Tournament of Champions (golf) explained

The Sentry
Location:Kapalua, Hawaii
Establishment:1953
Course:Kapalua Resort
(Plantation Course)
Par:73
Tour:PGA Tour
Org:PGA Tour[1]
Format:Stroke play
Month Played:January
Aggregate:258 Cameron Smith (2022)
To-Par:−34 as above
Current Champion: Chris Kirk
Map:Hawaii
Map Label:Kapalua Resort
Map Relief:yes
Map Size:200

The Sentry is the calendar-year opening tournament of golf's PGA Tour season, played in Hawaii on the island of Maui.[2] The tournament was founded in 1953; for most of its history the field was restricted to golfers who won a tournament on the tour during the previous calendar year, but players who qualified for the preceding Tour Championship are now invited as well.[3] From 1986 through 2013, it was the opening event of each tour season; the PGA Tour switched to its wrap-around season (starting season in September and ending in August) in the fall of 2013. In 2022, Cameron Smith shot the lowest 72 hole to-par score in the history of the PGA Tour (−34) to win the tournament.

History

The Sentry is held during the first week of January and, since 1999, has been played over the Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort near Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Unlike most PGA Tour events, it is a par 73 course.

Previous venues have been the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, from the event's inception until 1966, and the Stardust Country Club, also in Las Vegas, in 1967 and 1968. For the following thirty years, it was played at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California; it moved from May in 1985 to January in 1986, and relocated to Maui in 1999.

The tournament has had several title sponsors, the first being Mutual of New York (MONY) between 1975 and 1990. After three years of sponsorship by Infiniti, German car maker Mercedes-Benz began a sixteen-year association with the event and the Tournament of Champions name was dropped. In 2010 the tournament entered a new ten-year agreement with Korean broadcasting company Seoul Broadcasting System, with the tournament being renamed as the SBS Championship.[3] Hyundai took over title sponsorship in 2011 with SBS remaining a sponsor.[4] In 2017, SBS became title sponsor again after Hyundai took over title sponsorship of the PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club.[5] Sentry Insurance signed on as the event's title sponsor with a five-year agreement starting in 2018,[6] later extended through 2030.[7]

From 2012 to 2015, the tournament used a Friday–Monday format, joining the Deutsche Bank Championship as the only two PGA Tour events with this format. The format allowed the tournament to have its own day to finish, and not compete against the second day of the NFL Wild Card Playoff round.

For the 2021 tournament, the PGA Tour announced that the field would be expanded to include the 30 players qualifying for the 2020 Tour Championship in addition to tournament winners during the 2020 calendar year. The change was made following the cancellation of ten tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] The 2022 edition reverted to the usual winners-only field, but the addition of Tour Championship qualifiers was made permanent in 2023.[9] The tournament had a name change for 2024 as a result, dropping the traditional Tournament of Champions name again.

Television

While being played at LaCosta, the weekend rounds were traditionally televised by ABC Sports. However, after moving to Hawaii in 1999, the time difference was not conducive to network television. The event moved to ABC's cable partner ESPN for four-round coverage. In 2007, the event moved to four-round coverage on the Golf Channel. In 2012, NBC Sports began showing weekend play, while also producing the new Monday final round for sister network Golf Channel. Starting in 2018, Thursday-Sunday coverage split between Golf Channel and NBC, with the latter picking up weekend coverage when not in conflict with the network's broadcasts of NFL playoff games.[10]

