Jon Rahm produced a stunning final round 63 to overturn a seven-shot deficit and win the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in Hawaii by two shots.

“I needed to play good and he needed to make a couple mistakes,” said Rahm. “If you told me at the beginning of the round, after that opening bogey, I was going to do what I did I don’t know if I would have believed you.”

It was a third win in six starts for Rahm – after winning in Spain and Dubai late in 2022 – and an eighth PGA Tour title. 

Rahm’s round started badly. The 28-year-old missed a seven-foot par putt on the first to fall eight shots behind Morikawa but had five birdies in his next eight holes to improve to 21 under par after nine.  However, Morikawa also had a solid front nine, with three birdies taking his score to 27 under at the turn.

Rahm then had three successive birdies from the 12th before carding an eagle three at the par-five 15th to move within one of the lead. Moments later he was joint leader, benefiting from Morikawa thinning a bunker shot across the 14th green and dropping his first shot of the tournament.

“At that point I got in the thick of things and never did I think that going into my third shot on 17 I was going to have a one-shot lead,” said Rahm, who missed the green with his second shot on his penultimate hole. “That’s when I had to change a bit of the mindset of chasing and needing birdies to, ‘let’s get this up-and-down, hopefully birdie 18 and give ourselves the best chance’.”

Rahm led because Morikawa dropped another shot on the 15th. He duffed a simple chip and then missed a seven-foot putt for par. And his short game let him down again on the par-four 16th after a superb drive left him with a 55-yard pitch for his second. He misjudged the spin on his ball and it ended up 70 feet from the hole and he could only three-putt from there.

Rahm suddenly led by two and picked up another birdie on the 648-yard par-five last hole after finding the green in two shots and two-putting from 65 feet. Morikawa also completed the final hole in four shots but his birdie proved scant consolation with Rahm completing the biggest comeback victory in the tournament’s history.

“You work so hard and you give yourself these opportunities,” said the 2021 Open winner, who matched the PGA Tour record held by seven other players of squandering a six-shot lead in the final round.  “I just made three poor swings, really, at the wrong times. It’s never a good time to put a poor swing on it, but sometimes it works out and these never worked out. I don’t know what I’m going to learn from this week, but it just didn’t seem like it was that far off. It really wasn’t. Yeah, it sucks.”

Fellow Americans Tom Hoge (64) and Max Homa (66) were joint third on 23 under. Matt Fitzpatrick ended alongside Masters winner Scottie Scheffler – who could have returned to world number one with a higher finish this week – on 21 under after both carded closing 70s.

As well as being superb result for Rahm, the Spaniard’s victory also provided a huge endorsement for his equipment sponsor Callaway, which only last week officially launched the new Paradym range of woods and irons, several of which were in Rahm’s bag.  Rahm put the Paradym Triple Diamond driver straight into the bag for this week, and averaged 317.3 yards off the tee –around ten yards more than the field average – whilst his driving accuracy (73.33%) was significantly better than the field (51.67%).  Rahm also had two Paradym Triple Diamond fairway woods in play.

JON RAHM’S WINNING GEAR

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (10.5°)
Fairway woods: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (16°)
Irons: Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)
Wedges: Callaway JAWS Raw (52°, 56°, 60°)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X 

Source link

At the 2023 Tournament of Champions, it is not a victor from the 2021-22 season that occupies the top of the leaderboard, but a prolific winner, nevertheless. Collin Morikawa commands the solo lead at 16 under midway through the action at the Plantation Course at Kapalua as the two-time major champion has looked rejuvenated with the putter in hand.

A top three-iron player on the PGA Tour each of the last three seasons, Morikawa’s putter has often held the keys to victory. If he putts well, he seriously threatens to enter the winner’s circle. If he doesn’t, an appearance on the third or fourth page of the leaderboard usually takes shape.

This week the former is unfolding as the introduction of putting coach Stephen Sweeney and short-game guru Parker McLachlin to his inner circle is already paying dividends. Over the weekend, the short game will need to continue to cash in if he is to enter the winner’s circle for the first time since November 2022 and for the first time in the U.S. since February 2021.

