Tournament of Champions (golf)

The Sentry

Tournament information
Location	Kapalua, Hawaii
Established	1953
Course(s)	Kapalua Resort (Plantation Course)
Par	73
Length	7,596 yards (6,946 m)
Organized by	PGA Tour [1]
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$20,000,000
Month played	January
Tournament record score
Aggregate	257 Hideki Matsuyama (2025)
To par	−35 [a] as above
Current champion
Hideki Matsuyama
Location map
Kapalua Resort Location in Hawaii

The Tournament of Champions, currently titled as The Sentry, is the calendar-year opening tournament of golf's PGA Tour season, played in Hawaii on the island of Maui. ^[2] The tournament was founded in 1953; for most of its history the field was restricted to golfers who won a tournament on the tour during the previous calendar year, but players who qualified for the preceding Tour Championship are now invited as well. ^{[3] [4]} From 1986 through 2013, it was the opening event of each tour season; the PGA Tour switched to its wrap-around season (starting season in September and ending in August) in the fall of 2013. In 2025, Hideki Matsuyama shot the lowest 72-hole to-par score in the history of the PGA Tour (−35) to win the tournament.

History

The tournament is held during the first week of January and, since 1999, has been played over the Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort near Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Unlike most PGA Tour events, it is a par 73 course.

Previous venues have been the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, from the event's inception until 1966, and the Stardust Country Club, also in Las Vegas, in 1967 and 1968. For the following thirty years, it was played at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California; it moved from May in 1985 to January in 1986, and relocated to Maui in 1999.

The tournament has had several title sponsors, the first being Mutual of New York (MONY) between 1975 and 1990. After three years of sponsorship by Infiniti, German car maker Mercedes-Benz began a sixteen-year association with the event and the Tournament of Champions name was dropped. In 2010 the tournament entered a new ten-year agreement with Korean broadcasting company Seoul Broadcasting System, with the tournament being renamed as the SBS Championship. ^[3] Hyundai took over title sponsorship in 2011 with SBS remaining a sponsor. ^[5] In 2017, SBS became title sponsor again after Hyundai took over title sponsorship of the PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club. ^[6] Sentry Insurance signed on as the event's title sponsor with a five-year agreement starting in 2018, ^[7] later extended through 2030. ^[8]

From 2012 to 2015, the tournament used a Friday–Monday format, joining the Deutsche Bank Championship as the only two PGA Tour events with this format. The format allowed the tournament to have its own day to finish, and not compete against the second day of the NFL Wild Card Playoff round.

For the 2021 tournament, the PGA Tour announced that the field would be expanded to include the 30 players qualifying for the 2020 Tour Championship in addition to tournament winners during the 2020 calendar year. The change was made following the cancellation of ten tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[9] The 2022 edition reverted to the usual winners-only field, but the addition of Tour Championship qualifiers was made permanent in 2023. ^[4] The tournament had a name change for 2024 as a result, dropping the traditional Tournament of Champions name again. For the 2025 tournament, The Sentry will be an official Signature Event. By rule, the 50 players who qualified for the 2024 BMW Championship, in addition to all winner of the previous year, are eligible. In addition, if a player who qualified for the BMW Championship is deemed not in good standing and ineligible to participate on the PGA Tour, the 51st place player in FedEx Cup standings will be elevated, and so forth.

In September 2025, the PGA Tour announced that the tournament would not be played at its traditional venue, the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui, for the 2026 season. The decision was made citing ongoing drought conditions, water conservation mandates, compromised agronomic conditions, and logistical challenges. A replacement venue has not yet been confirmed. ^{[10] [11]}

Television

While being played at LaCosta, the weekend rounds were traditionally televised by ABC Sports. However, after moving to Hawaii in 1999, the time difference was not conducive to network television. The event moved to ABC's cable partner ESPN for four-round coverage. In 2007, the event moved to four-round coverage on the Golf Channel. In 2012, NBC Sports began showing weekend play, while also producing the new Monday final round for sister network Golf Channel. Starting in 2018, Thursday-Sunday coverage split between Golf Channel and NBC, with the latter picking up weekend coverage when not in conflict with the network's broadcasts of NFL playoff games. ^[12]

