The opening tournament of the new golf season could well be one of the most exciting, with 37 players who won on the PGA Tour last year having been invited to take part in the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
The event gets underway on the 3rd January at the Kapalua Resort in Maui, with a prize fund of over $7 million being split amongst those involved. Despite defending champion Dustin Johnson being the favourite to make it back-to-back victories, there are a whole host of big names hopeful and more than capable of coming out on top after four rounds of action. With only Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose missing out, let’s take a closer look at some of the main contenders in Maui this week.
2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions: The Contenders
The likes of Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm are among the leading candidates to take the crown away from Johnson this year, with the American himself looking to return to his best form after finishing in the top-five just once in his last five events in 2018. However, odds of 5/1 from bookmaker Ladbrokes for Johnson to win after four rounds are certainly worth taking advantage of.
Elsewhere, an outsider worth backing is Cameron Champ, with the American having been playing some excellent golf over recent months, including four top-15 finished in his last five starts. The 23-year-old also won the 2018 Sanderson Farms Championship thanks to two rounds of 65 or lower, meaning that odds of 20/1 from Betfair are well worth considering.
For those looking to back a European winner, it is certainly worth considering Rahm or McIlroy, with the Ryder Cup winners playing alongside Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele respectively for the opening two rounds. Despite neither having been in top form since their win for Europe in France back in September.
Sentry Tournament of Champions: The Odds
- Dustin Johnson – 5/1 @Ladbrokes
- Justin Thomas – 9/1 @William Hill
- Jon Rahm – 15/2 @SkyBet
- Rory McIlroy – 11/1 @Betfair
- Brooks Koepka – 12/1 @Betfair
- Bryson Dechambeau – 12/1 @PaddyPower
- Jason Day – 16/1 @Betfair
- Patrick Reed – 16/1 @Coral
- Webb Simpson – 20/1 @Ladbrokes
2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions: Our Tip
Golf tournament, especially featuring such strong fields like this one, are hugely difficult to predict the winner of. As a result, our tip for the Sentry Tournament of Champions is to bet on Jon Rahm finishing in the top five after the four rounds, which is available to back at odds of 7/4 with bookmaker William Hill.