It will be no easy task as he is followed closely behind by Tournament of Champions debutant J.J. Spaun and reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler at 14 under. Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick all find themselves on the first page of the leaderboard and within five strokes of Morikawa with 36 holes to play.

The leader

1. Collin Morikawa (-16)

Morikawa may not have won in 2022, but statistically, he was the exact same from a strokes-gained perspective as he was in 2021 when he won three times. This week, he leads the field in strokes gained putting, gaining nearly four strokes with the flat stick through two rounds, and combined with his buttery iron play has made for a lethal one-two punch. As someone who typically lags behind the competition on the greens, it is this club which will make or break the world No. 11’s first start of the year.

Other contenders

T2. Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun (-14)

4. Jordan Spieth (-13)

5. Tom Kim (-12)

T6. Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm (-11)

T8. Luke List, Tony Finau, Corey Conners, Aaron Wise (-10) 

What more is there to say about Tom Kim? Every time it appears as if the course is unsuitable for his game or the competition is too stiff, he pops up on the first page of the leaderboard. Paired with former world No. 1 Rahm on Friday, Kim looked at ease despite letting his fair share of birdie opportunities fall by the wayside. Still only four strokes off the pace of Morikawa, if he is to win, not only would it be his third victory in his very young PGA Tour career, but the 20-year-old would also be following in the footsteps of a rather big name (Tiger Woods).

Scheffler looks to regain world No. 1 status

The former world No. 1 is in position to return to the top spot in the world over the weekend should he finish in a two-way tie for third or better. In order for him to do so, Scheffler will need the putter to begin to cooperate as he currently leads the field in strokes gained tee to green. 

In the 16 starts following his victory at The Masters, Scheffler has averaged -0.35 strokes gained putting per round. Through two rounds at Kapalua, he has posted -0.69 strokes gained putting per round and ranks 30th in the field. A turnaround with this club could lead to a win and ascending to No. 1 in the world again.

2023 Tournament of Champions updated odds and picks

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

• Collin Morikawa: 2-1
• Scottie Scheffler: 13/5
• Jordan Spieth: 7-1
• Jon Rahm: 17/2
• J.J. Spaun: 12-1
• Tom Kim: 14-1
• Matt Fitzpatrick: 22-1
• Tony Finau: 28-1

This is tough. Conventional wisdom suggests Morikawa regresses on the greens, but that is without knowing the staying power of this new-found confidence in his putting stroke. This would also mean Scheffler shows improvement, which I believe to be the more likely scenario, and at just shorter than 3-1 is a worthwhile investment. 

Spieth continues to be a human rollercoaster and Rahm is beginning to show similar characteristics making me uneasy about the idea of backing either of them. Unsure if Kim can continue this rapid ascension, if itching for a longer price, my money would be on Finau at 28-1 with the hope of a hot putting performance over the weekend.

Source link

Source link

Tom Kim and Jordan Spieth shared a tee time on Thursday at the Plantation Course at Kapalua for the first round of the 2023 Tournament of Champions. Signing for rounds of 8-under 65 and 6-under 67, respectively, the two also shared Christmas dinner the previous week — with Kim also acting as babysitter for Spieth’s 14-month-old son, Sammy. 

“The more time I spent with Jordan [Spieth], we kind of became closer friends. I think we shared a plane back from the Hero back to Dallas, so I took the Jordan air,” said Kim, who was still finding his bearings in the U.S. “He was really nice enough to invite me for Christmas. My family wasn’t home and I was kind of by myself. So I got to spend some time with the Spieths and kind of babysit Sammy, which was really cool. It’s been amazing to kind of build a friendship and it was really cool to play with him today.”

After winning twice in a four-tournament stretch on the PGA Tour and starring for the International Team in the 2022 Presidents Cup, Kim spent his short offseason in South Korea to reconnect with family. Overseas for four weeks, he returned to his new base camp in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Kim, who is still only 20 years of age, is the newest addition to the crop of PGA Tour stars who call the Dallas-Fort Worth area home. Joining not only Spieth, but Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris and a number of his fellow South Koreans in the Lone Star State, Kim has surrounded himself with some of the best players in the world both on and off the golf course. 