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)
The Sentry
2025	Hideki Matsuyama	257	−35	3 strokes	Collin Morikawa	3,600,000
2024	Chris Kirk	263	−29	1 stroke	Sahith Theegala	3,600,000
Sentry Tournament of Champions
2023	Jon Rahm	265	−27	2 strokes	Collin Morikawa	2,700,000
2022	Cameron Smith	258	−34	1 stroke	Jon Rahm	1,476,000
2021	Harris English	267	−25	Playoff	Joaquín Niemann	1,340,000
2020	Justin Thomas (2)	278	−14	Playoff	Patrick Reed Xander Schauffele	1,340,000
2019	Xander Schauffele	269	−23	1 stroke	Gary Woodland	1,300,000
2018	Dustin Johnson (2)	268	−24	8 strokes	Jon Rahm	1,260,000
SBS Tournament of Champions
2017	Justin Thomas	270	−22	3 strokes	Hideki Matsuyama	1,220,000
Hyundai Tournament of Champions
2016	Jordan Spieth	262	−30	8 strokes	Patrick Reed	1,180,000
2015	Patrick Reed	271	−21	Playoff	Jimmy Walker	1,140,000
2014	Zach Johnson	273	−19	1 stroke	Jordan Spieth	1,140,000
2013	Dustin Johnson	203 [b]	−16	4 strokes	Steve Stricker	1,140,000
2012	Steve Stricker	269	−23	3 strokes	Martin Laird	1,120,000
2011	Jonathan Byrd	268	−24	Playoff	Robert Garrigus	1,120,000
SBS Championship
2010	Geoff Ogilvy (2)	270	−22	1 stroke	Rory Sabbatini	1,120,000
Mercedes-Benz Championship
2009	Geoff Ogilvy	268	−24	6 strokes	Anthony Kim Davis Love III	1,120,000
2008	Daniel Chopra	274	−18	Playoff	Steve Stricker	1,100,000
2007	Vijay Singh	278	−14	2 strokes	Adam Scott	1,100,000
Mercedes Championships
2006	Stuart Appleby (3)	284	−8	Playoff	Vijay Singh	1,080,000
2005	Stuart Appleby (2)	271	−21	1 stroke	Jonathan Kaye	1,060,000
2004	Stuart Appleby	270	−22	1 stroke	Vijay Singh	1,060,000
2003	Ernie Els	261	−31	8 strokes	K. J. Choi Rocco Mediate	1,000,000
2002	Sergio García	274	−18	Playoff	David Toms	720,000
2001	Jim Furyk	274	−18	1 stroke	Rory Sabbatini	630,000
2000	Tiger Woods (2)	276	−16	Playoff	Ernie Els	522,000
1999	David Duval	266	−26	9 strokes	Mark O'Meara Billy Mayfair	468,000
1998	Phil Mickelson (2)	271	−17	1 stroke	Mark O'Meara Tiger Woods	306,000
1997	Tiger Woods	202 [b]	−14	Playoff	Tom Lehman	216,000
1996	Mark O'Meara	271	−17	3 strokes	Nick Faldo Scott Hoch	180,000
1995	Steve Elkington (2)	278	−10	Playoff	Bruce Lietzke	180,000
1994	Phil Mickelson	276	−12	Playoff	Fred Couples	180,000
Infiniti Tournament of Champions
1993	Davis Love III	272	−16	1 stroke	Tom Kite	144,000
1992	Steve Elkington	279	−9	Playoff	Brad Faxon	144,000
1991	Tom Kite (2)	272	−16	1 stroke	Lanny Wadkins	144,000
MONY Tournament of Champions
