The first PGA Tour event of 2021 starts the two-part swing through Hawaii at the Kapalua Plantation Course for the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

This tournament usually is reserved for winners from the previous PGA Tour season, but with the COVID-19 pandemic halting play for three months in 2020, the top-30 players who qualified for last year's Tour Championship are also invited to compete.

Eight of the top-10 players in the world are teeing it up this week, with the exceptions being Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton, who declined to compete.

Two-time champion Dustin Johnson is the slight betting favourite to defeat Justin Thomas, another two-time winner and defending champ.

This is the only course on tour that plays to a par-73, but after years of extremely low winning scores a restoration and refinement to this track last year made it a much more difficult test for competitors.

Two Canadians are playing this week, with Mackenzie Hughes, who got in by virtue of qualifying for the Tour Championship, joining 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am winner Nick Taylor.

Both are considered long shots to taste victory, with Hughes a +12500 underdog and Taylor tied for the longest odds to win at +30000.

Here's our first look at the field for the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Betting Odds To Win 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions – Top 15

Dustin Johnson +600

Justin Thomas +700

Jon Rahm +750

Bryson DeChambeau +1000

Xander Schauffele +1000

Patrick Reed +1600

Patrick Cantlay +1800

Hideki Matsuyama +1800

Webb Simpson +1800

Viktor Hovland +2000

Tony Finau +2200

Collin Morikawa +2800

Daniel Berger +3000

Sungjae Im +3300

Harris English +3300

Johnson finished 2020 on an absolute tear

Trying to come up with any plausible reason why Dustin Johnson won't win this event is an exercise in futility – the man finished last year on an insanely great run.

In his last seven events in 2020, he racked up three wins (most notably at the Masters), three runner-ups, and “only” had a T-6 at the U.S. Open.

He's also dominated at this venue, winning twice - first in 2013 by four strokes and in 2018 by a whopping eight shots.

The last eight times he's teed it up at the Sentry TOC he's finished inside the top-10.

Really the only reason to not wager on Johnson is simply because there isn't a ton of value at +600.

Still, he’s the obvious betting favourite this week for a reason.

Thomas returns as defending champion

The second favourite on the board is Justin Thomas, who won for the second time in the last four years last year at Kapalua in a playoff over Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele.

Though he didn't finish last season on quite the scintillating heater that DJ did, he was no slouch either, with a pair of runner-ups and nothing worse than T-12 in his last six official tournaments.

The last time he teed it up at the PNC Championship was with his father in December, when they took home the title in the unofficial event.

 Though he has been a little bit volatile at this venue, having finished a pedestrian T-21 (of 32 golfers) in his tournament debut in 2016 and T-22 (of 34) in 2018, he has the good vibes of those two wins and a third in 2019.

Last year he gained an exceptional 10 shots on the field tee-to-green en route to victory at the Sentry TOC.

Though it's not a ton more value than Johnson, at +700, JT is worthwhile to consider this week.

Past Five Winners of Sentry Tournament of Champions

2020: Justin Thomas　　　　　　　　　　　　 -14 (playoff)

2019: Xander Schauffele 　　　　 -23

2018: Dustin Johnson 　　　　　　　　　 -24

2017: Justin Thomas　　 　　　　　　　　 -22

2016: Jordan Spieth　　　 　　　　　　　　 -30

FORE YOUR INFORMATION

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Patrick Reed +1600

Patrick Reed won this tournament in 2015 and his record around this track has been fantastic each time he's teed it up since, with the exception of a T-25 in 2019.

Last year, he came oh-so-close to yet another crown at this event, where he lost on the third playoff hole to Justin Thomas.

In 2016 he was the runner-up as well, and in 2017 finished in a tie for sixth.

In the six worldwide events in 2020, he was clearly on the cusp on getting back into the winner's circle, with four top-10's (including a pair of T-3's), and T-13 and T-14 results the other two times he teed it up.

At +1600, you're getting Reed at pretty decent value considering the small field, his success on this track and his run of solid play.

Collin Morikawa +2800

Last year's PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa is sporting very enticing odds for a player that has quickly established himself as a world-class player.

Not only did he win the PGA for his first major, he also took home the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield last season.

In his tournament debut last year, Morikawa did not disappoint with a strong T-7 showing.

He's not among the favourites this week because his best finish in his last five PGA Tour events is a tie for 12th.

Morikawa’s two victories last year were preceded by a missed cut and an average T-20 showing in his previous tournament, so he's shown he can turn it on and win at any time, making him very intriguing this week.

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