“Tom, actually during the Christmas break, he joined Jordan and his family for Christmas dinner,” said Smylie Kaufman, NBC’s on-course analyst and Spieth’s good friend. “So, these two have actually formed a relationship over the last couple of months, and they’re having a blast out here today.

“Tom is a noted guy who likes to eat some food,” Kaufman continued. “I was told he went back for, not only thirds, but fourths at Christmas dinner.”

Source link

The first round of the 2023 Tournament of Champions was everything you’d want from the opening event of a calendar year: Superstars at the top, birdies all over the yard and — of course! — Jordan Spieth doing his normal unicycle ride while juggling flaming torches.

A trio of leaders sit at the top of the field as Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm and J.J. Spaun all co-lead at 9 under on the par-73 Kapalua course. A crowded pack that includes Tom Kim, Tom Hoge, Sungjae Im and Scottie Scheffler is hot on their heels, however. That means there’s plenty of star power capable of making a run over the next three days. 

We’ll dive into their rounds below, as well as what to expect the rest of the week from this loaded field. With the first event of 2023 underway, let’s dive into the first round of the Tournament of Champions. 

The leaders

T1. Jon Rahm, J.J. Spaun, Collin Morikawa (-9): Rahm followed his 33-under performance a year ago with a 9-under 63 on Thursday, and he now has 40 birdies and two eagles in his last 90 holes at Kapalua. After playing the front nine in 31, he got into a bothersome spot on the back with a bogey at the par-4 14th. That bogey set him back a bit, but he closed with three birdies in his last four holes, including a near-eagle at the last hole that turned into an easy bird.

Rahm is going to be extraordinarily difficult to keep up with if he putts like he did on Thursday when he led the field at nearly four strokes gained on the round (Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland were second best at 2.07). He likely won’t putt like that, but good luck to the field against somebody who is averaging 8.4 strokes under par in his last five rounds here.

Other contenders

4. Tom Kim (-8)

T5. Matt Fitzpatrick, Aaron Wise, Tom Hoge, Mackenzie Hughes, Sungjae Im, Scottie Scheffler (-7)

Scheffler was probably the most interesting out of this group. He putted horribly — he lost nearly two strokes on the greens and made one putt over 5 feet — but he still shot 66. That’s scary coming from the No. 2 player in the world. Scheffler has something at stake here beyond winning, too. He needs a top-three finish to regain the No. 1 ranking in the world from Rory McIlroy, who is not playing this week at Kapalua.

Kim exceeding expectations

It probably shouldn’t surprise me that Kim shot 65, but it still does. As bullish as I am on him as a person and a potential star, I’m equally dubious that his statistical profile meets the modern thriving top-10 player. And yet, at every level he’s played, he’s continued to win and win and win. In 81 OWGR starts, he has eight wins, and his PGA Tour winning percentage is slightly better. I want to be wrong about him in the long term because he’s so much fun to write about and cover (see below), but I have to say I didn’t necessarily see this round coming from him at Kapalua.

Shot of the day

Jordan Spieth had a very Jordan Spieth round. He missed a 2-foot putt but also took a full swing from 33 feet away on the 15th hole for par following some problems in the bunker on his third shot. If you’ve ever tried to take a full swing with any club from 30 feet, it’s basically impossible to hole the shot, but here we are.

Spieth also had an amazing exchange in which he asked two gentleman at the event if they could tone down the wagering chatter while he was putting. A very normal early season start for Spieth.

Shot of the day, Part II 

The hole-out eagle was great, but Kim asking the cameras if they caught it was even better.

Morikawa is fine

I recently wrote about some of the consternation surrounding Collin Morikawa at the end of 2022, a year in which he did not win. This stat from Data Golf should sum up how I feel about where he’s at right now:

• Strokes gained 2020-21 season: 1.41 (3 wins)
• Strokes gained 2021-22 season: 1.41 (0 wins)

Furthermore, Morikawa’s ceiling didn’t really change. He went from third to sixth in the world in 95th percentile rounds. In other words, his best stuff was still among the best stuff of other top-10 players in the world. What did change is that he didn’t win, which can be attributed to so many other things (luck, good bounces, field makeup etc.). Morikawa was undervalued overall coming into 2023, and though he won’t play as well as he did on Thursday for the rest of the year, I think it’s emblematic of what we could be in for with him this year. There’s still time to buy low.