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upWinner's
share ($)
The Sentry
263 −29 1 stroke 3,600,000
Sentry Tournament of Champions
265 −27 2 strokes 2,700,000
258 −34 1 stroke 1,476,000
267 −25 Playoff 1,340,000
Justin Thomas (2) 278 −14 Playoff 1,340,000
Xander Schauffele269 −23 1 stroke 1,300,000
Dustin Johnson (2) 268 −24 8 strokes 1,260,000
SBS Tournament of Champions
270 −22 3 strokes 1,220,000
Hyundai Tournament of Champions
262 −30 8 strokes 1,180,000
271 −21 Playoff 1,140,000
273 −19 1 stroke 1,140,000
203 −16 4 strokes 1,140,000
269 −23 3 strokes 1,120,000
268 −24 Playoff 1,120,000
SBS Championship
Geoff Ogilvy (2) 270 −22 1 stroke 1,120,000
Mercedes-Benz Championship
268 −24 6 strokes 1,120,000
274 −18 Playoff 1,100,000
278 −14 2 strokes 1,100,000
Mercedes Championships
Stuart Appleby (3) 284 −8 Playoff 1,080,000
Stuart Appleby (2) 271 −21 1 stroke 1,060,000
270 −22 1 stroke 1,060,000
261 −31 8 strokes 1,000,000
274 −18 Playoff 720,000
274 −18 1 stroke 630,000
Tiger Woods (2) 276 −16 Playoff 522,000
266 −26 9 strokes 468,000
Phil Mickelson (2) 271 −17 1 stroke 306,000
202 −14 Playoff 216,000
271 −17 3 strokes 180,000
Steve Elkington (2) 278 −10 Playoff 180,000
276 −12 Playoff 180,000
Infiniti Tournament of Champions
272 −16 1 stroke 144,000
279 −9 Playoff 144,000
Tom Kite (2) 272 −16 1 stroke 144,000
MONY Tournament of Champions
272 −16 1 stroke 135,000
279 −9 3 strokes 135,000
202 −14 1 stroke 90,000
278 −10 1 stroke 90,000
267 −21 6 strokes 90,000
275 −13 6 strokes 72,000
Tom Watson (3) 274 −14 5 strokes 72,000
Lanny Wadkins (2) 280 −8 1 stroke 72,000
280 −8 3 strokes 63,000
273 −15 2 strokes 54,000
Tom Watson (2) 276 −12 3 strokes 54,000
275 −13 6 strokes 54,000
Gary Player (2) 281 −7 2 strokes 45,000
Jack Nicklaus (5) 281 −7 Playoff 45,000
Don January (2) 277 −11 5 strokes 45,000
277 −11 Playoff 40,000
Tournament of Champions
280 −8 1 stroke 40,000
Jack Nicklaus (4) 276 −12 1 stroke 40,000
280 −8 Playoff 33,000
Jack Nicklaus (3) 279 −9 8 strokes 33,000
Frank Beard (2) 273 −15 7 strokes 30,000
284 −4 2 strokes 30,000
276 −8 1 stroke 30,000
278 −6 1 stroke 20,000
Arnold Palmer (3) 283 −5 Playoff 20,000
Arnold Palmer (2) 277 −11 2 strokes 14,000
Jack Nicklaus (2) 279 −9 2 strokes 12,000
273 −15 5 strokes 13,000
276 −12 1 stroke 11,000
273 −15 7 strokes 10,000
268 −20 4 strokes 10,000
281 −7 2 strokes 10,000
275 −13 1 stroke 10,000
1957 Gene Littler (3) 285 −3 3 strokes 10,000
1956 Gene Littler (2) 281 −7 4 strokes 10,000
1955 280 −8 13 strokes 10,000
1954 278 −10 6 strokes 10,000
1953 280 −8 1 stroke 10,000
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Multiple winners

Sixteen men have won the tournament more than once through 2023.

