Kapalua – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Check the yardage book: Kapalua’s Plantation Course for the 2024 The Sentry on the PGA Tour

Kapalua’s Plantation Course is steep, but exactly how steep? A hint: No. 18 tumbles down more than 50 feet.

Kapalua’s Plantation Course in Hawaii – site of this week’s season-opening The Sentry on the PGA Tour – was the first course built by the now-legendary design duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The mountainside layout opened in 1991 and was restored in 2019.

The Plantation Course ranks No. 2 in Hawaii on Golfweek’s Best list of top public-access layouts in each state. It is No. 17 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of all resort courses in the U.S., and it’s No. 20 on the list of top public-access courses in the U.S.

The Plantation maxes out at 7,596 yards with a par of 73, and it has only one par 3 on the back nine. With several downhill tee shots and the possibility of several drives rolling out past 400 yards, the course usually plays significantly shorter than the yardage might indicate.

Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the pros face this week. Check out the maps of each hole below.

Aloha Aspirations: Three weeks in Hawaii includes plenty of golf and a fair dose of island inspiration

“Everybody put a hand on the canoe. Let’s see where she takes us.”

Editor’s note: This story originally ran in May 2023 before a series of wild fires broke out a few months later in August in the state of Hawaii, predominantly causing devastation in Maui. It has been edited to reflect, among other things, that one of the best restaurants on the island, Lahaina Grill, on Front Street in Lahaina, burned to the ground. Tourism is a huge part of the local economy and the reasons to make the journey to Hawaii still ring true.

I signed up for a sunrise canoe trip. It turned out to be so much more.

We paddled across crystalline waters, and I broke a sweat as the beaming sun rose over Mauna Kea on the Big Island. But the 12 of us – the others strangers to me before we met at the surf shack at Auberge Resorts Mauna Lani – who boarded the double-hulled canoe in the blue hour had no idea of the spiritual embrace we were about to experience. Our leader for this adventure called himself Uncle George, and he stood at the front of the boat and spoke to me in a way few people ever have.

“Everybody thought this was a boat ride, right?” he said even before we made our first stroke. “Never think that you were going to really get in touch with yourself. We’re going to help you folks get in touch with yourself, listening not with this ear but with the inner ear that touches the heart that makes you feel like you’re in the belly.

“We’re going out in the ocean and we’re at the mercy of the ocean. We ask the ocean to invite us in, and now we can take these cuffs and shed them off and work on that word, vulnerability, and be open to everything that we’re exposed to – the moon, the sun, the sky, the water. What a wonderful way to start the day, guys. We didn’t even go in the ocean yet. Everybody put a hand on the canoe. Let’s see where she takes us.”

PGA Tour’s The Sentry will be played at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, even after historic Maui fires

The Sentry will go on as normal, according to a memo sent out by Tour officials on Thursday.

Although a deadly fire wreaked havoc on Maui in July, killing nearly 100 people in what was the deadliest blaze on U.S. soil in a decade, the PGA Tour’s The Sentry — formally known as the Sentry Tournament of Champions — will go on as normal, according to a memo sent out by Tour officials on Thursday.

The event will be the first of the new 2024 calendar-year based PGA Tour schedule. It’s held annually at Kapalua Resort’s Plantation course, about 15 miles north of the village of Lahaina, which was the hardest hit by the fires. High winds and low humidity likely contributed to the fires, but officials know little else.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been working with the governor of Hawaii to ensure the event will not only be played, but will help with recovery efforts in the area. Some residents died in their cars, while others jumped into the ocean or tried to run for safety. The Aug. 8 blaze reduced much of the historic town to ash.

Kapalua Golf reopened its Bay Course Sept. 20 and will reopen the Plantation Course on Oct. 18.

A memo went out to PGA Tour players who had qualified for the event from Tyler Dennis, the chief competitions officer:

“It’s been six weeks since the Maui Wildfire Disaster severely impacted the island and its people. Given the continued relief and recovery efforts, I wanted to provide an update on The Sentry, which is scheduled to kick off the 2024 FedExCup Regular Season in January.

“Working in cooperation with state, county and community officials, the PGA TOUR is committed to playing The Sentry in 2024 at The Plantation Course at Kapalua. Hawaii Governor Josh Green has been emphatic in his support of our event and others, recently stating, ‘This decision [to allow visitors and events to return to Maui] is meant to bring hope for recovery to the families and businesses on Maui that have been so deeply affected in every way by the disaster. People from Hawaii and around the world can resume travel to this special place and help it begin to recover economically.’

“There is no other organization in sport which rallies around those in need like the PGA TOUR. Given the overwhelming support for playing the tournament, the TOUR and The Sentry are currently working on plans to further raise awareness and assist with fundraising and community service to Maui in a thoughtful and respectful manner.