2023 Tournament of Champions updated odds and picks

• Jon Rahm: +240
• Collin Morikawa: +650
• Scottie Scheffler: 8-1
• Tom Kim: 12-1
• Sungjae Im: 14-1
• Tony Finau: 16-1
• Matt Fitzpatrick: 16-1
• Jordan Spieth: 22-1
• Viktor Hovland: 22-1
• Aaron Wise: 22-1

To the surprise of nobody, I’m in on Spieth at 22-1. He plays great at this golf course, and he’s helped when he has a lot of external things going on (slope, wind, etc.) because it gets him out of his own head. He didn’t even putt well on Thursday and still found a way to shoot 67. In terms of the leaders, Morikawa at +650 is the play for me. Rahm’s putting round was magnificent, which won’t continue, and Morikawa is still being a tad undervalued because he’s coming on off a year in which he didn’t win at all.

Source link

The PGA Tour heads to Hawaii for the first time in 2023 for the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui. The 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions field tees off on Thursday and features 17 of the top 20 golfers in the world. World No. 5 Jon Rahm is listed as the 8-1 betting favorite in the latest 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions odds from Caesars Sportsbook. He is followed by Scottie Scheffler (10-1), Xander Schauffele (10-1), Justin Thomas (10-1) and Patrick Cantlay (12-1). Other top contenders in the Sentry field include Viktor Hovland (18-1), Tony Finau (18-1) Tom Kim (18-1), Matthew Fitzpatrick (18-1), Sungjae Im (18-1), Collin Morikawa (18-1), and Jordan Spieth (20-1). The total tournament purse is $15 million, with $2.7 million going to the winner, making it imperative that you nail your one and done picks this week at Kapalua.

As the betting favorite, Rahm will likely be a very popular PGA one and done pick this week at Kapalua. Is the seven-time PGA Tour winner a must-play? Or would it make more sense to go with another high upside option like Will Zalatoris (28-1), Max Homa (28-1), or Hideki Matsuyama (28-1)? Before locking in your 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions one and done picks, you need to see what SportsLine DFS pro and PGA expert Mike McClure has to say. 

The One and Done format is growing in popularity. It has several noticeable similarities to NFL Survivor pools, with the main difference being entries are not eliminated with a bad week. Players pick one golfer per week and earn points based on their selected golfer’s prize money for that tournament. Golfers can only be used once per season, and the point format makes nailing majors and big money tournaments critical.

McClure is a DFS legend with over $2 million in career winnings, and he’s been red-hot on his PGA picks dating back to the PGA Tour restart in June of 2020. McClure uses his proprietary simulation model to analyze the field and crush his golf picks. In fact, the model is up over $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure’s model included J.T. Poston in its best bets to win the 2022 John Deere Classic. That bet hit at +5500, and for the entire tournament, McClure’s best bets returned almost $1,100. At the 2022 Masters, McClure’s model was all over Scottie Scheffler’s first career major championship victory heading into the weekend. McClure was dialed in on his One and Done picks throughout the 2022 PGA Tour season, calling Hideki Matsuyama’s outright win at the Sony Open and hitting on several under the radar picks that finished in the top-5 or higher. 

Now, McClure has dialed in on the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament, and just locked in his one and done picks and PGA predictions. You can only see McClure’s Sentry TOC one and done picks at SportsLine.

2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions One and Done picks

One golfer McClure will be backing this week at the Plantation Course at Kapalua is Luke List. He is currently ranked at No. 95 in the latest Official World Golf Rankings, but McClure believes List is better than his ranking and has the skillset to win any tournament he enters. List has long been one of the PGA Tour’s best players off the tee and he can be elite with his irons when he’s dialed in. The 37-year-old notched his first career PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2022.  

