This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Sentry Tournament of Champions
Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Plantation Course at Kapalua - Par 73 - 7,596 yards
Field - 39 entrants
Purse - $15M
The Preview
The golf lobby has been barren since the conclusion of the fall series at November's RSM Classic, but the PGA Tour's brief winter break already comes to a screeching halt in beautiful Maui this week, and it's time to buckle up for 32 scheduled weeks of Yahoo DFS action between now and the 2023 TOUR Championship. Qualifiers for the previous TOUR Championship accompany victors from the 2022 calendar year to make up the limited field of just 39 entrants at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, where Kapalua is sure to provide a sublime viewing experience.
The Plantation Course's massive bermuda greens certainly inflate GIR percentages, but the putting surface's undulations are typically severe enough to help protect pins from simple target practice and require constant focus with the flat stick, though Birdie or Better rates still soar in comparison to the average Tour event. Additional defenses at Kapalua include coastal winds and uneven lies, but with some of the widest fairways we'll see all year, players can rip their drivers early and often to shorten the layout as we'll likely see contenders surpass the 20-under-par mark with relative ease by Sunday afternoon.
Recent Champions
2022 - Cameron Smith
2021 - Harris English
2020 - Justin Thomas
2019 - Xander Schauffele
2018 - Dustin Johnson
2017 - Justin Thomas
2016 - Jordan Spieth
2015 - Patrick Reed
2014 - Zach Johnson
2013 - Dustin Johnson
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Birdie or Better percentage
Proximity: 50-125 and 200-plus yards
SG: Putting (bermuda)
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Jon Rahm - $43
One year removed from his 33-under-par performance at the TOC that resulted in runner-up honors, it was surprising to find a 6/1 betting favorite in the outright market carrying a sub-$45 salary, making Rahm an obvious target atop the board with seemingly the greatest chance at those coveted 25 fantasy points for a first-place finish this time around. The Spaniard won twice overseas during the fall, securing victories on home turf at the Spanish Open and in Dubai at the DP World Tour Championship. Yahoo's softer pricing at the very top this week will encourage stars and scrubs strategies, allowing gamers to have more access to the biggest names compared to what we might see on other sites. It's entirely manageable to select the three most expensive options and still comfortably build a competitive GPP lineup, especially given the lack of a 36-hole cut.
Patrick Cantlay - $41
Sandwiched between the aforementioned Rahm and an extremely popular (for good reason) "Justin Thomas in Hawaii" narrative, Cantlay might be teeing it up with the lowest rostership exposure among those in the $40-plus range. This could provide a pivot opportunity to the No. 4 player in the world, who's also finished fourth twice in the last three years here. Cantlay tied for second in his lone appearance during the fall series, pacing the Shriners Children's Open field in SG: Off-the-Tee while adding another 8.1 strokes gained on the greens.
Glue Guys
Sungjae Im - $35
Im is a collective 45-under-par through his first two career appearances at Kapalua, placing no worse than T8 in the process. Known for his escalated putting ability on bermuda greens, Im also has gained an average of 3.6 strokes off the tee per tournament throughout his last seven measured starts dating back to late July's 3M Open. Additionally, he's second to none in eagle rate and third in Par-5 Efficiency over his last 36 rounds.
Viktor Hovland - $34
If our competitors want to fade a $34 Hovland because of a two-year sample of disappointing results at the Sentry TOC, then I'll take advantage as the Oklahoma State product heads to Hawaii with momentum from his recent win at the Hero World Challenge. Hovland has gained an average of 1.9 strokes putting per event throughout his last five measured tournaments, and he's top-10 in both Birdie or Better percentage and Par-4 Efficiency over his past 24 rounds.
Bargain Bin
Aaron Wise - $25
Wise enjoyed the best putting stretch of his entire career from the TOUR Championship through the Cadence Bank Houston Open, gaining a cumulative 18.2 strokes with the flat stick across his final four measured starts of the 2022 calendar year. This allowed Wise to rise to second in SG: Putting over his last 36 rounds, a span in which he also ranks second in Prox: 200-plus and seventh in par-5 scoring.
Tom Hoge - $22
Hoge's back-to-back missed cuts at the World Wide Technology Championship and The RSM Classic might scare off the casual gamer, but he placed T13 or better in four straight starts to begin the 2022-23 campaign. Throughout his last 24 measured rounds, Hoge sits second in overall proximity -- with especially promising metrics from 75-125 and 200-plus yards -- as well as third in Opportunities Gained and sixth in Par-4 Efficiency.