“You should expect to hear from The Sentry Executive Director Max Novena and his team in the coming days. They anticipate opening the Accommodations Portal to secure hotel reservations very soon and are available to assist you in any capacity leading up to the first Signature Event of the 2024 season.

“Your participation and support of The Sentry will allow the TOUR to help showcase the ongoing recovery efforts in Lahaina and Maui, while inspiring our fans around the world.”

Burned cars and homes are seen in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 18. At least 114 people died in the Aug. 8 fire, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire of the past century.

More than 1,800 homes and structures were leveled and the death toll surpassed the fatalities of Northern California’s Camp Fire in 2018. That blaze killed 85 and destroyed the town of Paradise.

Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, a non-profit based in Waimea on Hawaii Island, said the increasing fires are threatening humans, infrastructure, water quality, agricultural production and natural resources.

“Hawaii has a wildfire problem,” the organization states on its website. “Each year, about 0.5 percent of Hawaii’s total land area burns each year, equal to or greater than the proportion burned of any other U.S. state. Over 98 percent of wildfires are human-caused. Human ignitions coupled with an increasing amount of nonnative, fire-prone grasses and shrubs and a warming, drying climate have greatly increased the wildfire problem.”

USA Today contributed reporting to this story.

Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play 2023: State-by-state rankings for public-access layouts

State-by-state rankings of the best public courses you can play in all 50 states.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=]

Want to play the best public-access golf courses in each state? Keep reading.

Fresh for 2023, we present the Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for the top public-access layouts in each state, as judged by our nationwide network of raters.

The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.

The courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required. (There are a handful of courses on this list that some players might consider to be private, but they do allow non-hosted, non-member guest play in some limited form, normally through a local hotel or similar arrangement.)

There’s one course of particular note this year. Of the dozens of courses new to this list, only Landmand Golf Club in Homer, Nebraska, debuts in the No. 1 spot in its state. Designed by Tad King and Rob Collins, Landmand opened in 2022.

KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.

* indicates new or returning to the rankings

Editor’s note: The Golfweek’s Best 2023 rankings of top private courses in each state will be published Monday, June 12. More lists, such as the top 200 Modern and top 200 Classic Courses lists for 2023, will be published in the following weeks.

More Golfweek’s Best for 2023:

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan’s first comments of 2023 include thoughts on LIV golfers at Masters, strength of PGA Tour

“I’m focused on what we control. We’re at a point now where it’s product versus product.”

KAPALUA, Hawaii — PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan hosted his annual sushi dinner for players Friday night and was on hand to see Jon Rahm’s remarkable comeback from as many as nine strokes back during Sunday’s final round of the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Before the final putt dropped, Monahan also took time to meet with members of the media to make his first public comments since the Tour Championship in August about the Tour and its ongoing legal skirmish with LIV Golf.

“I’m focused on what we control. We’re at a point now where it’s product versus product. And we have our schedule. We’ve laid it out. We’re going to keep getting better and better and better,” Monahan said. “They have theirs. And we’re going to continue to be the most pro competitive aspirational tour in men’s professional golf. We’re going to keep getting better. What they have is very different than what we have. We’re going down our path and they’re going down theirs. So there really isn’t — and they have been very clear about that.”

Here are some of the other noteworthy comments from the commish.

Adam Scott becomes 7th PGA Tour golfer to surpass $60 million in career earnings

Scott leaves the island of Maui as the seventh Tour golfer to reach the money milestone.

Adam Scott came into the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions with $59,873,599 in career on-course earnings on the PGA Tour.

He’ll leave the island of Maui as the seventh golfer on Tour to rake in more than $60 million.

Scott banked $210,000 for his solo 29th-place finish at Kapalua. He was in the field not as a 2022 tournament champ but by virtue of a change in the qualifications that allowed those who made the previous season’s Tour Championship eligible for the Sentry.

He remains about $8 million behind Rory McIlroy, who skipped the Sentry. Among those still in front of Scott on the all-time list include Tiger Woods followed by a pair of LIV golfers and a pair of PGA Tour Champions golfers.

The top seven on the money list:

Tiger Woods: $120,895,206
Phil Mickelson: $94,955,060
Dustin Johnson: $74,897,059
Jim Furyk: $71,507,269
Vijay Singh: $71,236,216
Rory McIlroy: $68,064,549
Adam Scott: $60,083,599

Right behind Scott on the all-time list are Justin Rose ($57,432,647) and Matt Kuchar ($55,183,496).