List wasn’t playing particularly well before the December break, but McClure isn’t shying away from using the former Vanderbilt standout in One and Done pools this week. List proved a year ago that he can win against an elite field, and McClure loves his chances at finishing near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. With the overall talent in the Sentry Tournament of Champions field, it’s very possible that List will fly under the radar in one and done pools this week offering huge value. You can see who else to back this week at SportsLine.

How to make 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions One and Done picks

McClure is also targeting another golfer for his 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions one and done picks that is listed at 100-1 in the latest PGA golf odds. This player has been red-hot dating back to 2022, but consistently flies under the radar and has the ability to win any tournament he enters. You can find out who it is, and check out all of McClure’s Sentry Tournament of Champions One and Done picks, at SportsLine.

Who wins the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions? And which golfers should you target for your PGA one and done picks this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike McClure’s Sentry Tournament of Championship 2023 one and done picks, all from the DFS pro with over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.

Source link

Source link

Eight of the top 10 (and 17 of the top 20) players in the world begin the new year this week at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions. Welcoming the winners from a season ago and those who qualified for the Tour Championship, the Plantation Course at Kapalua will play the role of host for the 25th time.

Featuring vast elevation changes, fairways wider than some canyons and the largest greens on the PGA Tour, the pineapple plantation-turned-golf course will once again take center stage. Tucked away high up in the mountains of Maui, Hawaii, players will be forced to keep their foot on the gas as a birdie fest is all but likely to take place.

Last season’s event saw record scoring as the windy conditions that typically protect the par 73 were nowhere to be found. With the winning score falling on 34 under, Cameron Smith was able to edge out then-world No. 1 Jon Rahm by a single stroke. Neither Smith nor the current world No. 1 Rory McIlroy will be in action this week, leaving the door open for another elite player to kick off their year in fashion.

Scottie Scheffler can return to world No. 1 with a solo third place finish or better. Rahm looks to exact revenge from last season. Tony Finau aims to nab his fourth victory in his last eight starts. All these storylines and more have the potential to play out in the first PGA Tour event of 2023.

All times Eastern; streaming start times approximated

Round 1 – Thursday

Round starts: 2:30 p.m.

PGA Tour Live: 2:15 – 10 p.m. — PGA Tour Live

Live TV coverage: 6-10 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live streaming: 6-10 p.m. on Peacock

Radio: 4-10 p.m. — PGA Tour Radio

Round 2 – Friday

Round starts: 2:30 p.m.

PGA Tour Live: 2:30 – 10 p.m. — PGA Tour Live

Live TV coverage: 6-10 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live streaming: 6-10 p.m. on Peacock

Radio: 4-10 p.m. — PGA Tour Radio

Round 3 – Saturday

Round starts: 12:45 p.m.

PGA Tour Live: 12:45 – 8 p.m. — PGA Tour Live

Early TV coverage: 4-6 p.m. on NBC
Early streaming: 4-6 p.m. on Peacock

Live TV coverage: 6-8 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live streaming: 6-8 p.m. on Peacock

Radio: 3-8 p.m. — PGA Tour Radio

Round 4 – Sunday

Round starts: 12:45 p.m.

PGA Tour Live: 12:45 – 8 p.m. — PGA Tour Live

Early TV coverage: 4-6 p.m. on NBC
Early streaming: 4-6 p.m. on Peacock

Live TV coverage: 6-8 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live streaming: 6-8 p.m. on Peacock

Radio: 3-8 p.m. — PGA Tour Radio

Source link

The first of the PGA Tour’s elevated events takes place this week, and the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui boasts a stacked field. The tournament tees off Thursday on the Plantation Course at Kapalua, and 39 top PGA Tour golfers will be vying for the $2.7 million winner’s share. Previous winners in the field include Justin Thomas (2017, 2020), Xander Schauffele (2019) and Jordan Spieth (2016), and 2022 runner-up Jon Rahm comes in as the favorite. Rahm finished one stroke behind Cameron Smith, who shot a tour-record 34 under par. Smith moved to LIV Golf and is ineligible to defend his title, while world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the only other top-20 players who won’t compete.

