The Sentry Tournament of Champions is a one-of-a-kind PGA Tour event that typically includes a field of all past season winners on the PGA Tour. However, the rules have been recently modified to allow golfers who qualified for the Tour Championship to participate in the event.
The event will take place in Hawaii at the Kapalua Resort Plantation Course and will have a field of 59 golfers. Since 1953, many PGA Tour golfers have won the Sentry Tournament of Champions multiple times, however, some have produced exceptional performances.
Jack Nicklaus currently holds the record for most wins (5). The legendary golfer won the competition in 1963, 1964, 1971, 1973, and 1977. Following Nicklaus, Gene Litter, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Stuart Appleby have won the competition three times each.
Tiger Woods also has a decent Sentry Tournament of Champions record. The 82-time PGA Tour winner won the competition in 1997 and 2000. Additionally, Steve Elkington, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Gary Player, Don January, Frank Beard, Geoff Ogilvy, and Tom Kite are other notable players who have won the event twice.
Interestingly, a new champion will be crowned this year due to Jon Rahm's sudden move to LIV Golf. With a massive prize purse of $20 million, many prominent golfers will hope to start their season on a high note at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
The Sentry Tournament of Champions will have a stellar field
The Sentry Tournament of Champions carries massive hype this year. The first PGA Tour event of the season recently went through a permanent makeover after a new rule was added. Along with the previous season's PGA Tour winners, players in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup rankings will also gain a spot at the tournament.
The field at the Kapalua Plantation Course will feature several prominent golfers including Akshay Bhatia, Keegan Bradley, Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, and 2023 Tour Championship winner Viktor Hovland.
The 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions runner-up Collin Morikawa will hope to win the event following Jon Rahm's move to LIV Golf. However, Rahm isn't the only big name missing from the tournament. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy decided not to participate in the season-opener and will start his year at a DP World Tour event.