1963, 1964, 1971, 1973, 1977

1955, 1956, 1957

1962, 1965, 1966

1979, 1980, 1984

2004, 2005, 2006

1967, 1970

1968, 1976

1969, 1978

1982, 1983

1985, 1991

1992, 1995

1994, 1998

1997, 2000

2009, 2010

2013, 2018

2017, 2020

Tournament highlights

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2011/09/09/pga-tour-takes-over-mauis-2012.html PGA Tour takes over Maui’s 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions
  2. News: Fall Series events to offer full FedExCup points . PGA Tour . June 26, 2012 . March 13, 2013.
  3. Web site: SBS to sponsor season-opening event through 2019 . PGA Tour . May 7, 2009 . March 13, 2013.
  4. Web site: Hyundai taking over sponsorship at Kapalua . PGA Tour . November 4, 2010 . March 13, 2013.
  5. Web site: Hyundai Ends Sponsorship of Tournament of Champions . Maui Now . January 21, 2016 . January 4, 2017.
  6. News: Tournament of Champions getting a new sponsor for 2018 event . CBS Sports . August 16, 2017 .
  7. Web site: Sentry extends as title sponsor of Tournament of Champions thru 2030 . PGA Tour . December 31, 2019 .
  8. Web site: Eligibility criteria added to 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions . PGA Tour . May 12, 2020.
  9. Web site: Sentry extends as title sponsor of Tournament of Champions through 2035 . PGA Tour . August 23, 2022.
  10. Web site: How to watch Sentry Tournament of Champions, Round 1: Tee times, live leaderboard, TV times.
  11. https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E14FC3F5A107B93C5AB178FD85F478585F9 Besselink Captures Tournament of Champions by Stroke
  12. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NBZUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xTkNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5150,116795&dq=gene+littler+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Gene Littler easy tourney champ
  13. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iiRSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_XUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3832,3233703&dq=gene+littler+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Littler Captures Third Tourney Of Champions
  14. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5G1IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fA8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4353,3692853&dq=mike+souchak+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Souchak Beats Wall By 2 Strokes
  15. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DJBYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2451,5891808&dq=jerry+barber+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Jerry Barber tops champions
  16. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fApXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DUMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1359,2205801&dq=arnold+palmer+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Arnold Palmer Does It Again
  17. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KbdWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JekDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6973,1918230&dq=jack+nicklaus+tony+lema+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Jack Loafs to Victory at 'Vegas'
  18. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CGQzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FusFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2928,1119974&dq=arnold+palmer+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Palmer Wins In A Breeze
  19. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SYFfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=azAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1817,3249734&dq=frank+beard+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Frank Beard Wins Tourney On Final Hole
  20. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d4ZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cAUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5765,8299799&dq=gary+player+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Gary Nabs Champions
  21. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0VxKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8SINAAAAIBAJ&pg=7048,5206801&dq=bobby+mitchell+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Mitchell Snatches Tournament Of Champions Purse From Jack
  22. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=chVSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YDUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2247,4001166&dq=jack+nicklaus+lee+trevino+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Jack Wins Title
  23. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RHVQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9hEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5559,3228168&dq=jack+nicklaus+tournament+of+champions+bruce+lietzke&hl=en Nicklaus Wins Playoff With Birdie on 3rd Hole
  24. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tFYdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X1gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6827,1636909&dq=gary+player+ballesteros+tournament+of+champions+bruce+lietzke&hl=en Player Does It Again, Charges To T Of C Victory
  25. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NHpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AxIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6862,3581028&hl=en Watson penalized 2 shots, but wins by 3
  26. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o4NRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FxIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5211,4043591&dq=lee+trevino+ray+floyd+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Trevino edges Floyd for 2-stroke victory
  27. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y34hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RosFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5643,5798717&dq=ron+streck+penalty+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Golfer Streck pulls a no-no
  28. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VAshAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gXIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3024,1365770&dq=tom+kite+tournament+of+champions+mark+mccumber&hl=en Kite Front-Running Victor In Tournament Of Champions
  29. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K1xeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9GANAAAAIBAJ&pg=4035,1226181&dq=calvin+peete+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Peete Takes 6-Stroke Victory In Tournament of Champions
  30. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/07/sports/golf-kite-with-a-final-69-outlasts-wadkins.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm Kite, With a Final 69, Outlasts Wadkins
  31. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vKRSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wH0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4921,1355393&dq=steve+elkington+mercedes&hl=en Elkington wins Mercedes event
  32. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d6xKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eYYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2733,4235603&dq=john+huston+putted+into+lake&hl=endq=tiger+woods+tom+lehman+playoff+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Putt into lake costs Huston crown
  33. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tJAiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=560FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1391,2654802&dq=tiger+woods+tom+lehman+playoff+tournament+of+champions&hl=en Woods wins Mercedes playoff
  34. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BlYlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zqoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4718,2827497&dq=david+duval+mercedes+championship&hl=en Duval cruises to Mercedes victory
  35. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/10/sports/golf-with-40-foot-putt-in-playoff-woods-matches-hogan-s-streak.html With 40-Foot Putt in Playoff, Woods Matches Hogan's Streak
  36. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/13/sports/golf-tour-scoring-record-starts-els-s-season-right.html?scp=1&sq=Ernie%20Els%20Rocco%20mediate%20mercedes&st=cse Tour Scoring Record Starts Els's Season Right
  37. https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=2285182 Appleby claims third straight Mercedes Championship
  38. https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=4814726 Ogilvy bests Sabbatini by one stroke