An elite 60-man field will gather at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii, for The Sentry, which heralds the start of the 2025 PGA Tour season.
Formerly the Tournament of Champions, the Kapalua field has gradually expanded over recent years meaning that, as well as all 2024 PGA Tour winners, any non-winners who finished in the top 50 in the 2024 FedEx Cup standings are eligible to compete for the first title of the year.
However, while the tournament features most of the PGA Tour's best, two men are conspicuous by their absence with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy the big names not teeing it up in Maui this week.
Sahith Theegala to win and each-way - 22/1
While the plan for McIlroy was always to start his season in Dubai, Scheffler's absence is much more of a surprise after the world no.1 was forced to withdraw from the tournament with the hand injury which he sustained on Christmas Day.
His absence opens the door for Xander Schauffele to assume favouritism at a course where he won in 2019 and finished runner-up behind Justin Thomas the following year.
Schauffele is the one to beat at the Plantation Course, the PGA Tour's only par-73 layout measuring at 7,596 yards, but he was underwhelming on his most recent start at the Zozo Championship in October and could prove vulnerable to those who have had a more recent run out.
Collin Morikawa and Thomas are the chief dangers but this looks a superb chance for Sahith Theegala to start what could be a fruitful 2025 with a second PGA Tour victory.
The Plantation, a wide-open course with enormous greens, is an ideal venue for Theegala, who can be loose off the tee but is blessed with the sharp short-game skills which will be required if he's to reach the sort of ultra-low total which usually prevails at this coastal venue.
The 27-year-old demonstrated his liking for the course at the beginning of the 2024 season, finishing runner-up behind shock winner Chris Kirk, beaten by a single shot, and he will be raring to go having played well at the Hero World Challenge in mid-December.
Theegala finished eighth in the Bahamas - he was in the mix for a top-five finish prior to a disastrous quadruple-bogey on the back nine - and he's a serious threat if he can keep big numbers off his card this time around.
Akshay Bhatia to win and each-way - 28/1
Akshay Bhatia immediately took to Kapalua on debut last season, reaching 20 under par through the first three rounds to sit in second place before a final-round 71 saw him fall back to 14th, and he could make his presence felt again on his return to Hawaii.
Like Theegala, Bhatia has been keeping busy, finishing second in the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan then teeing it up in the World Challenge, where he finished an impressive fourth on his Albany debut.
Still only 22, there is surely more to come from the Californian, who is already a two-time PGA Tour winner. He has been putting superbly and should again relish this low-scoring test.
Maverick McNealy to win and each-way - 50/1
Maverick McNealy's legion of backers were beginning to lose hope before he finally made a PGA Tour breakthrough at the RSM Classic last time out and he looks overpriced in his bid to seal back-to-back victories this week.
McNealy is a superb exponent of coastal golf - he grew up playing at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links - and it's perhaps no surprise that his long-awaited first Tour triumph came at Sea Island.
Kapalua represents a different test but McNealy's brilliant short game is an obvious positive at the venue. He makes his course debut this week but he has finished in the top 10 in the PGA Tour's other Hawaii event, the Sony Open.
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Xander Schauffele | |
Justin Thomas | |
Collin Morikawa | |
Patrick Cantlay | |
Sungjae Im | |
Ludvig Aberg | |
Hideki Matsuyama | |
Sahith Theegala |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.