Tournament of Champions (golf)

History

The tournament is held during the first week of January and, since 1999, has been played over the Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort near Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Unlike most PGA Tour events, it is a par 73 course.

Previous venues have been the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, from the event's inception until 1966, and the Stardust Country Club, also in Las Vegas, in 1967 and 1968. For the following thirty years, it was played at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California; it moved from May in 1985 to January in 1986, and relocated to Maui in 1999.

The tournament has had several title sponsors, the first being Mutual of New York (MONY) between 1975 and 1990. After three years of sponsorship by Infiniti, German car maker Mercedes-Benz began a sixteen-year association with the event and the Tournament of Champions name was dropped. In 2010 the tournament entered a new ten-year agreement with Korean broadcasting company Seoul Broadcasting System, with the tournament being renamed as the SBS Championship. In 2017, SBS became title sponsor again after Hyundai took over title sponsorship of the PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club. Sentry Insurance signed on as the event's title sponsor with a five-year agreement starting in 2018, later extended through 2030.

From 2012 to 2015, the tournament used a Friday–Monday format, joining the Deutsche Bank Championship as the only two PGA Tour events with this format. The format allowed the tournament to have its own day to finish, and not compete against the second day of the NFL Wild Card Playoff round.

For the 2021 tournament, the PGA Tour announced that the field would be expanded to include the 30 players qualifying for the 2020 Tour Championship in addition to tournament winners during the 2020 calendar year. The change was made following the cancellation of ten tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 edition reverted to the usual winners-only field, but the addition of Tour Championship qualifiers was made permanent in 2023. The tournament had a name change for 2024 as a result, dropping the traditional Tournament of Champions name again. For the 2025 tournament, The Sentry will be an official Signature Event. By rule, the 50 players who qualified for the 2024 BMW Championship, in addition to all winner of the previous year, are eligible. In addition, if a player who qualified for the BMW Championship is deemed not in good standing and ineligible to participate on the PGA Tour, the 51st place player in FedEx Cup standings will be elevated, and so forth.

In September 2025, the PGA Tour announced that the tournament would not be played at its traditional venue, the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui, for the 2026 season. The decision was made citing ongoing drought conditions, water conservation mandates, compromised agronomic conditions, and logistical challenges. In October, the tour announced the cancellation of the 2026 event, and that all winners during the 2025 season would instead be invited to the RBC Heritage in April.

Television

While being played at LaCosta, the weekend rounds were traditionally televised by ABC Sports. However, after moving to Hawaii in 1999, the time difference was not conducive to network television. The event moved to ABC's cable partner ESPN for four-round coverage. In 2007, the event moved to four-round coverage on the Golf Channel. In 2012, NBC Sports began showing weekend play, while also producing the new Monday final round for sister network Golf Channel. Starting in 2018, Thursday-Sunday coverage split between Golf Channel and NBC, with the latter picking up weekend coverage when not in conflict with the network's broadcasts of NFL playoff games.

