, I just don't see how anyone else can win save Viktor Hovland or Ludvig Aberg. Hovland maintained his incredible form at the Ryder Cup, winning both the BMW and the Tour Championship. And since entering the paid ranks, Aberg hasn't made a mistake and has already claimed two victories.