No matter what — or who — happens between now and next Thursday, Mark Rolfing is convinced the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions will have one of the best fields ever to come to Kapalua Plantation.
He should know. Rolfing lives at Kapalua and was a partner in the resort’s early development. He helped bring the TOC to West Maui 20 years ago, between golf broadcasting gigs, and salvaged it at one of its lowest points.
He believes the 21st TOC at Kapalua will be one of its highest points, even without Tiger Woods, one of the few 2018 PGA Tour champions who did not commit early to the event.
Wednesday night, Woods’ “team” told tournament organizers he would not be coming to Hawaii, the 10th time he has decided not to play when he was eligible.
“This is the best field in a decade, maybe longer,” Rolfing says. “From top to bottom, it may be the best ever. To me, it’s a signal that this tournament has turned the corner in the world of golf and taken its rightful place as one of the most important tournaments in the world. I believe it has come that far.”
A few years ago sponsorship was sketchy and European players, in particular, were passing on the TOC and staying home for lucrative paydays.
Last year, Sentry Insurance insured sponsorship through 2022. This September, after passing six times, Rory McIlroy committed to the TOC.
Ryder Cup teammates Francesco Molinari, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm, along with Jason Day and Marc Leishman, are also expected at Kapalua (commitments are final Friday).
Ryder Cup opponents Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas, Webb Simpson, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson should also be on Maui.
At least half those golfers are also expected at Waialae Country Club the following week for the Sony Open in Hawaii, along with 130-plus others, including Cameron Champ, Luke Donald, Fabian Gomez, Emiliano Grillo, Russell Henley, Patton Kizzire, Davis Love III, Adam Scott, Jimmy Walker and Hawaii amateur Peter Jung.
Johnson has won two of the last six TOCs, cruising home by eight shots last January. He was the third top-ranked player in the world to win, after Woods (2000) and Jordan Spieth (2016).
Koepka took last place that week, then took three months off to heal a wrist injury. He came back to win three times, including two majors, and earn 2018 Player of the Year honors.
He is one of the many young players — Johnson, Thomas, Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm, etc. — who are outspoken about wanting to start their year on Maui.
“I really think the younger players made a commitment to help the tournament turn the corner,” Rolfing said. “They support it and really became ambassadors for it.”
Rolfing describes Fowler and Spieth as “heartbroken” about not qualifying for the TOC. In sharp contrast are Matt Kuchar, who turned 40 this year, and Charles Howell III, who hits that milestone next year. Both are Sony Open mainstays, but hadn’t qualified for the TOC in years.
Kuchar won this fall — in Mexico — for the first time since 2014. He immediately talked about how happy he was to “go from hola to aloha.” Howell is returning after an 11-year winless drought. “I haven’t been back to Maui since four sponsors ago,” Howell said after winning in a playoff. “I’m thrilled to get back there.”
Hawaii will also tee up the tour debut of the world’s new rulebook, which goes into effect Jan. 1. Bryson DeChambeau, who owns a physics degree, is already analyzing new options.
He plans to leave the flagstick in when he putts Kapalua’s greens, which is still a two-stroke penalty until Tuesday.
“I can’t think of a better place to do it than Kapalua, if you are going downwind, downhill and down grain,” Rolfing says. “The PGA is bringing a USGA rules guy out because I’m sure there will be a lot of questions and uncertainty. These rules are way different and nobody wants to make a mistake.”
After Sentry, the Plantation will shut down until November for restoration and lengthening from the championship tees. There will be four new tees (Nos. 3, 4, 9 and 10) and all the greens, bunkers and fairways will be done over.
The reason is partly climate change, according to Rolfing, who says the tradewinds are not as prevalent now, which transforms the course into one of the tour’s shortest despite its yardage (7,518).
SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
>> First PGA Tour event of 2019, with all 2018 champions eligible
>> Kapalua Plantation Course (Par 36-37—73, 7,518 yards)
>> Jan. 3-6, from approximately 10:10 a.m. Thursday and Friday, TBA Saturday and Sunday
>> Pro-Am, Wednesday from 7 a.m.
>> Purse, $6.3 million ($1,260,000 first prize)
>> Dustin Johnson (24-under 268) is defending champion
>> Admission is free Wednesday, $20 daily Thursday-Sunday, or $45 for tournament pass in advance, $55 at gate. Military and dependents with valid Department of Defense ID free. Kids 18-under free with ticketed adult.
>> Parking: Lahaina Civic Center (1840 Honoapiiliany Hwy.) with free shuttles to course
>> TV: Golf Channel, 1-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, TBA Saturday and Sunday
SONY OPEN IN HAWAII
>> First full-field PGA Tour event of 2019
>> Waialae Country Club (Par 35-35—70, 7,068 yards)
>> Jan. 10-13, from 7 a.m. Thursday and Friday, TBA Saturday and Sunday
>> Pro-Am, Wednesday Jan. 9, from 6:50 a.m.
>> Purse, $6.4 million ($1,152,000 first prize)
>> Patton Kizzire (17-under 263) is defending champion
>> Admission is $25 daily Wednesday-Sunday or $60 for week-long Season Badge. Military and dependents with valid military ID free. Kids 12-under free with ticketed adult.
>> Parking: Free at Hunakai Park (Monday-Sunday) and Kahala Community Park (Thursday-Sunday), with free shuttles to the course
>> TV: Golf Channel, 2-5:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday
Spare for Change accepts donations
Spare for Change, Inc, a non-profit “aimed at growing the game of golf through recycled golf equipment,” will be accepting club donations at Hawaii’s upcoming PGA Tour events.
The non-profit will be at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, at Kapalua Plantation Jan. 2-6, and the Sony Open in Hawaii, at Waialae Country Club Jan. 9-13.
The group’s goal is to provide more than 2,000 free golf clubs each year “to kids, adults, young professionals and retirees to preserve the game of golf.”
Maui PGA pro David Havens is founder of Spare for Change. He is owner-operator at The Havens Experience, a teaching academy at Maui Nui Golf Course in Kihei, which is also home to Spare for Change.
Since its creation in 2011, Spare for Change has distributed more than 20,000 free golf clubs to players of all ages and experience. For more information, visit spareforchange.org.
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Ann Miller, special to the Star-Advertiser
Correction: A previous version this story had an incorrect amount for the Sony Open’s first prize.
