The 2020 golf season gets underway this weekend at The Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in Maui. Only previous-season winners on the PGA Tour are eligible, and though Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and others are sitting out, the field of 34 still has a great deal of class at the top. Jon Rahm is the favorite at 4/1. He’s followed by Justin Thomas (5/1) and defending champion Xander Schauffele (15/2).
The plays
Dustin Johnson (9/1): DJ is almost double the price here than he was last season. That’s largely due to a down year, by his standards, and having knee surgery. He returned at the Presidents Cup in December and went 2-2 in his matches but did end on a high note. He has won twice here and could be plenty motivated, as his current world ranking of fifth is his lowest since the 2016 U.S. Open. Johnson arrived in Hawaii the day after Christmas, so he looks to be raring to go in starting his season right.
Patrick Reed (14/1): A winner here in 2015, Reed has three top-six finishes in his last four starts at Kapalua, including a runner-up in 2016. Controversy followed him from the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where he was called out by fellow touring pros for cheating, and he struggled at the Presidents Cup. He’s had a holiday break to get away from the drama, largely that he created. I’d expect him to be focused here.
Gary Woodland (14/1): Was the runner-up here last year and has three top-seven finishes in the last five years at the Sony Open (next week’s event) at Waialae.
Corey Conners (50/1): A first trip to Kapalua actually could be an advantage, because Conners has never seen this track before renovations. The changes could confuse veterans who have played here frequently.
