The PGA Tour returns for the first time in a month as the start of the calendar season begins at the 2024 Sentry at the Plantation Course in Kapalua. The typical start of the season, The Sentry will take on a new look this year as more players are welcomed with the event taking on the designation of a signature tournament.
As such, 59 players will set foot on the par 73 with eyes on kicking off the new year in memorable fashion. Whoever finishes atop the leaderboard by week’s end will have made plenty of birdies as the last two winning scores of this contest having come in at 34 under and 27 under.
Neither Jon Rahm nor Cameron Smith (the last two winners) will be in the field due to their affiliation with LIV Golf meaning there is no defending champion. That opens the door for someone new to raise the trophy come Sunday with tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler looking the likeliest at +550.
The world No. 1 headlines the betting action with FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland not far behind at +900. The two are the only players below double-digit odds, but there are a litany of stars including Collin Morikawa, Max Homa and Ludvig Aberg who will have a say in how this tournament plays out.
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +550 |
| Viktor Hovland | +900 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1200 |
| Ludvig Aberg | +1400 |
| Max Homa | +1400 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1400 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1600 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
| Tom Kim | +2500 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +3000 |
| Sungjae Im | +3000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +3000 |
| Tony Finau | +3000 |
2024 Sentry Betting Picks
Scottie Scheffler (+550 to win):
Scheffler could be on the cusp of an all-time great season and a win at The Sentry would only be the beginning.
He arrives in Kapalua after winning in The Bahamas for his third win of 2023. If his putter had been average last year, it is likely the Texan would have notched as many as seven victories as the rest of his game was sensational.
Scheffler enjoyed a historic tee-to-green season not seen since peak Tiger Woods and finished first in terms of total strokes gained, official money earned, top 10s, strokes gained tee to green and scoring average. He finished inside the top 10 in his only previous start at the Plantation Course and has proven he can win at any type of golf course in any scoring conditions.
Patrick Cantlay (+1400 to win):
Somehow, someway, Cantlay went through the 2023 season without a victory. It was not for a lack of trying as the American finished second to Lucas Glover at the St. Jude Championship falling in a playoff and fifth at the Tour Championship. He also notched a runner-up at the Travelers Championship and put together admirable efforts at the major championships.
All this good play may not have resulted in a trophy, but it did result in the best statistical season of his career as Cantlay led the PGA Tour in terms of birdie average, par-4 scoring and par-5 scoring among those who played in at least 15 tournaments. He has a bit of a mixed bag in Kapalua, but Cantlay has proven to play well at correlated golf courses like Caves Valley and Riviera and has shown he is not afraid to go low as seen by his victory a couple years ago at 27 under.
Xander Schauffele (+1600 to win):
Schauffele has major history at Kapalua as he is not only a playoff loser to Justin Thomas, but he is also a winner as he overcame a big final round deficit to catch Gary Woodland.
He arrives to Maui this year having only played once during the fall, but he enjoyed a nice end to his 2023 season with a runner-up finish at the Tour Championship and quality outing at the BMW Championship.
Schauffele’s game is tailor made for this par 73 for a few reasons with a big one being the driver will be mitigated. This part is the only weak spot in Schauffele’s game and will allow areas such as his iron play and putter to take over where he ranks inside the top 10 in each category over the last 12 months.
Collin Morikawa (+125 to finish inside the top 10):
Despite pulling out of the Netflix Cup due to a back injury, Morikawa should be ready to go in Maui.
This is the spot where he choked away a potential victory as he held a six-stroke lead at one point Sunday only to card three straight bogeys on his back nine and watch as Rahm surpassed him on the leaderboard. Morikawa was never able to recover, but he will have it on his mind as he goes for his fifth straight top 10 at The Sentry.
Morikawa has been stellar since falling in a playoff to Rickie Fowler at the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a victory at the Zozo Championship sandwiched in between top 10s at the Tour Championship and Hero World Challenge.
Russell Henley (+100 to finish inside the top 20):
Since March 2023, Henley has finished inside the top 20 in 13 of his 16 tournaments with quality outings at big tournaments like the Masters and the Players Championship.
The former Georgia Bulldog finished the 2023 season atop the PGA Tour in terms of driving accuracy and second in terms of proximity with his irons. The latter will be crucial this week as the Plantation Course features some of the largest greens on the PGA Tour, reminiscent of those at Augusta National.
Henley struggled in his return to Kapalua in 2023, but he showed that his game can get around this place with a T-17 finish in 2018 and a T-3 result in 2015.
