I guess there could be worse ways to open the New Year I’m just not sure what beats four rounds of golf in Maui. Once again the PGA Tour opens a new season in Hawai’i at The Sentry with a limited field teeing it up for a 27th consecutive year at Kapalua Resort. Tour winners in 2024 and those that finished among the top 50 in the FedExCup standings make the trek to get the two-tournament Island swing underway. A longshot to win last year, Chris Kirk held off the field with a closing 65 to capture his sixth career Tour title. He’s has long odds in the outright market again with Xander Schauffele the prohibitive favorite thanks to the absence of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Still, the field doesn’t lack for star power and the sport’s best players give us some intriguing head-to-head battles. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
The Sentry Matchup Odds
Xander Schauffele -135 vs. Justin Thomas +105
Xander Schauffele -175 vs. Collin Morikawa +145
Justin Thomas -140 vs. Collin Morikawa +110
Ludvig Aberg -120 vs. Patrick Cantlay -110
Ludvig Aberg -115 vs. Sungjae Im -115
Patrick Cantlay -115 vs. Sungjae Im -115
Hideki Matsuyama -120 vs. Corey Conners -110
Hideki Matsuyama -120 vs. Sam Burns -110
Corey Conners -115 vs. Sam Burns -115
Sahith Theegala -120 vs. Adam Scott -110
Sahith Theegala -135 vs. Akshay Bhatia +105
Adam Scott -125 vs. Akshay Bhatia -105
Tony Finau -115 vs. Viktor Hovland -115
Russell Henley -110 vs. Byeong Hun An -120
Wyndham Clark -125 vs. JT Poston -105
Davis Thompson -115 vs. Maverick McNealy -115
Robert MacIntyre -140 vs. Si Woo Kim +110
Cameron Young -115 vs. Jason Day -115
Max Greyserman -130 vs. Alex Noren +100
Taylor Pendrith -135 vs. Brian Harman +105
Keegan Bradley -155 vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick +125
Billy Horschel -115 vs. Aaron Rai -115
Austin Eckroat -125 vs. Nick Dunlap -105
Denny McCarthy -115 vs. Eric Cole -115
Christiaan Bezuidenhout -120 vs. Chris Kirk -110
Nico Echavarria -115 vs. Stephan Jaeger -115
Cam Davis -125 vs. Tom Hoge -105
Thomas Detry -125 vs. Jhonattan Vegas -105
Matt McCarty -105 vs. Kevin Yu -125
Adam Hadwin -130 vs. Nick Taylor +100
Jake Knapp +105 vs. Matthieu Pavon -135
Davis Riley -130 vs. Brice Garnett +100
Need to Know
There are a few things to know ahead of the first tournament in 2025. First, the field is limited with as many as 61 players scheduled to participate. And although it’s one of the largest fields everyone plays four rounds. Also, this is the first of eight signature events that include 700 FedExCup points to the winner and a larger prize pool. Everyone that has played this tournament in the past has done so at Kapalua Resort since it’s hosting for a 27th consecutive year. The Plantation Course was remodeled ahead of the 2019 edition stretching the distance to just under 7,600 yards, but that hasn’t been a factor on the Tour’s only par-73 layout. In mild conditions three years ago three players finished 32-under or better and the course annually has one of the lowest to-par scoring averages. Mother Nature remains the biggest hazard, though, with coastal winds making things tricky.
The Sentry Matchup Picks
Collin Morikawa +110 vs. Justin Thomas
As I’ve always done with my matchup picks I’m searching for value. It’s easy to back the best players in the world but at a steep price it isn’t always a money-making deal. He didn’t win last year but Morikawa was consistently good and at plus odds there is plenty of value. Morikawa closed the season second at the TOUR Championship and has a history of success at Kapalua with nothing worse than a T7 in five career starts.
Akshay Bhatia -105 vs. Adam Scott
This is a course that Bhatia can easily tame with his special game and getting a taste last year with T14 was only a start. He was in contention until a closing 71 dropped him down the leader board and a strong season should only make him hungrier. He won the Texas Open over the summer and collected an additional 10 top 20s before a runner-up showing on the Japan Tour in November.
Matt McCarty -105 vs. Kevin Yu
I backed McCarty for the win at the Black Desert Championship in October and he came through by three swings capping a run of four wins in 10 starts spanning the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours. His three KFT triumphs earned him that Tour’s Player of the Year honor and the start in Southern Utah was just the third of his burgeoning PGA Tour career. It’s a good strategy to back him before the markets catch up.
JT Poston -105 vs. Wyndham Clark
Two of my outright picks go head to head and I had a hard time going with a winner. I went with Poston based on his close to last season when he won the Shriners and earned a top 5 at the RSM Classic. He also opened 2024 with a strong run in Hawai’i capturing a T5 in this event followed by a solo sixth at the Sony Open when he finished just two shots off the pace.
Patrick Cantlay -115 vs. Sungjae Im
Cantlay hasn’t become a bad golfer since his glorious run to the FedExCup title three years ago when he won four times. He hasn’t won a tournament in over two years but he’s come close. And he was solid if not spectacular to close 2024 with two top 5s among his six top 25s in as many season-ending starts. He’s also played well at Kapalua with two top 5s and nothing worse than a T16 in five career starts.
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