Caesars Sportsbook lists Rahm as the 13-2 favorite – followed closely by Scheffler (9-1), Xander Schauffele (19-2) and Patrick Cantlay (10-1) –  in its latest 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions odds. More than a dozen golfers are listed at 20-1 or shorter in the Sentry Tournament of Champions field. They include Tony Finau (14-1), Sungjae Im (16-1), Viktor Hovland (18-1) and Collin Morikawa (18-1), while Spieth is at 22-1. Before locking in any 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions picks, be sure you check out the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from SportsLine golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. 

McDonald takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season in every category. He nailed the Houston Open, backing Tony Finau to win at 25-1, and is up more than 16 units on his plays overall. That’s a profit of more than $1,600 for $100 bettors. The expert also has been on the money on his matchup plays and cashed in huge on Brendan Steele (80-1) as the first-round leader at the Zozo Championship.

The expert finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outright plays, having hit Cameron Smith (22-1) at the Tournament of Champions, Hudson Swafford (250-1) at The American Express, Joaquin Niemann (70-1) at the Genesis Invitational and Justin Thomas (66-1) live at the PGA Championship. Anyone who follows McDonald’s advice has been cashing in.

Now, McDonald has studied the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions field and locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all his PGA picks and predictions.  

Top 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions expert picks

In a surprise move, McDonald is fading U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick (22-1), who is one of the best at grinding out victories. Unfortunately, that won’t be required this week on a Kapalua course that won’t put up much fight. The Englishman didn’t shoot better than 64 all of last season, and his best score among his eight worldwide victories is 17 under. The average winning score over the past decade in Maui is 23 under. This is also the 28-year-old’s tournament debut, and it typically takes a couple of rounds to get used to the rolling terrain on this course.

Meanwhile, McDonald knows Rahm will be out to finish the job he couldn’t close out last year. The Spaniard was one of three players to shoot a course-record 61 and shared the lead with Smith entering Sunday. Rahm shot 66, but the Australian did him one better. Given the roll he is on, with two victories and five straight top-10 finishes in Europe, Rahm should go low again. The 28-year-old is excellent off the tee (first in total driving in 2021-22) and to the green (third in GIR), so Kapalua should remain an easy stroll for him. He was 17th in par breakers last season. You can see who else to back at Kapalua here.

How to make 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions golf picks

McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions. His outright plays include a golfer who has excelled on similar courses but just doesn’t have the victories to show for it. If he pulls off the victory at Kapalua, anyone who backs him would cash in at more than 20-1. You can find out who it is, and see the rest of McDonald’s Sentry Tournament of Champions picks, predictions, and best bets at SportsLine.

So which 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions picks should you target? Which talented golfer could pull off a surprise victory in this loaded Tournament of Champions field for a payoff of more than 20-1? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top prop picks for Sentry Tournament of Champions 2023, all from the expert who is up more than $1,600 on his PGA Tour picks this season, and find out.

2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions odds, field, top contenders

See full Sentry Tournament of Champions 2023 picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Jon Rahm +800
Scottie Scheffler +1000
Xander Schauffele +1000
Justin Thomas +1000
Patrick Cantlay +1200
Viktor Hovland +1800
Tony Finau +1800
Joo-hyung (Tom) Kim +1800
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1800
Sungjae Im +1800
Collin Morikawa +1800
Jordan Spieth +2000
Cam Young +2000
Max Homa +2800
Sam Burns +2800
Will Zalatoris +2800
Hideki Matsuyama +2800
Sahith Theegala +3300
Billy Horschel +4000
Seamus Power +4500
Aaron Wise +4500
Corey Conners +4500
K.H. Lee +5000
Keegan Bradley +5000
Russell Henley +5000
Sepp Straka +5500
Tom Hoge +6000
Adam Scott +6000
Brian Harman +6000
Mackenzie Hughes +7000
Luke List +7500
Trey Mullinax +8000
J.T. Poston +8500
Adam Svensson +8500
J J Spaun +9000
Scott Stallings +10000
Chez Reavie +12500
Chad Ramey +12500
Ryan Brehm +20000

Source link

After a seven-week break, the PGA Tour schedule resumes this week with the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions. This is a limited-field event that features just PGA winners from 2022 as well as the top 30 from last season’s final FedEx Cup points list. As one of a number of tournaments with elevated purses starting this year, the Sentry Tournament of Champions 2023 prize pool is $15 million, which is nearly double the $8.2 million purse of last year’s event.

