Steve Palmer's The Sentry predictions & free golf betting tips

When to bet on The Sentry

By 5.45pm on Thursday night

Where can I watch The Sentry

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7.15pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Sentry predictions

Rickie Fowler
2.5pts each-way 35-1 bet365

Sahith Theegala
1.5pts each-way 66-1 general

Harris English
1pt each-way 80-1 general

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Steve Palmer's Sentry preview

Golf returns on Thursday night with The Sentry – formerly the Tournament of Champions – at the PGA Tour's traditional curtain-raising venue of Kapalua in Hawaii. The name change comes because the qualification criteria has been altered and this field is no longer exclusively for the previous year's champions.

Slowly but surely the line-up has been increased and this time we have the largest field in Kapalua's history – 59 runners going to post – as the Tour make The Sentry a signature event with a $20m prize fund. The likes of Byeong Hun An, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Schenk can consider themselves extremely fortunate to be part of this megabucks gathering.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Rickie Fowler 35-1

Scottie Scheffler putted well when winning the Hero World Challenge last time out, thrilled with the progress he is making with his new putting coach Phil Kenyon, but punters getting involved at just 11-2 for The Sentry are showing a leap of faith.

The Sentry seems almost certain to be a hugely low-scoring event – it is a doddle of a layout from tee to green and no serious wind is forecast – and Scheffler will probably have to putt extremely well to win. More time and evidence is required that this ball-striking king has turned a corner on the greens before taking short prices on easy layouts.

Viktor Hovland has Kapalua form figures of 31 (in a field of 42 runners), 30 (38) and 18 (39). The venue puts a premium on short-game skills, so does not play to Hovland's strengths. Preference for the opening event of 2024 is to ignore the top of the market and chance three short-game masters at healthy each-way odds.

Rickie Fowler loves Kapalua. This is a shotmaker's track where players have to be creative, with lots of uneven lies and peculiar angles, and Fowler's magic hands have always served him well. His form figures in the event are 6-5-4-5, so punters getting six each-way places this week know history is on their side.

Last year was a triumphant comeback for Fowler. He spent the first few months loudly knocking at the door of the winner's enclosure, impressing in top-class company, setting up a golden opportunity in the US Open before finishing fifth. Victory in a three-man playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic finally got Fowler back among the silverware.

That overdue sixth PGA Tour title saw an understandable form dip follow – having reached his goal he appeared to drop a gear mentally – but Fowler was lively in the Grant Thornton Invitational a month ago and finished sixth with Lexi Thompson.

The Christmas break will have done him good – a chance to freshen up and refocus – and the 35-year-old looks the best value for The Sentry. Fowler won the Hero World Challenge at Albany in 2017 – a similar mission to this one.

Next best bet

Sahith Theegala 66-1

Punters should not be fooled by Sahith Theegala being tailed off on his Kapalua debut 12 months ago. First-timers have a terrible record in this event – the quirky layout is difficult to conquer – and much better can be expected on his return.

Theegala seems ideally suited to the dimensions of the Plantation Course. Like Fowler, he is a natural with plenty of touch in his fingers. His short-game skills are superb and he is a top-notch putter.

Theegala's main weakness is not a serious issue at Kapalua. He can be wild off the tee, but there is margin for error at this venue. The Californian is great on approach, no matter where he is attacking from, and he has grown in self-belief since his last Kapalua visit.

A QBE Shootout success alongside Tom Hoge at the end of 2022 was a stepping stone to even bigger things – ninth place on his Masters debut in April, followed by a breakthrough victory in the Fortinet Championship in September.

Other selection

Harris English 80-1

The 2021 Sentry went the way of Harris English, who defeated Joaquin Niemann in a playoff, and a repeat success seems entirely feasible. English was 11th on his Kapalua debut in 2014, then had to wait seven years for a return, producing some awesome approach-play on the 18th hole to lift the trophy.

English has also played well in the PGA Tour's other Hawaii event, finishing fourth in the 2014 Sony Open and third in 2015. The 34-year-old is back to full fitness and the four-time PGA Tour champion impressed in some quality events last season, finishing second at Bay Hill, third in the Wells Fargo and eighth in the US Open.

Course guide for The Sentry

• Course Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
• Prize money $20m ($3.6m to the winner)
• Length 7,596 yards
• Par 73 – four par-fives, 11 par-fours, three par-threes
• Field 59 (no cut)
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Viktor Hovland (4), Patrick Cantlay (5), Xander Schauffele (6), Max Homa (7)

• Course records - 72 holes 258 Cameron Smith (2022) 18 holes 61 Justin Thomas (2022), Jon Rahm (2022), Matt Jones (2022)
• Course winners taking part Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Harris English
• When to bet By 5.45pm on Thursday night
  

• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7.15pm on Thursday
  
• Time difference Hawaii is ten hours behind the UK and Ireland
  
• Course type Parkland
  
• Course overview Kapalua is the traditional home of the Tour's curtain-raiser. A power-hitter's paradise, the fairways are like runways. Seven holes are longer than 500 yards. The 680-yard closing hole is a test of strength on a track which has the largest greens on the circuit. Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore renovated the track after the 2019 edition. Fairways, tees and rough were grassed with Celebration bermuda, while the greens became TifEagle bermuda, with the designers hoping to create firmer, faster conditions
  
• The story of last year Jon Rahm took advantage of a Sunday wobble from Collin Morikawa to claim a two-shot victory
  
• Weather forecast Sunny and pleasant throughout. Light to moderate breezes for the first three days, before a calm Sunday
  
• Type of player suited to the challenge The huge greens demand sharp scrambling. The roll-call of past winners shows how powerhouses can flourish (Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas), but other recent champions (Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith) underline the importance of a superb short game in a low-scoring event
  
• Key attribute Touch

Steve Palmer's Sentry key stat

Only two of the last 24 events at Kapalua have been won by a debutant

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