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 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.
Another year, another week at the Plantation Course. The PGA Tour is back in Maui to kick off 2024 at The Sentry, the year’s first signature event. Although the 59-man field is loaded with big names, there are a few sleepers to keep an eye on.
Defending champion Jon Rahm isn’t in the field to vie for back-to-back titles thanks to his recent move to LIV Golf. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Max Homa are just some of the superstars teeing it up Thursday. Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, however, aren’t in the field.
Let’s take a look at a few sleeper picks for The Sentry.
Welcome to 2024, folks. And to start the new year, the PGA Tour is in Hawaii for the season’s first signature event, The Sentry.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui will once again play host, while the defending champion is not in the 59-man field.
Jon Rahm came from behind to defeat Collin Morikawa last year, but cannot defend his title thanks to his move to LIV Golf.
Some of the stars actually in the field include world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, Morikawa and Jordan Spieth.
Two notable names not teeing it up at the Plantation Course, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.
Reminder, there is no cut this week.
Golf course
Plantation Course at Kapalua | Par 73 | 7,596 yards
Course scenics during practice prior to the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 02, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Course history
Course history at the Plantation Course at Kapalua for the #TheSentry going back to 2015.
-Includes average finish position and Strokes Gained per round. Players are sorted by SG: Total.
-18th (out of 44) most predictive annual course on Tour.
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.
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.”
“We hope to be a source of inspiration for the great people of Maui and Lahaina by the time that we get to Maui in January.”
Good news for fans of Maui golf.
Kapalua Golf will reopen its Bay Course on Wednesday, Sept. 20 and its Plantation Course on Wednesday, Oct. 18. Both golf courses have been closed since the Maui wildfires on Aug. 8. Located in West Maui, the golf courses and facilities at Kapalua Golf were spared from the fires, which devastated Lahaina, about 10 miles away.
“Our team truly appreciates the outpouring of support from around the globe over the past six weeks,” said Kapalua Golf & Tennis General Manager Alex Nakajima. “Our staff was deeply impacted by the fires, with nearly a third losing their homes and possessions. As associates and the community work to heal, we continue to support them; welcoming back team members to work as they are ready. As we continue the recovery process, we are reopening our two golf courses for Kamaʻāina (local residents) on island and for those planning their return to Maui. As millions discovered during the pandemic, a round of golf can be good medicine for the mind, body and soul.”
Kapalua Golf’s Plantation Course and Bay Course are open to resort guests and daily-fee play. Arnold Palmer designed The Bay Course first, in 1975, which is more forgiving than the Plantation, a Coore-Crenshaw design that the duo built in 1991 and renovated in 2019. The Sentry, the longtime PGA Tour stop, is played annually at the Plantation Course, which ranks No. 17 in Golfweek’s Best Resort Courses list, in early January. The reopening of the course is an encouraging sign that the tournament can be staged there. In late August, Commissioner Jay Monahan addressed whether the tournament would be able to be held in its normal slot as the first event of the New Year.
A surfer rides a wave as Matt Fitzpatrick lines up his putt on the 11th hole during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament at Kapalua Resort – The Plantation Course. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
“We hope to be a source of inspiration for the great people of Maui and Lahaina by the time that we get to Maui in January,” he said. “I think at this point there’s so many unknowns, and we want to be respectful of the challenges. We want to help be a part of the revitalization. There are a lot of considerations. We’re committed, you know, if it makes — if we’re allowed to, if we’re invited, if we’re embraced, given all that needs to be accomplished, we will be there 100 percent. But I think at this point right now that’s outside of our hands.”
For more information on Kapalua Golf and for tee times, visit www.GolfAtKapalua.com or call 1-877-KAPALUA.
Playing in the last group, World No. 1 Jon Rahm made nine birdies and an eagle on his final 12 holes on the Plantation Course to also sign for a 61 and earn a share of the lead with Cameron Smith heading into the final round.
“We were both even-par through 4 and a combined, was it 21-under par between the two of us in the last 14 holes? Well, it’s golf and it’s this golf course, right?” Rahm said. “You get on the birdie train and things like today can happen. It’s the second 61 of the day and whatever it looks like, the 35th 9-under of the week as well, right?
