Sentry Tournament of Champions - Winner

The Tournament of Champions tag is shredded from The Sentry as we have another change in the eligibility criteria with those who were winless in 2023 but finishing in the top 50 of the Fedex joining the rest of last year's winners. It's a designated event and an extremely strong field heads to Hawaii with McIlroy the only main casualty from those who haven't switched tours in the last few months.

Sentry Tournament of Champions Tips

 

There will be very few golf fanatics who don't know this course and it's topography very well with some of the widest fairways on tour and severe elevation changes throughout. It presents a unique challenge, with tee to green experts coming to the fore.

Putting also features highly enough in the statistics which spells out that all parts of your game need to be firing to score well enough here to win. Therefore, it is no surprise that there have been little in the way of shocks here down the years with Harris English providing the biggest priced winner of 33/1 in the last eleven renewals.

It pays to concentrate on the best players here in this reduced field. For anyone looking to the outsiders a glance to the WWT Technology leaderboard of 2023 may prove fruitful. El Cardonal designed by Tiger Woods hosted that event and it was the most similar course to the Plantation layout here I've seen on the tour. Extremely wide fairways were presented there as well as plenty of elevation changes whilst a winning score of 27 under par means there are more similarities than differences between the two.

Scottie Scheffler at 13/2 win

A calm week weather wise looks certain to play out in Maui and this provides ample opportunity for the best to illustrate just how difficult it is for outsiders to win one of these events. This has been dominated by the market leaders down the years and the most sensible option to kick of 2024 with a winner looks to be with the tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler.

The big talking point will be the putter with Scheffler winning three times in 2023 almost considered an underachievement because of his woes with the wands. He produced numbers that were off the charts from tee to green last year, even demonstrating what a wizard he is from just off the green.

Crucially he turned to putting expert Phil Kenyon late in 2023 and saw his fortunes change immediately with a win in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge ranking 6th in the field on the greens that week.

It's a gamble as to whether than continues but it's worth noting that he won The Players Championship at Sawgrass having just gained a miniscule amount on the greens compared to the field. He had numerous top 3 finishes last year having lost strokes with the putter, so even if his putting form from the Bahamas doesn't carry over you'd still have a lively chance.

If the putting problems are banished then he'll be a serious tough nut to crack and we've often seen his victories come in batches and also in the first quarter of the year. This course is notoriously difficult to get used to for first timers and with two looks resulting in 13th and 7th placed finishes, Scheffler has seen enough now to gain his first Hawaii victory.

4pts WIN S.Scheffler 13/2 (Enhanced win market Bet365)

Jordan Spieth at 25/1 (Five Places)

I'll look to get another elite golfer on board with the quality of winner here down the years and I'm prepared to take the chance with Jordan Spieth at a top price of 28/1.

Spieth didn't have the 2023 he'd have hoped for with numerous close calls early on and some driver woes at the worst of times during crucial back nines, in particular at Bayhill and Innisbrook. Spieth retains the ability to climb back towards the top of the game and with some hard luck stories last year I expect him to put it right this year with a victory or two.

He already has one here back in 2016 as well as two other top three finishes in 2014 and 2017. The course here represents one of his better chances of the year to get a victory with being a consistent tee to green scorer and the ability to have tremendous weeks with the putter. This is an intricate venue that requires a great deal of imagination and Spieth has that in abundance. 

1.5pts each-way J.Spieth  28/1 (1/4 5) Sky Bet

Cameron Young at 50/1 (Five Places)

Viktor Hovland hasn't finished any better than 18th here in three attempts and the elevation changes certainly wouldn't play into his hands, nor would the test around the greens. He improved in that department in 2023 however and enjoyed a break out season and he rightfully takes his place among the favourites for all the majors in 2024.

8/1 is difficult to get on board with given his lack of good golf here. Aberg arrives here for the first time and should he oblige on debut then watch out, he could indeed go off favourite for the Majors.

For Niall Lyons 2024 ante-post majors tips, click here.

He is a frightening talent and I'm on board with how special he is, but on a course that favours experience I'll keep a close eye on what he produces without him being on any of my betting slips this week. Cameron Young rates between 40-50/1 for the Majors this year and with this field minus the likes of McIlroy, Rahm, Smith and Koepka the upwards of 50/1 is interesting to get off the mark this week.

Young endured a tough enough year in 2023 but added another runner up finish to his previous tally of five on the PGA Tour. There are inconsistencies to his game there is no doubt with often the putter causing the bulk of the problems. A really poor week on the greens at Royal Liverpool when finishing 8th was a sign of that he is capable of with his long game.

Four top eight finishes in his last seven Major appearances is a sign that he also lifts his game in elite company. His long game isn't in question and he certainly has the tools to have a good enough week with the driver and irons to contend here.

Winning would require a good week on the greens, but at 50/1 the price dictates and I'm more than happy to bet at that price given he is the same and if not shorter for the Majors in deeper fields than what presents itself this week.

1pt each-way C.Young  50/1 (1/4 5) Unibet, BetUK

Sepp Straka at 66/1 (Five Places)

Sepp Straka's second tour victory at the John Deere in July proved to be no flash in the pan as two weeks later he finished runner up at the Open then finished the year in impressive fashion. A top 10 at Wentworth was a fair showing whilst runner up to Scheffler in the Bahamas was another sign that this talented Austrian has a much higher ceiling than what many currently think.

7th at Oak Hill in May was another strong effort in a Major and over numerous events in the final half of 2023 he beat a fair amount of players above him in the market on numerous occasions.

First-timers often have a hard time here but he managed 21st last year on debut improving with each round having shot rounds of 71-70-68-67. That is a good sign for further improvement this year arriving here a much better golfer due to results since as well as his first appearance at the Ryder Cup in Rome.

For someone with that recent successful experience and having gone a lot better than many rivals above him in the market last year the 66/1 on offer looks fairly generous. 

1pt each-way S.Straka 66/1 (1/4 5) BetVictor, Unibet, Betfred