The 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions is here, and we're back with our PGA Tour expert picks and betting tips for the tournament at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.
Every week, we share our PGA Tour player rankings, and they are agnostic of competition. Whether you're betting on golf, playing in a fantasy golf leagues or competing in a DFS (DraftKings, FanDuel) event, our picks highlight the top players to watch this week.
Here are our 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions rankings and expert picks, as we do each week of the PGA Tour season.
2022 SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: Tournament Model | Rankings | Betting Odds | DFS picks | One and Done | Discord
2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions preview
The Sentry Tournament of Champions kicks off the PGA Tour's calendar year and non-stop golf through the middle of next December. Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course -- a Coore and Crenshaw design -- once again hosts the PGA Tour's official winners since the last time we were here.
The TOC is both easy and hard to rank. Of course, we have a limited field, with 39 of 40 eligible players (hi, Rory) competing in a no-cut event. But many of these players are rusty, having not competed in an official event since at least November. Without consistent play, it's hard to rank the field.
However, it's also easier to rank because first-time players tend not to win. Whether that's the course, the strength of field, potential nerves or other factors, TOC rookies are pretty easy to overlook.
Take a look at my top 10 for this week.
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2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions rankings: Top 10 expert picks
1. Justin Thomas: JT is the King of Kapalua (at least currently). In the last five years, he's won twice and finished third twice. Last year wasn't his best, particularly with the putter, but limited-field events are his jam.
2. Collin Morikawa: The two-time major winner could ascend to No. 1 in the world this week. He's finished seventh in both of his starts here, and his iron play should be a huge relative asset this week given the large greens.
3. Viktor Hovland: The break was a bummer for Hov, who won his last two starts of calendar 2021 at Mayakoba and the Hero. The good news is Hovland clearly likes tropical environments, given his wins, including Puerto Rico.
4. Patrick Cantlay: It's easy to forget how good Cantlay is and the run he went on in the playoffs to win the FedEx Cup. It's also hard to maintain that level, but Cantlay returns to a place he likes and has had good results.
5. Jon Rahm: We haven't seen Jon Rahm play competitive golf in 11 weeks, since he missed the cut at the Andalucia Masters. He could lose world No. 1 this week, but his Kapalua track record is excellent.
6. Xander Schauffele: Xander got into this field by winning the Olympic golf tournament, which was his only win of calendar 2021. However, his track record here is good -- even for a guy who probably doesn't win as much as he should.
7. Sam Burns: That whole thing about first-timers not winning notwithstanding, Sam Burns is a great call this week. He gets better every time out, and he doesn't back down against deeper competition.
8. Sungjae Im: Im is going to get overlooked a lot this week, but his short game is fabulous and he has no fear going really low to win a tournament. Those are big pluses at Kapalua.
9. Hideki Matsuyama: The last time we saw Hideki was 10 weeks ago, when he won the Zozo Championship, capping off an amazing year in which he won the Masters. He has to hit the reset button for 2022, and his experience late last decade here could be a help.
10. Jordan Spieth: Spieth is back at Kapalua after having not won in 2018, 2019 or 2020. He hasn't seen the course since the renovation. However, Spieth handles wind and gross conditions well, and he can scrap it around better than anyone.