1990	Paul Azinger	272	−16	1 stroke	Ian Baker-Finch	135,000
1989	Steve Jones	279	−9	3 strokes	David Frost Jay Haas	135,000
1988	Steve Pate	202 [b]	−14	1 stroke	Larry Nelson	90,000
1987	Mac O'Grady	278	−10	1 stroke	Rick Fehr	90,000
1986	Calvin Peete	267	−21	6 strokes	Mark O'Meara	90,000
1985	Tom Kite	275	−13	6 strokes	Mark McCumber	72,000
1984	Tom Watson (3)	274	−14	5 strokes	Bruce Lietzke	72,000
1983	Lanny Wadkins (2)	280	−8	1 stroke	Raymond Floyd	72,000
1982	Lanny Wadkins	280	−8	3 strokes	Andy Bean David Graham Craig Stadler Ron Streck	63,000
1981	Lee Trevino	273	−15	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd	54,000
1980	Tom Watson (2)	276	−12	3 strokes	Jim Colbert	54,000
1979	Tom Watson	275	−13	6 strokes	Bruce Lietzke Jerry Pate	54,000
1978	Gary Player (2)	281	−7	2 strokes	Andy North Lee Trevino	45,000
1977	Jack Nicklaus (5)	281	−7	Playoff	Bruce Lietzke	45,000
1976	Don January (2)	277	−11	5 strokes	Hubert Green	45,000
1975	Al Geiberger	277	−11	Playoff	Gary Player	40,000
Tournament of Champions
1974	Johnny Miller	280	−8	1 stroke	Buddy Allin John Mahaffey	40,000
1973	Jack Nicklaus (4)	276	−12	1 stroke	Lee Trevino	40,000
1972	Bobby Mitchell	280	−8	Playoff	Jack Nicklaus	33,000
1971	Jack Nicklaus (3)	279	−9	8 strokes	Bruce Devlin Gary Player Dave Stockton	33,000
1970	Frank Beard (2)	273	−15	7 strokes	Billy Casper Tony Jacklin Gary Player	30,000
1969	Gary Player	284	−4	2 strokes	Lee Trevino	30,000
1968	Don January	276	−8	1 stroke	Julius Boros	30,000
1967	Frank Beard	278	−6	1 stroke	Arnold Palmer	20,000
1966	Arnold Palmer (3)	283	−5	Playoff	Gay Brewer	20,000
1965	Arnold Palmer (2)	277	−11	2 strokes	Chi-Chi Rodríguez	14,000
1964	Jack Nicklaus (2)	279	−9	2 strokes	Al Geiberger Doug Sanders	12,000
1963	Jack Nicklaus	273	−15	5 strokes	Tony Lema Arnold Palmer	13,000
1962	Arnold Palmer	276	−12	1 stroke	Billy Casper	11,000
1961	Sam Snead	273	−15	7 strokes	Tommy Bolt	10,000
1960	Jerry Barber	268	−20	4 strokes	Jay Hebert	10,000
1959	Mike Souchak	281	−7	2 strokes	Art Wall Jr.	10,000
1958	Stan Leonard	275	−13	1 stroke	Billy Casper	10,000
1957	Gene Littler (3)	285	−3	3 strokes	Billy Casper Jimmy Demaret Dow Finsterwald Billy Maxwell	10,000
1956	Gene Littler (2)	281	−7	4 strokes	Cary Middlecoff	10,000
1955	Gene Littler	280	−8	13 strokes	Jerry Barber Pete Cooper Bob Toski	10,000
1954	Art Wall Jr.	278	−10	6 strokes	Al Besselink Lloyd Mangrum	10,000
1953	Al Besselink	280	−8	1 stroke	Chandler Harper	10,000

