2024 The Sentry: Predictions, expert picks, odds, field rankings, golf best bets at Kapalua
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The PGA Tour travels to Maui, Hawaii, for the 25th straight year to kick off the 2024 season with The Sentry. Previously known as the Sentry Tournament of Champions, this event welcomes a wider array of talents to the Plantation Course this time around.
No longer limited to those who won in the previous season, The Sentry represents not only the first signature event of the season but the first event in general. Returning to a calendar season this year, the PGA Tour utilized last fall as a mechanism through which players could qualify into the signature events. Those who finished inside the top 10 of the FedEx Cup Fall or won throughout the closing stretch have set themselves up for success in 2024, but they begin the year just like everyone else in terms of FedEx Cup points (starting from zero).
The good news for the field is 700 FedEx Cup points and $20 million will be up for grabs given the signature designation of the tournament. The bad news is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler plans to tee it up. A three-time winner in 2023, the Texan enjoyed one of the great statistical seasons ever and looks to carry his momentum into the new year after winning at the Hero World Challenge.
Scheffler is joined by FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland, who usurped the American last summer at East Lake. Hovland hopes to pile onto what was a career year in 2023, and a fast start in Kapalua would only help the cause. Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth all return to Hawaii, while Swedish superstar Ludvig Åberg makes his first trip to the Aloha State.
2024 Sentry schedule
Dates: Jan. 4-7 | Location: The Plantation Course at Kapalua — Maui, Hawaii
Par: 73 | Yardage: 7,596 | Purse: $20 million
2024 Sentry field, odds
- Scottie Scheffler (5-1)
- Viktor Hovland (9-1): The FedEx Cup champion spent his holiday back home in Norway, and should arrive in Hawaii refreshed and ready to go. Last time we saw Hovland, he was racing through the finish line at the Hero World Challenge with a final-round 63 to cap off a sensational calendar year. In 2023, Hovland won the Memorial, BMW Championship and Tour Championship while breaking through as one of the best players in the world. The world No. 4 has yet to crack the top 10 at Kapalua in three attempts, but he is a different animal now.
- Patrick Cantlay (12-1)
- Max Homa (12-1): Homa rides eight straight top 15s into the new year, highlighted by a victory on the DP World Tour at the Nedbank Challenge in November. Continuing to strike the ball beautifully in 2023, Homa added another weapon to his arsenal in the form of his putter. Working with Phil Kenyon and implementing Aim Point green reading technique, the 33-year-old ranked sixth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting. Homa should be a consistent threat to win if the putting prowess persists, including this week after he finished T3 here last year.
- Collin Morikawa (12-1): The trophy was his … until it wasn’t. Holding a six-stroke lead during the final round last year, Morikawa signed for three straight bogeys and watched as Jon Rahm raced past him into the winner’s circle. Despite the disappointment, Morikawa’s runner-up represented his fourth straight top 10 at Kapalua. The two-time major champion won at the Zozo Championship in his last PGA Tour start, and should like his chances to make amends for last year’s shortcomings.
- Ludvig Åberg (14-1): What will the kid do for an encore? Just 11 starts into his PGA Tour career, Åberg has already made himself a household name and put a bow on an incredible entrance into the professional realm with his victory at the RSM Classic. In the limited sample size, the Swede ranked first in par-4 scoring, first in par-5 scoring, first in total driving and first in birdie average. It may be his first start in Kapalua, but Åberg has already proven new experiences are nothing but an opportunity to impress.
- Xander Schauffele (14-1)
- Jordan Spieth (22-1): Now 30, Spieth enters the second chapter of his career with some encouraging form at the Hero World Challenge. Hitting the ball great, the three-time major champion will now aim to recapture the early-year form he discovered in 2023. Before injuring his wrist and back in the spring, Spieth was enjoying a fantastic year with close calls at big-time tournaments like the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Masters and RBC Heritage. A winner here in 2016, Spieth’s creativity and birdie-making ability should give him a chance to raise the trophy once again.
- Matt Fitzpatrick (25-1)
- Tom Kim (28-1)
