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The Sentry Tournament of Champions will kick off a new calendar year on the PGA golf tour this week.
After breaking for Christmas, the sport’s top professionals have made their way to Maui, Hawaii, to get the tour back underway in style.
This isn’t your usual PGA Tour event. Only those that claimed a tournament victory in the previous year are invited to compete for the $6.3m purse. As a result, there won’t be any surprise winners here – every competitor would be a worthy champion. Regardless, there is bound to be plenty of entertainment as the very best go head-to-head for the first title of 2018.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Sentry Tournament of Champions 2018:
Tournament of Champions field
Ryan Armour – Sanderson Farms Championship
Daniel Berger – FedEx St. Jude Classic
Jonas Blixt – Zurich Classic of new Orleans
Wesley Bryan – RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay – Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
Kevin Chappell – Valero Texas Open
Austin Cook – RSM Classic
Bryson Dechambeau – John Deere Classic
Jason Dufner – Memorial Tournament
Rickie Fowler – The Honda Classic
Adam Hadwin – Valspar Championship
Brian Harman – Wells Fargo Championship
Russell Henley – Shell Houston Open
Billy Horschel – AT&T Byron Nelson
Dustin Johnson – Genesis Open, WGC-Mexico Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, The Northern Trust
Si Woo Kim – Players Championship
Kevin Kisner – Dean & DeLuca Invitational
Patton Kizzire – OHL Classic at Mayakoba
Brooks Koepka – U.S. Open
Marc Leishman – Arnold Palmer Invitational, BMW Championship
Hideki Matsuyama – Waste Management Phoenix Open, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Grayson Murray – Barbasol Championship
Pat Perez – CIMB Classic
D.A. Points – Puerto Rico Open
Jon Rahm – Farmers Insurance Open
Xander Schauffele – Greenbrier Classic, Tour Championship
Cameron Smith – Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Jordan Spieth – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Travelers Championship, The Open Championship
Kyle Stanley – Quicken Loans National
Brendan Steele – Safeway Open
Chris Stroud – Barracuda Championship
Hudson Swafford – CareerBuilder Challenge
Justin Thomas – SBS Tournament of Champions, Sony Open in Hawaii, PGA Championship, Dell Technologies Championship, CJ Cup
Jhonattan Vegas – RBC Canadian Open
Sentry Tournament of Champions picks
Justin Thomas has a good chance of retaining his title after winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions last year. However, bookmakers are tipping American star Jordan Spieth to trump him in Hawaii.
Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama make up the top five. With so much top class talent taking part, the chances of an upset are slim. However, some are tipping emerging Australian talent Cameron Smith to spring a surprise.
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Tournament of Champions schedule
The Sentry Tournament of Champions will get underway on Thursday, 4 January. A round will be played each day, with the tournament eventually coming to an end on Sunday, 7 January.
Tournament of Champions tee times
PGA has yet to provide any real details. The organisers tend to announce tee times the day before the round is taking place.
The first set of Tournament of Champions tee times will likely be confirmed on Wednesday, 3 January. However, that is subject to change.
Keep an eye on the PGA Tour website for updates.
Tournament of Champions venue: where is the tournament held?
The tournament has previously been held at Las Vegas’ Desert Inn Country Club and Stardust Country Club, as well as California’s La Costa Resort and Spa. However, since 1999, Maui, Hawaii’s Kapalua Resort has staged the Tournament of Champions.
The beachside resort is home to the Plantation Course, a traditional links-style course with incredible views of Maui’s towering mountains and idyllic coastline. The 7,452-yard par 73 course offers a difficult blend of uphill and downhill play that challenges even the best of golfers.
Consistently voted as Hawaii’s best golf course, the Plantation Course is a worthy stage for the Tournament of Champions.
Tournament of Champions tickets
The Tournament of Champions allows golf fans to catch the very best players in action for an entirely reasonable price for a tournament of this stature.
Tickets are still available to purchase via the PGA Tour website at a cost of $15-30 per day. Alternatively, weekly tickets are available for $75. This will grant you access to the Plantation Course from Wednesday through to Sunday.
Ticket holders are can bring up to three under-18s along to the tournament.
Is the Tournament of Champions on TV?
The best view of the action will be found at Kapalua Resort. However, if you’re unable to make it to Maui, you will be able to watch the Tournament of Champions from the comfort of your home.
Sky Sports will be airing all four days of the tournament in the United Kingdom. Coverage will begin at 11pm London time on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. They will also be showing the tournament from 8pm London time on Saturday.
Likewise, those in the United States can watch via the Golf Channel. Coverage will begin at 6pm ET and run until 10pm on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The channel will also be showing the action on Saturday between 3pm and 7pm.