Eight of the world's top ten in action for the first PGA Tour event of 2022, only open to winners from the previous calendar year; Morikawa can overtake Rahm into world No 1 - watch live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf
Thursday 6 January 2022 10:51, UK
The 2022 golfing calendar begins on the PGA Tour this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, with Jon Rahm arriving in Hawaii with his world No 1 status under threat.
Rahm has held top spot since finishing tied-third at The Open in July, a month on from securing a maiden major victory at the US Open, with the Spaniard registering 13 top-tens from 21 starts during a stellar 2021.
The 27-year-old's eventful year saw him withdraw from The Memorial due to Covid-19 when holding a six-shot lead, the first of two positive coronavirus results over the season, with Rahm also top-scoring for Europe in a record-breaking Ryder Cup defeat and becoming a father for the first time.
Rahm took a break from the sport after a missed cut at the Andalucia Masters in October and skipped the remainder of the DP World Tour season, admitting he "didn't want to see a golf club" which allowed Morikawa to close the gap on the world No 1 spot heading into the New Year.
Morikawa followed victories at the WGC-Workday Championship and The Open by winning the DP World Tour Championship in November, seeing him become the first American winner of the Order of Merit, although he squandered the chance to claim the world No 1 spot at the Hero World Challenge.
The 24-year-old took a five-shot lead into the final round of the Tiger Woods-hosted event last month, where a win would have seen him leapfrog Rahm, only to fade into a share of fifth after a closing 76.
Morikawa will have another opportunity to take the No 1 spot in this week in Hawaii, where the field is limited to winners on the PGA Tour from the previous calendar year, providing Rahm doesn't win or finish solo second.
Rahm finishing outside the top-five could see Morikawa jump to world No 1 with a solo second this week, while Morikawa could finish as low as third - depending on Rahm's result - and still move into top spot for the first time in his career.
Should Morikawa reach world No 1 then he will be only the fourth player to top the rankings before the age of 25, following on from Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, while Morikawa would become the quickest player to move to No 1 since Woods took just 21 professional starts to achieve the accolade in 1997.
Who is playing in Hawaii?
A stellar field contains 38 of the 39 winners on the PGA Tour in 2021, along with Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele, with Rory McIlroy the only eligible player not making the trip to Kapalua.
McIlroy, who claimed his 20th PGA Tour title in October at The CJ Cup in Las Vegas, will start his year with back-to-back Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour later this month. The only other player from the world's top 10 not involved is Dustin Johnson, a two-time champion in Hawaii, after a winless campaign on the PGA Tour.
Harris English returns as defending champion after his play-off victory over Joaquin Niemann in last year's event, while Phil Mickelson - the oldest major winner in history - returns to the tournament for the first time since 2001.
Other notable names in action include Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, FedExCup winner Patrick Cantlay, two-time tournament winner Justin Thomas and 2016 champion Jordan Spieth, who ended a three-and-a-half-year winless run on the PGA Tour last season.
There will be more live action from the opening event of the year than ever before, with Featured Group coverage live for all four tournament rounds for the first time.
Featured Group coverage begins at 8.15pm for the first three rounds and 6.30pm on the final day, ahead of full coverage from 11pm from Thursday to Saturday and 9pm on Sunday.
Watch the Sentry Tournament of Champions throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf!