[listicle id=778049864]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f5k5vfbhv59szck1 image=]

Jon Rahm explains the ‘stupid’ reason why he wore Tiger Woods’ red and black Sunday at Sentry Tournament of Champions

“You want to know the honest truth? I forgot almost all the belts I was supposed to bring.”

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Jon Rahm wore a red shirt and black pants Sunday on his way to shooting 10-under 63 at Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course and pulling off an improbable comeback to win the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

During his winner’s press conference, Rahm explained why he chose to wear an outfit made famous by Tiger Woods.

“I didn’t want to wear navy every day. So I just put on the black ones, not that I even had hope, but I’m like we’re going to need a small miracle. After bogeying 1, I was going to need somewhat of a larger miracle. It goes to say, you just got to do the little things properly,” Rahm said.

Left unsaid was why exactly Rahm had worn blue pants every day through the third round while competing in Maui.

“You want to know the honest truth?” Rahm said. “I forgot almost all the belts I was supposed to bring. So I had a navy belt and a black belt. And I told (wife) Kelley, ‘I’m not about to be a hot as hell all week wearing black pants and darker shirts, so navy it is.

“Then I went to Sunday and I said, ‘I do not want to wear navy pants again.’ So, because we’re teeing off at 10 a.m., there goes the black pants. And that’s all I can tell you. I know it’s a stupid answer to a stupid question, but that’s the truth. I usually don’t want to wear anything that’s close to red with black on Sundays because of Tiger. That’s his outfit. That’s why I wear gray or navy or other things usually. I don’t want to get close to him.”

But on this occasion, Rahm, who also confessed that he forgot socks too, had to have sponsor Travis Mathew ship him a black belt so he didn’t only have his blue belt.

“Yeah, I forgot a few things,” he said.

But not his game. Rahm notched his eighth career Tour title.

“I brought my clubs, that’s kind of all I was thinking of,” he said. “Brought my clubs, kid stuff, but I forgot a few of my things.”

[vertical-gallery id=778314181]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f5k5vfbhv59szck1 image=]

Jon Rahm wins 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions after Collin Morikawa’s historic collapse

Rahm shot 63 while Morikawa tied the mark for largest blown 54-hole lead in PGA Tour history on Sunday.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Like a raging bull, Jon Rahm charged from behind to steal the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Rahm made nine birdies and an eagle on Sunday to shoot 10-under 63 at Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course and rally from as many as nine strokes behind during the final round to edge 54-hole leader Collin Morikawa by two strokes.

A year ago, Rahm shot 33-under but was pipped by a stroke by Cameron Smith, his second runner-up finish at the TOC, and this time his birdie count was almost as plentiful as the pineapples that used to grow on the hillside layout. He signed for a 72-hole aggregate of 27-under 265.

“To come back this year and shoot a very low score again, I mean, I’m what, 60-under par in these last two tournaments?” he said. “It would have been tough to shoot that low twice and not win it. So I’m glad I had the chance and I’m glad I did it.”

The 28-year-old Spaniard took advantage of Morikawa’s series of back-nine blunders to earn his eighth PGA Tour win. Morikawa, a two-time major winner who was bidding for his first win since the 2021 British Open, tied the largest 54-hole collapse in PGA Tour history after he entered the final round with a six-shot advantage. It was a shocking turn of events as Morikawa played the first 67 holes bogey-free and tacked on three front-nine birdies on Sunday to extend his lead to as many as nine. But he bladed a bunker shot over the green at 14 that led to his first bogey of the tournament, chunked a pitch at 15 and added a third straight bogey at 16.

“The game felt so easy for so long and now no matter what he does it seems like it doesn’t work out,” said PGA Tour Radio’s Mark Wilson.

Morikawa joined a dubious list of nine players who have squandered a 54-hole six-shot lead in Tour history: the first to do so was Bobby Cruickshank at the 1928 Florida Open, while the most-recent was Scottie Scheffler at last year’s Tour Championship.

“Sadness,” Morikawa said of how felt after shooting a final-round 72. “I don’t know. It sucks. You work so hard and you give yourself these opportunities and just bad timing on bad shots and kind of added up really quickly.”

Rahm held a share of the first-round lead with Morikawa after carding a 64 but shot himself in the foot on Friday, shooting 71 and was mad enough with his putting performance that he kicked a trash can on his way to scoring. He was being left in the dust on Saturday, making just one birdie on the front nine when his caddie Adam Hayes stepped in and gave him a pep talk.

“He had hit a real poor shot for him on nine,” Hayes said. “I could tell he wasn’t that focused. I said to him whatever you do on the next 27 holes be uber committed and really clear on picking your start lines, picking your finish lines and be really committed to a number and that’s what he did. He hardly missed a shot after that.”

