Post by Makers on Jan 5, 2016 7:08:33 GMT -5
Hyundai ChampionsTournament: Hyundai Tournament of Champions
Date: Jan. 7- Jan. 10
Venue: Kapalua Resort Plantation Course
Location: Kapalua, Hawaii
The golfers head to the beautiful Kapalua Resort Plantation Course for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Thursday.
The Hyundai Tournament of Champions marks the unofficial start to the PGA Tour season. It is the calendar-year opening tournament and the golfers bring their best to the 7,411-yard course
Ernie Els is the guy who has shot the best score in Kapalua, as he went -31 when he won in 2003. That score is the second lowest in the history of the PGA Tour behind the -33 that Steve Stricker shot at the 2009 Bob Hope Classic.
In 2015, Patrick Reed came away as the winner in Hawaii. Reed shot a -21 over the course of the weekend and will be going for his second straight victory beginning Thursday.
None of the players in this year’s field have won the event twice, but there is plenty of firepower in this year’s event. Both Jason Day and Jordan Spieth will be playing and this tournament is certainly going to be fun to watch.
Let’s now take a look at who might be coming away with the win in 2016:
Golfers to Watch
Jordan Spieth (4/1 - Spieth has played in just one official TOUR tournament this season, finishing T7 at the WGC-HSBC Champions. He now heads back to Kapalua, where he finished second in 2014. Spieth was unable to edge out Zach Johnson in that tournament and he will be hungry to earn a victory at this one. He can make a statement by winning the first tournament of the calendar year; especially considering the field includes Jason Day.
Jason Day (5/1) - Day came as close as could be to finishing the season as the world #1 in 2015 and he’ll be out to prove he is the best on Thursday. Day has had to battle with Spieth in the standings for over a year now and this tournament is going to be huge for both of them. Last year, Day shot a -20 over the weekend and finished T3 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He was two strokes away from winning and will be out to actually win it this week.
Zach Johnson (20/1) - Johnson has quietly been one of the more consistent golfers on the Tour and he is receiving some fantastic odds heading into this one. Johnson won this tournament back in 2014 and followed it up with a T7 finish in 2015. He knows this course well and is an outstanding value at 20/1 here. He is worth putting a unit or two on, as he is likely to be near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.
Scott Piercy (60/1) - Unlike many of the golfers in this field, Piercy has already played in three official events and shot a -7 or better in all of them. Piercy finished T7 at the CIMB Classic on Oct. 29 and has had some success in Hawaii in his career. Piercy finished T12 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2012 and T13 in 2013. He could be worth throwing a unit on this weekend, as the payout would be huge for a guy that can really feel it up when he’s on.
Odds to win Hyundai Tournament of Champions - per Sportsbook.ag
Jordan Spieth 4/1
Jason Day 5/1
Dustin Johnson 15/2
Bubba Watson 10/1
Patrick Reed 10/1
Rickie Fowler 10/1
Kevin Kisner 18/1
Brooks Koepka 20/1
Zach Johnson 20/1
Graeme McDowell 25/1
J.B. Holmes 25/1
Justin Thomas 25/1
Emiliano Grillo 30/1
Jimmy Walker 30/1
Russell Knox 30/1
Bill Haas 40/1
Brandt Snedeker 40/1
Chris Kirk 50/1
Danny Lee 50/1
David Lingmerth 60/1
Scott Piercy 60/1
Alex Cejka 80/1
Smylie Kaufman 80/1
James Hahn 90/1
Davis Love III 125/1
Padraig Harrington 125/1
Peter Malnati 125/1
Steven Bowditch 125/1
Fabian Gomez 150/1
J.J. Henry 150/1
Troy Merritt 175/1
Matt Every 200/1