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The Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui, Hawaii kicks off the 2020 PGA Tour year with a field of 34 winners from 2019 in attendance. Those set to tee off Thursday include five of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The event returns to the Plantation Course at Kapalua, with the venue having undergone significant renovations since last year’s tournament. It now measures 7,518 yards and plays as a par 73.
Fantasy Golf Rankings: Top 30
Here are my top-30 fantasy golf rankings for the 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
30. Adam Long
Long missed five consecutive cuts after getting career win No. 1 at the Desert Classic. He was T-2 at the Mayakoba Classic, but he followed it up with a T-35 at The RSM Classic.
Sentry TOC: Tee times, TV info | Podcast
29. Sung Kang
Kang claimed his first PGA Tour since 2013 at the AT&T Byron Nelson, but he missed the cut in six of his remaining 16 worldwide events on the year.
28. Max Homa
Homa takes a break from roasting his followers on Twitter this week to compete in the Tournament of Champions. His lone top-20 result since winning the Wells Fargo Championship was a T-5 at the Japan Tour’s Dunlop Phoenix.
27. J.B. Holmes
Holmes may be better known now for his “feud” with World No. 1 Brooks Koepka, than for his 2019 win at the Genesis Open. He finished the 2019 Tour year with no other top 10s and 10 missed cuts. He most recently withdrew from the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges.
26. Tyler Duncan
Photo Credit: Ray Carlin – USA TODAY Sports
Duncan’s victory is the most recent among those in attendance, having claimed his first career win at The RSM Classic. The win vaulted him from No. 387 in the world to 170th, and he’s now 164th. He positions his tee shots well and has a good approach game.
25. Nate Lashley
Lashley got his first PGA Tour win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He missed eight cuts in 2019 and withdrew from the no-cut Zozo Championship in Japan, but he enters the week seventh in the field in Bogey Avoidance over everyone’s last 36 rounds on courses with Bermuda greens.
24. Dylan Frittelli
The reigning John Deere Classic champ started his 2019-20 season with top 10s at the Sanderson Farms Championship and Safeway Open before missing the cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
23. Lanto Griffin
Griffin has gained 1.015 strokes per round putting to start the season and took down the Houston Open in just his fifth PGA Tour event of 2019. He’s coming off a missed cut at The RSM Classic.
22. Ryan Palmer
Palmer gets entry into this event as the playing partner to Jon Rahm at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April. He placed in the top 10 in four solo events, most recently tying for 10th at the Zozo.
21. Keith Mitchell
Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez – USA TODAY Sports
Mitchell won’t get the full advantage of his distance at this venue with all in attendance able to reap the rewards of the wide, rolling fairways. His victory came at the competitive Honda Classic, showing he can contend in elite fields.
20. J.T. Poston
Poston moved from 158th to 77th in the OWGR with his win at the Wyndham Championship immediately prior to the start of the FedExCup playoffs. He rarely finds trouble or plays himself out of contention.
19. Cameron Champ
Champ picked up a win at the Safeway Open to qualify for his second straight Tournament of Champions. He tied for 19th a year ago, but that’s unrelated to his ranking, here.
18. Matthew Wolff
Wolff won the 3M Open in his rookie season. It came just one week after the only missed cut of his debut campaign at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
17. Kevin Na
Na won twice on the PGA Tour in 2019, taking down the Charles Schwab Challenge and Shriners. His lack of distance will be a weakness at this venue.
16. Chez Reavie
Reavie stepped into the winner’s circle for the first time since 2008 with a victory at the Travelers Championship. He positions himself well off the tee.
15. Sebastian Munoz
Another first-time PGA Tour winner in 2019, Munoz claimed victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He missed the cut in two of five events since, but he was solo third at The RSM Classic.
14. Joaquin Niemann
Niemann had four top-10 showings in the 2018-19 season before starting the 2019-20 campaign with victory at The Greenbrier. He’s one of the top pin-seekers from distance in the field.
13. Brendon Todd
Photo Credit: Ray Carlin – USA TODAY Sports
Todd enters the week in better form than anyone in the field after consecutive wins at the Bermuda Championship and Mayakoba Classic and a solo fourth at The RSM Classic. He’ll face a tougher test at a longer venue amid a stronger field.
12. Corey Conners
Conners came up with a clutch victory at the Valero Texas Open to gain entry to the Masters. His putting struggles won’t be as apparent at a longer venue where his distance and ball-striking will shine.
11. Kevin Kisner
Kisner broke through with a win at the WGC-Match Play, but was held out of the top 10 until back-to-back T-9s at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship in the FEC playoffs.
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10. Collin Morikawa
A finalist for 2019 Rookie of the Year, Morikawa’s first of what seems likely to be many career wins came at the Barracuda Championship. There aren’t any flaws in his game.
9. Paul Casey
Casey avoids trouble and can score low. He tied for 16th a year ago.
8. Rickie Fowler
Fowler finished fifth in 2016 and tied for fourth in 2018. He returns after year off following his win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
7. Patrick Reed
Photo: Butch Dill – USA TODAY Sports
It’s unknown at the time of publishing whether Reed made the flight to Maui with his trusted shovel. His accuracy off the tee and on approach hasn’t been in top form of late, and he’ll again need to overcome the ire of spectators.
6. Gary Woodland
Woodland was the runner-up here a year ago and makes his second straight appearance following his US Open win.
5. Xander Schauffele
The defending champ has won a total four PGA Tour events over the last three years, but this was his only win in 2019. He had three runner-up results.
4. Patrick Cantlay
Entering the week at No. 9 in the OWGR, Cantlay won the Memorial Tournament and had seven other top 10s last year. He’s had two runner-up finishes since mid-August.
3. Jon Rahm
The top golfer from the OWGR at No. 3 in the world, Rahm was the runner-up here in 2018 and finished T-8 in 2019.
2. Dustin Johnson
Johnson hasn’t finished worse than T-6 in his last three appearances here, including a win in 2018. He has a total of 12 worldwide wins since the start of 2016.
1. Justin Thomas
Thomas is the 2017 champion of Kapalua and he finished third a year ago. The free distance added by the venue plays to his advantage and lets his ball-striking and putting carry the weight.
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