“It’s definitely a doable golf course, but you still have to hit the shots, and come tomorrow we got to keep doing the same thing. We had a fun battle today and I’m guessing tomorrow’s going to be more of the same.”
Jon Rahm of Spain plays a second shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 08, 2022, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
On another windless, sunlit day at Kapalua, players obliterated par, and Rahm and Smith finished atop the leaderboard at 26 under; the two fell one shot shy of tying Patrick Reed’s 54-hole PGA Tour record for lowest score in relation to par.
A day after tying the 36-hole tournament scoring record of 17 under first set by Ernie Els in 2003, Smith shot 64 and still lost his overnight, three-shot lead.
Rahm has shot 66-66-61, Smith 65-64-64.
Twenty-nine of the 38 players in the field finished in the 60s in the third round. The field averaged 67.71, the lowest mark since the tournament moved to the Plantation Course in 1999.
“It was really good fun out there today,” Smith said. “Obviously playing nice golf helps. But watching Jon was pretty intense there on that back nine, some of the best golf I think I’ve ever seen, definitely some of the best putting.
“So, one more day. Hopefully we can do much of the same tomorrow and we’ll see what happens.”
Cameron Smith hits his fairway shot on the 10th hole during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament at Kapalua Resort – The Plantation Course. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The two are five shots clear of Daniel Berger, who shot 66 to move to 21 under.
Matt Jones matched the old tournament record with a 62 to move to 20 under; he was 8 under over his last seven holes. Also at 20 under are Patrick Cantlay (66) and Sungjae Im (65).
“So it was a very, you can’t say there was an easy 62 or 11-under, but it was one of the most comfortable rounds I’ve had out there for a long time,” Jones said.
Thomas now shares the record here in Maui and holds the record at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he shot 59 in the first round en route to winning in 2017.
“I wasn’t crazy aggressive today,” Thomas said. “When you have wedges in your hand with soft greens, you attack.”
Also at 17 under is Hideki Matsuyama (68).
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Rahm and Smith are within striking distance of the tournament scoring record of 31 under set by Els in 2003. But the two both know this isn’t a two-man race to the finish.
“There’s such a low score out there you never know what can happen,” Smith said. “I mean, it’s very gettable, there’s so many wedges, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another 61 or 62 out there tomorrow. Just need to keep playing good golf.”
Added Rahm: “If we get a similar a day someone can come and shoot 10, 11, 12-under. I think what I got to keep doing is just keep hitting it as well as I am tee to green. Keep putting it in the fairway and keep hitting good iron shots, give myself plenty of looks, and some of them will go in.
“You can get hot on this golf course and hopefully I can do the same thing tomorrow.”
“If I did something berserk this weekend, I might have a chance to win.”
Saturday went better this year for Justin Thomas.
The world No. 7 lit up the Plantation Course at Kapalua on a bright, warm day with a tournament-record, bogey-free, 12-under-par 61 to move into contention in the year-opening, winners-only tournament.
“I played well. Didn’t do anything crazy. Just took advantage of all the, I felt like, easy opportunities and chances that I had and hit a lot of really good drives, quality iron shots, and wedges. If there’s such a thing as an easy 12-under, I definitely felt like it was,” Thomas said. “I felt like yesterday closing that round out at least gave myself a chance to get a respectable week, respectable finish out of it, and if I did something berserk this weekend, I might have a chance to win.”
Starting the third round 12 shots behind overnight leader Cameron Smith, Thomas started to do his damage on the third hole with a birdie, added another on the fourth, and then dropped a 40-footer for eagle on the par-5 fifth. He made the turn in 5-under 31 following a birdie on the ninth and kept on sizzling.
Starting on the 12th, he wrote down five consecutive 3s on his scorecard, another eagle coming from 7 feet on the par-5 15th. After a birdie 3 from short range on the 16th, he wrapped up his day’s stellar work with a two-putt birdie from 22 feet on the par-5 closing hole for a 7-under 30 on the back nine.