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Tournament highlights

• 1953: Al Besselink wins the inaugural Tournament of Champions (TOC) by one shot over Chandler Harper. ^[13]
• 1955: Gene Littler is victorious at the TOC for the first time. He wins by 13 shots over Pete Cooper, Jerry Barber, and Bob Toski. ^[14]
• 1957: For the third consecutive year, Gene Littler is victorious at the TOC. He finishes three shots ahead of Billy Casper, Jimmy Demaret, Dow Finsterwald, and Billy Maxwell. ^[15]
• 1959: Mike Souchak wins by two shots over Art Wall Jr. in spite of his shooting a final round 77. ^[16]
• 1960: Jerry Barber shoots 268, a TOC tournament mark for its time in Las Vegas, four shots ahead of Jay Hebert. ^[17]
• 1962: Arnold Palmer earns his first TOC title. He birdies the 72nd hole to finish one shot ahead of Billy Casper. ^[18]
• 1963: Jack Nicklaus wins the TOC for the first time. He finishes five shots ahead of Tony Lema and Arnold Palmer. ^[19]
• 1966: Arnold Palmer successfully defends his TOC title by defeating Gay Brewer 69 to 73 in an 18-hole playoff. For Brewer, it's his second 18-hole playoff loss in a week. In the tournament prior to the TOC, The 1966 Masters Tournament, Brewer was defeated by Jack Nicklaus. ^[20]
• 1967: Frank Beard prevents Arnold Palmer from winning a third straight TOC. He holes a seven-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Palmer. ^[21]
• 1969: Gary Player wins in the United States for the first time since his 1965 U.S. Open triumph. He finishes two shots ahead of Lee Trevino. ^[22]
• 1972: Bobby Mitchell wins the TOC with a twenty-foot (6 m) birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Jack Nicklaus. ^[23]
• 1973: Jack Nicklaus wins the TOC for a fourth time, one stroke ahead of Lee Trevino. ^[24]
• 1977: Jack Nicklaus collects his fifth and final TOC title with a birdie at the third hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Bruce Lietzke. ^[25]
• 1978: Just like the week previous at Masters, Gary Player comes back from seven shots behind to win, two shots ahead of Andy North and Lee Trevino. ^[26]
• 1980: Tom Watson wins by three shots over Jim Colbert. The original margin of victory was five shots but Watson was penalized two shots by tour officials after he was overheard giving advice to his playing partner Lee Trevino. ^[27]
• 1981: Lee Trevino earns his first PGA Tour victory in California, two strokes ahead of Raymond Floyd. ^[28]
• 1982: Ron Streck comes to the 72nd hole tied with Lanny Wadkins but three-putts to seemingly lose by one shot. After play is finished, Streck is assessed a two-shot penalty for moving a tree branch in his face on the 70th hole. The penalty drops Streck into a four-way tie for second along with Andy Bean, David Graham, and Craig Stadler and costs him over $14,000 in prize money. ^[29]
• 1985: Tom Kite shoots a first round 64 on his way to a six-shot triumph over Mark McCumber. ^[30]
• 1986: Calvin Peete shoots a tournament record 267 and finishes six shots ahead of Mark O'Meara. ^[31]
• 1991: Tom Kite wins his second TOC after Lanny Wadkins three-putts the 71st green from just eighteen feet (5.5 m). ^[32]
• 1995: Steve Elkington birdies the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Bruce Lietzke. ^[33] During the final round, 54-hole leader John Huston putted his ball into a lake. ^[34]
• 1997: Tiger Woods, the PGA Player of the Year for 1997, birdies the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Tom Lehman. ^[35]
• 1999: David Duval wins the first edition of the tournament played in Hawaii, nine shots ahead of Mark O'Meara and Billy Mayfair. ^[36]
• 2000: Tiger Woods wins his fifth consecutive PGA Tour event. He sinks a forty-foot (12 m) birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Ernie Els. ^[37]
• 2003: Ernie Els shoots a tournament record 261 on his way to an eight-shot victory over Rocco Mediate and K. J. Choi. ^[38]
• 2006: Stuart Appleby defeats Vijay Singh on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff and joins Gene Littler as the only winners of the tournament for three consecutive years. ^[39]
• 2010: Geoff Ogilvy successfully defends his tournament title, one stroke ahead of Rory Sabbatini. ^[40]
• 2025: Hideki Matsuyama set the record for the lowest 72-hole score with a 35 under par. During the final round at the fifth hole, Taylor Pendrith made the first albatross in event history. ^[41]

