The PGA Tour is in Hawaii this weekend, far from the wintry weather, as the Sentry Tournament of Champions is underway in Kapalua. Defending champions Justin Thomas posted an 8-under 65 in the first round, sharing the early lead with Harris English. On the day, Thomas went without posting any bogeys. One of Thomas’ par saves came on the 13th hole, when he hit the ball into the native grass right of the fairway. The grass stands knee-high, and it looked like the ball might be lost until Dustin Johnson’s caddie stepped on the ball to find it. Thomas hacked out, got onto the green with his third shot, and drained a 39-foot putt to save par. Let’s look at the updated PGA betting odds for the tournament champion.
PGA News: Sentry Tournament of Champions Update
Contender Odds (100/1 or better)
| Justin Thomas | 5/2 |
| Harris English | 15/2 |
| Patrick Reed | 10/1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele | 14/1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 16/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm | 20/1 |
| Sungjae Im | 22/1 |
| Adam Scott | 30/1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 33/1 |
| Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa | 35/1 |
| Ryan Palmer, Daniel Berger | 40/1 |
| Webb Simpson, Joaquin Niemann | 50/1 |
| Brendon Todd | 60/1 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 75/1 |
| Cameron Smith, Abraham Ancer | 80/1 |
| Marc Leishman | 90/1 |
| Robert Streb, Carlos Ortiz, Kevin Kisner | 100/1 |
There are 42 players in the field, and half of them had scores in the 60s on the opening day. Usually, this tournament is limited to PGA Tour winners, but this year, due to the COVID-19 shutdown from 2020, anyone who qualified for the Tour Championship could play in the Tournament of Champions, and that’s how English made it. He began 2020 at #369 in the world, holding conditional status after losing his full PGA Tour card. However, he came in 12th in the FedExCup, vaulting to #29 in the world rankings at the start of 2021. He only had one victory in 2020, when he and Matt Kuchar prevailed in the two-man team QBE Shootout in December. On the par-5 ninth hole, he drained a chip for eagle, and he had three birdies in his last five holes, draining putts from about six feet.
Sergio Garcia appeared at Kapalua for the first time since 2006, and he posted a 6-under 67. Dustin Johnson made his first start since November, when he won the postponed Masters, and his putting showed some rust, as he could not knock down some prime birdie opportunities in the last six holes, and he posted a 2-under 71 on the day.
If Thomas can prevail, he would be the first repeat winner at Kapalua since Geoff Ogilvy pulled off the back-to-back in 2010. Thomas had a lead late in 2020 but saw it evaporate; however, he found himself in a playoff when Xander Schauffele three-putted on 18, settling for a par.
With three days left, here are some other players to consider. Patrick Cantlay is here for the third time; he finished T15 in his debut and fourth in 2020. He’s already demonstrated that he is a top ten player, and he strikes the ball as well as just about anyone. He’s already contended for major championships, and he has shown he can hold his own in a tense Sunday, as he mounted a comeback at the Zozo Championship to defeat Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas.
Patrick Reed was in the playoff in 2020 and ended up finishing just short, making it two runner-up finishes to go with a win at Kapalua. He offers a little bit more value than some of the other players here, and given his past success at Kapalua, he’s definitely worth a flier.
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