Five players, the most recent being Xander Schauffele in the final round en route to winning in 2019, had posted 62.
When Thomas put his signature to the scorecard, he was two shots out of the lead with leader Cameron Smith headed to the eighth tee.
Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 08, 2022 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“Just the same thing,” Thomas said about his approach come Sunday. “I wasn’t crazy aggressive today. When you have wedges in your hand with soft greens, you attack. It doesn’t matter if you’re in last or first. You’re just trying to make birdies and I felt like that’s what I did.
“I was so far back, it’s not like I could really look at the leaderboard and try to play any differently. It was just trying to birdie every hole we played.”
This time, most of the words picked up by TV mics were playing partner and good friend, Jordan Spieth, saying, “Good shot,” over and over again. The 61 was his fifth round of 61 or better since 2015, the most on the PGA Tour.
Thomas had been frustrated in the first two rounds by a balky putter – he opened with a 74 and followed up with a 67. In the third round, however, he had made more feet of putts through 14 holes than he did the first two days combined.
He hit every green in regulation and needed just 27 putts to make 130 feet of putts.
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His superb play in the Tournament of Champions comes as no surprise – he won in 2020 and 2017, and finished third last year and in 2019. Among his 14 PGA Tour titles are the 2017 PGA Championship and the 2021 Players Championship.
Thomas said his first course record came when he was a kid.
“A Junior World practice round. I can’t remember the name of the golf course. It was, I was like probably nine years old. It was like an executive course,” Thomas said. “I just remember because Tiger (Woods) had the course record, and I remember beating him and it was like the coolest thing obviously I had ever done at that time.
“Something tells me it’s not still standing. But that was the first one I had ever broken, and I was pretty pumped about that.”
Cameron Smith will look to keep his lead in the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Saturday morning from Kapalua.
Cameron Smith will look to keep his lead in the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Saturday from the beautiful Plantation Course at Kapalua. He is sitting at 9-under going into the weekend only two shots ahead of Daniel Berger and Jon Rahm, who are hot on his heels at -7.
This should be a great day of action that you won’t want to miss, here’s everything you need to know to follow the action today, including Featured Groups & Holes.
ESPN+ will have exclusive coverage in the mornings and will also have coverage in the afternoons. You can follow all the action here with expanded and extended coverage for PGA Tour Live. Click for more details.
Saturday, January 8:
Marquee Groups: 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET; Featured Groups & Holes: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET, all available on ESPN+
Sunday, January 9:
Marquee Groups: 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET; Featured Groups & Holes: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET, all available on ESPN+
PGA Tour Odds and Betting Lines
PGA Tour odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Cameron Smith (+180)
Jon Rahm (+320)
Daniel Berger (+650)
Want some action on the PGA Tour? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.
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The PGA Tour will open up their 2022 season on Thursday when the Sentry Tournament of Champions gets underway from Kapalua in Maui.
The PGA Tour will open up their 2022 season on Thursday when Round 1 of the Sentry Tournament of Champions gets underway from the beautiful Plantation Course at Kapalua. We’re expected to see some of the top golfers in the game including fan favorites Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, and Jon Rahm just to name a few.
Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups, and Holes.
ESPN+ will have exclusive coverage in the mornings and will also have coverage in the afternoons. You can follow all the action here with expanded and extended coverage for PGA Tour Live. Click for more details.
Thursday, January 6
Marquee Groups: 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET; Featured Groups & Holes: 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET, all available on ESPN+.
Friday, January 7:
Marquee Groups: 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET; Featured Groups & Holes: 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET, all available on ESPN+
Saturday, January 8:
Marquee Groups: 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET; Featured Groups & Holes: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET, all available on ESPN+
Sunday, January 9:
Marquee Groups: 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET; Featured Groups & Holes: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET, all available on ESPN+
PGA Tour Odds and Betting Lines
PGA Tour odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Want some action on the PGA Tour? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.
We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak recaps the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions, where Harris English won his third PGA Tour title at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii.
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak recaps the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions, where Harris English won his third PGA Tour title at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii.