Kapalua Resort in Hawaii will host the tournament, and play will tee off on Thursday, Jan. 5. Jon Rahm, who won once on tour last season, is the 8-1 favorite, while Scottie Scheffler (10-1) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 2 in the world. Other contenders in the latest 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions odds from Caesars Sportsbook include Xander Schauffele (10-1), Justin Thomas (10-1) and Patrick Cantlay (12-1). Before locking in your 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up over $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure’s model included J.T. Poston in its best bets to win the 2022 John Deere Classic. That bet hit at +5500, and for the entire tournament, McClure’s best bets returned almost $1,100. At the 2022 Masters, McClure’s model was all over Scottie Scheffler’s first career major championship victory heading into the weekend.

In addition, McClure’s best bets included Collin Morikawa winning outright at the 2021 Open Championship, even though he was listed as a massive 40-1 long shot. The model was also all over Jon Rahm’s (10-1) first career major championship victory at the 2021 U.S. Open. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the weekend, but the model still projected him as the winner.

This same model has also nailed a whopping eight majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now that the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions field is locked, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

Top 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions: Patrick Cantlay, an eight-time PGA Tour champion and one of the top favorites, stumbles and doesn’t even crack the top-five. The 30-year-old is coming off a sensational season, which culminated in a top-10 finish at the Tour Championship. Cantlay secured one victory and 11 top-10 finishes, which included a T-4 finish at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. 

However, Cantlay struggled with his driving accuracy percentage last season, ranking 93rd on the PGA Tour. In addition, Cantlay ranked outside the top-40 in total putting (153.1) and overall putting average (1.592) last season, which doesn’t bode well for his chances to finish on top of the leaderboard this week. He’s not a strong pick to win it all and there are far better values in the Sentry Tournament of Champions 2023 field.

Another surprise: Matthew Fitzpatrick, an 18-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. The 2022 U.S. Open champion has been on a great run since winning his first major last summer. Over his last eight tournaments, including two this season, Fitzpatrick has six top-15 finishes.

Fitzpatrick is arguably the best golfer in the world off the tee as few combine his power and precision. He ranks third in driving accuracy percentage (80.36%) and 10th in driving distance (320), making him one of three players to rank in the top 10 of both. He also has a steady hand on the greens as he’s one of just seven golfers who have yet to three-putt all season. Given his strengths on the course, combined with his long odds, Fitzpatrick carries immense value in 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions bets. See who else to pick here.

How to make 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions picks

The model is also targeting four other golfers with odds of 18-1 or longer who will make surprising runs. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s PGA picks here.

So who will win the Sentry Tournament of Champions 2023? And which longshots stun the golfing world? Check out the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed eight golf majors, including last year’s Masters.

2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions odds, field

See full Sentry Tournament of Champions 2023 picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Jon Rahm +800
Scottie Scheffler +1000
Xander Schauffele +1000
Justin Thomas +1000
Patrick Cantlay +1200
Viktor Hovland +1800
Tony Finau +1800
Joo-hyung (Tom) Kim +1800
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1800
Sungjae Im +1800
Collin Morikawa +1800
Jordan Spieth +2000
Cam Young +2000
Max Homa +2800
Sam Burns +2800
Will Zalatoris +2800
Hideki Matsuyama +2800
Sahith Theegala +3300
Billy Horschel +4000
Seamus Power +4500
Aaron Wise +4500
Corey Conners +4500
K.H. Lee +5000
Keegan Bradley +5000
Russell Henley +5000
Sepp Straka +5500
Tom Hoge +6000
Adam Scott +6000
Brian Harman +6000
Mackenzie Hughes +7000
Luke List +7500
Trey Mullinax +8000
J.T. Poston +8500
Adam Svensson +8500
J J Spaun +9000
Scott Stallings +10000
Chez Reavie +12500
Chad Ramey +12500
Ryan Brehm +20000

Source link