Sentry Tournament of Champions usually only open to PGA Tour winners from the previous year; field includes top 30 from last season's FedExCup standings for the first time due to coronavirus-disrupted schedule in 2020
Thursday 7 January 2021 22:54, UK
World No 1 Dustin Johnson returns to action for the first time since his record-breaking Masters victory at this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, live on Sky Sports.
Johnson arrives in Hawaii looking to build on his dominant autumn form, where the reigning FedExCup champion finished no worse than tied-sixth in a run of seven events that included three wins and three runner-up finishes.
Victory at Augusta National in November extended Johnson's advantage at the top of the world rankings and also moved him top of the FedExCup standings, with the 36-year-old now aiming for a winning start to 2021 at the event he previously won in 2013 and 2018.
Eight of the world's top 10 feature at the Kapalua Resort for the opening event of the calendar year, where a change to the entry criteria because of the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a record field size of 42 players for the no-cut event.
Only PGA Tour winners from the previous 12 months are traditionally eligible to tee it up in Maui, although a limited playing schedule in 2020 means that players who qualified for last year's Tour Championship are also allowed to feature for the first time.
Justin Thomas is back to defend his title after a dramatic playoff victory in last year's event, where he bogeyed his final hole before defeating Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed in extra holes.
Jon Rahm will make his first start with new clubs after signing a multi-year endorsement deal with Callaway, while big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau gets his chance to put the winter work to further increase his ball speed into tournament practice.
The new entry criteria provides Abraham Ancer and Scottie Scheffler the opportunity to become the first player to claim their maiden PGA Tour title at the event, while Jason Kokrak, Carlos Ortiz, and Richy Werenski are the other first-timers in the field after breakthrough victories in 2020.
Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton are the only players in the world's top ten not making the trip to Hawaii, with Jim Herman the other qualifying golfer not competing after testing positive for Covid-19.
Sky Sports will have four hours of live coverage from each round in Hawaii, with all the action getting underway from 11pm over the first three days and from 9pm for Sunday's final round.
Watch the Sentry Tournament of Champions throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 11pm on Sky Sports Golf.