Rahm reeled off five birdies to shoot 67, but trailed by seven and figured, “we’re going to need a small miracle.”

Then he made a bogey at the first hole on Sunday. “I was going to need somewhat of a larger miracle,” he said.

The epic comeback began with a birdie at the second as Rahm’s putter heated up — he ranked first in Strokes Gained: putting for the week — and made five birdies in all on the front. Still, he trailed by six at the turn before what looked to be a walk in the park for Morikawa turned into a Stephen King horror movie. Rahm’s rally was aided by a 5-under stretch thanks to three consecutive birdies starting at No. 12 and an eagle at 15.

“You need a combination of both. Me having a really good day, which I did, and Collin not having his best,” Rahm said.

Counting his success on the DP World Tour, Rahm has registered three wins in his last four official starts, and the victory in Maui could be the launching pad to a big year.

“I feel like since August I’ve been the best player in the world,” Rahm said. “Earlier in the year clearly Scottie was that player, then Rory was that player, and I feel like right now it’s been me.”

[vertical-gallery id=778314181]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f5k5vfbhv59szck1 image=]

2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Sunday tee times, TV info

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s final round in Hawaii.

The PGA Tour is kicking off the 2023 calendar year in paradise.

A 38-player field loaded with winners (and 10 more who made the 2022 FedEx Cup final) will wrap up play Sunday at Kapalua’s Plantation Course for the final round of the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions, the first of the Tour’s new schedule of designated events.

Collin Morikawa remains the man to beat after 54 holes, shooting a third-round 8-under 65. He’s yet to make a bogey through three days. Scottie Scheffler, who played in the final group with Morikawa on Saturday, failed to make a short birdie putt at the last and trails by six with 18 to go. Matt Fitzpatrick will play with the leader on Sunday.

Check out the tee times and TV info for the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time.

Tee times

Tee time	Players
12:30 p.m.	Chad Ramey, Adam Svensson
12:40 p.m.	Keegan Bradley, Chez Reavie
12:50 p.m.	Mackenzie Hughes, Sam Burns
1:00 p.m.	Adam Scott, Billy Horschel
1:10 p.m.	Russell Henley, Sahith Theegala
1:20 p.m.	Viktor Hovland, Trey Mullinax
1:30 p.m.	Sepp Straka, Cameron Young
1:45 p.m.	Seamus Power, Corey Conners
1:55 p.m.	Ryan Brehm, Will Zalatoris
2:05 p.m.	Justin Thomas, Scott Stallings
2:15 p.m.	Aaron Wise, Luke List
2:25 p.m.	Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay
2:35 p.m.	Tom Hoge, J.T. Poston
2:50 p.m.	Brian Harman, Jordan Spieth
3:00 p.m.	Hideki Matsuyama, K.H. Lee
3:10 p.m.	Max Homa, Sungjae Im
3:20 p.m.	Jon Rahm, Tom Kim
3:30 p.m.	J.J. Spaun, Scottie Scheffler
3:40 p.m.	Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick

TV, streaming, radio information

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.

Sunday, Jan. 8

TV

NBC: 4-6 p.m.
Golf Channel: 6-8 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 3-8 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 12:45-8 p.m.
Peacock: 4-8 p.m.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

[listicle id=778313749]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f5k5vfbhv59szck1 image=]

PXG drops new tropical-inspired Aloha Capsule Collection

This year’s Aloha print features a floral design with classic black, white, grey and the collection’s signature green.

PXG has dropped a new tropical-inspired Aloha Capsule Collection. Golfers everywhere have Maui on their minds as the Sentry Tournament of Champions is well underway.

With the start of the tour in Hawaii, PXG officials felt the timing of this capsule couldn’t have been any better. This year’s Aloha print features a floral design with classic black, white, grey and the collection’s signature green.

The capsule features six signature apparel pieces and various on-course accessories. Accessories include river, blade, and mallet putter headcovers, a player’s towel, and a special-edition lightweight carry-stand bag. PXG has also added hidden golfer “Easter eggs” throughout the design print.

PXG Aloha Capsule Collection. (Golfweek)

In addition to practicality, these tropical designs add a touch of personality to traditional golf prints. Adding the new green print to a wardrobe will provide a relaxed, laid-back, polished look for the links.

“The Aloha Capsule Collection is a fan-favorite for our PXGTroops, and I always look forward to its official release each year,” said Renee Parsons, president and executive creative director of PXG Apparel. “Hawaii holds a very special place in our hearts – it has become a second home for Bob and me. The tradition of sharing the aloha spirit with our customers through this lively collection is truly rewarding.”

You can shop the collection here.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]