Notes

1. PGA Tour scoring record to par.
2. Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

1. Lum, Curtis (September 9, 2011). "PGA Tour takes over Maui's 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions". Pacific Business News.
2. "Fall Series events to offer full FedExCup points". PGA Tour. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
3. "SBS to sponsor season-opening event through 2019". PGA Tour. May 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
4. "Sentry extends as title sponsor of Tournament of Champions through 2035". PGA Tour. August 23, 2022.
5. "Hyundai taking over sponsorship at Kapalua". PGA Tour. November 4, 2010. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
6. "Hyundai Ends Sponsorship of Tournament of Champions". Maui Now. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
7. "Tournament of Champions getting a new sponsor for 2018 event". CBS Sports. August 16, 2017.
8. "Sentry extends as title sponsor of Tournament of Champions thru 2030". PGA Tour. December 31, 2019. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021.
9. "Eligibility criteria added to 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
10. "The Sentry won't be played on Maui in 2026 amid drought conditions". Reuters. September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
11. "The PGA Tour announces The Sentry will not be contested at Kapalua in 2026". PGA Tour. September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
12. "How to watch Sentry Tournament of Champions, Round 1: Tee times, live leaderboard, TV times". PGA Tour. January 6, 2021.
13. "Besselink Captures Tournament of Champions by Stroke". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 27, 1953. p. Sports-28.
14. "Gene Littler easy tourney champ". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. Associated Press. May 2, 1955. p. 19 – via Google News Archive.
15. "Littler Captures Third Tourney Of Champions". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. April 22, 1957. p. 14 – via Google News Archive.
16. "Souchak Beats Wall by 2 Strokes to Win Tournament of Champions" . Wilkes-Barre Record. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. April 27, 1959. p. 15 – via newspapers.com.
17. "Jerry Barber tops champions". The Bend Bulletin. Oregon. Associated Press. May 9, 1960. p. 2 – via Google News Archive.
18. "Arnold Palmer Does It Again". The News-Dispatch. Jeanette, Pennsylvania. United Press International. May 7, 1962. p. 8 – via Google News Archive.
19. "Jack Loafs to Victory at 'Vegas'". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. May 6, 1963. p. 11 – via Google News Archive.
20. "Palmer Moves to Second in $ Race: Collects $20,000 in Tournament Of Champions Playoff" . The Latrobe Bulletin. Pennsylvania. United Press International. April 19, 1966. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
21. "Frank Beard Wins Tourney On Final Hole". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. April 17, 1967. p. 8 – via Google News Archive.
22. "Gary Nabs Champions". Ocala Star-Banner. Florida. Associated Press. April 22, 1969. p. 8 – via Google News Archive.
23. "Mitchell Snatches Tournament Of Champions Purse From Jack". The Press-Courier. Oxnard, California. Associated Press. April 24, 1972. p. 14 – via Google News Archive.
24. St. Amant, Joe (April 23, 1973). "Jack Wins Title". Times-Union. Warsaw, Indiana. United Press International. p. 11 – via Google News Archive.
25. Cour, Jim (April 18, 1977). "Nicklaus Takes Fifth Champions" . The Galveston Daily News. Texas. United Press International. p. 1-B – via newspapers.com.
26. "Player Does It Again, Charges To T Of C Victory". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. April 17, 1978. p. C-2 – via Google News Archive.
27. "Penalty Assessment Watson Survives" . The Daily Gleaner. Fredericton, New Brunswick. Associated Press. April 21, 1980. p. 19 – via newspapers.com.
28. Spander, Art (April 20, 1981). "Trevino tops Floyd in stretch" . San Francisco Examiner. p. F5 – via newspapers.com.
29. "Misfortune hits Streck; Wadkins wins" . The Saginaw News. Michigan. United Press International. April 19, 1982. p. D3 – via newspapers.com.
30. Green, Bob (May 6, 1985). "Kite Front-Running Victor In Tournament Of Champions". Schenectady Gazette. New York. Associated Press. p. 32 – via Google News Archive.
31. "Peete Takes 6-Stroke Victory In Tournament of Champions". The Press-Courier. Oxnard, California. Associated Press. January 12, 1986. p. 25 – via Google News Archive.
32. Diaz, Jaime (January 7, 1991). "Kite, With a Final 69, Outlasts Wadkins". The New York Times. p. C-4.
33. "Elkington wins Mercedes event". The Daily Courier. Prescott, Arizona. Associated Press. January 9, 1995. p. 7a – via Google News Archive.
34. Peters, Ken (January 9, 1995). "Putt into lake costs Huston crown". The Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. Associated Press. p. C3 – via Google News Archive.
35. "Woods wins Mercedes playoff". The Item. Sumter, South Carolina. January 13, 1997. p. 3B – via Google News Archive.
36. "Duval cruises to Mercedes victory". The Item. Sumter, South Carolina. January 10, 1999. p. 2B – via Google News Archive.
37. "With 40-Foot Putt in Playoff, Woods Matches Hogan's Streak". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 10, 2000. p. D-1.
38. Brown, Clifton (January 13, 2003). "Tour Scoring Record Starts Els's Season Right". The New York Times. p. D-2.
39. "Appleby claims third straight Mercedes Championship". ESPN. Associated Press. January 8, 2006.
40. "Ogilvy bests Sabbatini by one stroke". ESPN. Associated Press. January 10, 2010.
41. Ferguson, Doug (January 5, 2024). "Hideki Matsuyama has record-setting start to the PGA Tour season with victory at Kapalua". Associated Press News. Retrieved January 6, 2025.

External links

• Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site

21°00′22″N156°38′24″W / 21.006°N 156.64°W / 21.006; -156.64