Winners

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Tournament highlights

• 1953: Al Besselink wins the inaugural Tournament of Champions (TOC) by one shot over Chandler Harper.
• 1955: Gene Littler is victorious at the TOC for the first time. He wins by 13 shots over Pete Cooper, Jerry Barber, and Bob Toski.
• 1957: For the third consecutive year, Gene Littler is victorious at the TOC. He finishes three shots ahead of Billy Casper, Jimmy Demaret, Dow Finsterwald, and Billy Maxwell.
• 1959: Mike Souchak wins by two shots over Art Wall Jr. in spite of his shooting a final round 77.
• 1960: Jerry Barber shoots 268, a TOC tournament mark for its time in Las Vegas, four shots ahead of Jay Hebert.
• 1962: Arnold Palmer earns his first TOC title. He birdies the 72nd hole to finish one shot ahead of Billy Casper.
• 1963: Jack Nicklaus wins the TOC for the first time. He finishes five shots ahead of Tony Lema and Arnold Palmer.
• 1966: Arnold Palmer successfully defends his TOC title by defeating Gay Brewer 69 to 73 in an 18-hole playoff. For Brewer, it's his second 18-hole playoff loss in a week. In the tournament prior to the TOC, The 1966 Masters Tournament, Brewer was defeated by Jack Nicklaus.
• 1967: Frank Beard prevents Arnold Palmer from winning a third straight TOC. He holes a seven-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Palmer.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SYFfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=azAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1817,3249734&dq=frank+beard+tournament+of+champions&hl=en |title=Frank Beard Wins Tourney On Final Hole
• 1969: Gary Player wins in the United States for the first time since his 1965 U.S. Open triumph. He finishes two shots ahead of Lee Trevino.
• 1972: Bobby Mitchell wins the TOC with a 20 ft birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Jack Nicklaus.
• 1973: Jack Nicklaus wins the TOC for a fourth time, one stroke ahead of Lee Trevino.
• 1977: Jack Nicklaus collects his fifth and final TOC title with a birdie at the third hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Bruce Lietzke.
• 1978: Just like the week previous at Masters, Gary Player comes back from seven shots behind to win, two shots ahead of Andy North and Lee Trevino.
• 1980: Tom Watson wins by three shots over Jim Colbert. The original margin of victory was five shots but Watson was penalized two shots by tour officials after he was overheard giving advice to his playing partner Lee Trevino.
• 1981: Lee Trevino earns his first PGA Tour victory in California, two strokes ahead of Raymond Floyd.
• 1982: Ron Streck comes to the 72nd hole tied with Lanny Wadkins but three-putts to seemingly lose by one shot. After play is finished, Streck is assessed a two-shot penalty for moving a tree branch in his face on the 70th hole. The penalty drops Streck into a four-way tie for second along with Andy Bean, David Graham, and Craig Stadler and costs him over $14,000 in prize money.
• 1985: Tom Kite shoots a first round 64 on his way to a six-shot triumph over Mark McCumber.
• 1986: Calvin Peete shoots a tournament record 267 and finishes six shots ahead of Mark O'Meara.
• 1991: Tom Kite wins his second TOC after Lanny Wadkins three-putts the 71st green from just 18 ft.
• 1995: Steve Elkington birdies the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Bruce Lietzke. During the final round, 54-hole leader John Huston putted his ball into a lake.
• 1997: Tiger Woods, the PGA Player of the Year for 1997, birdies the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Tom Lehman.
• 1999: David Duval wins the first edition of the tournament played in Hawaii, nine shots ahead of Mark O'Meara and Billy Mayfair.
• 2000: Tiger Woods wins his fifth consecutive PGA Tour event. He sinks a 40 ft birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Ernie Els.
• 2003: Ernie Els shoots a tournament record 261 on his way to an eight-shot victory over Rocco Mediate and K. J. Choi.
• 2006: Stuart Appleby defeats Vijay Singh on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff and joins Gene Littler as the only winners of the tournament for three consecutive years.
• 2010: Geoff Ogilvy successfully defends his tournament title, one stroke ahead of Rory Sabbatini.
• 2025: Hideki Matsuyama set the record for the lowest 72-hole score with a 35 under par. During the final round at the fifth hole, Taylor Pendrith made the first albatross in event history.

Notes

References

References

1. Lum, Curtis. (September 9, 2011). "PGA Tour takes over Maui's 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions". Pacific Business News.
2. (June 26, 2012). "Fall Series events to offer full FedExCup points". PGA Tour.
3. (May 7, 2009). "SBS to sponsor season-opening event through 2019". PGA Tour.
4. (November 4, 2010). "Hyundai taking over sponsorship at Kapalua". PGA Tour.
5. (January 21, 2016). "Hyundai Ends Sponsorship of Tournament of Champions". Maui Now.
6. (August 16, 2017). "Tournament of Champions getting a new sponsor for 2018 event". CBS Sports.
7. (December 31, 2019). "Sentry extends as title sponsor of Tournament of Champions thru 2030". PGA Tour.
8. "Eligibility criteria added to 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions". PGA Tour.
9. (August 23, 2022). "Sentry extends as title sponsor of Tournament of Champions through 2035". PGA Tour.
10. (17 September 2025). "The Sentry won't be played on Maui in 2026 amid drought conditions". Reuters.
11. (16 September 2025). "The PGA Tour announces The Sentry will not be contested at Kapalua in 2026". PGA Tour.
12. "PGA Tour announces The Sentry will not be contested in 2026". PGA Tour.
13. (January 6, 2021). "How to watch Sentry Tournament of Champions, Round 1: Tee times, live leaderboard, TV times". PGA Tour.
14. (16 September 2025). "PGA Tour announces The Sentry will not be contested at Kapalua in 2026". PGA Tour.
15. Harig, Bob. (22 October 2025). "PGA Tour Makes Tough Decision About 2026 Season Opener".
16. (April 27, 1953). "Besselink Captures Tournament of Champions by Stroke". The New York Times.
17. (May 2, 1955). "Gene Littler easy tourney champ". The Leader-Post.
18. (April 22, 1957). "Littler Captures Third Tourney Of Champions". St. Petersburg Times.
19. (April 27, 1959). "Souchak Beats Wall by 2 Strokes to Win Tournament of Champions". Wilkes-Barre Record.
20. (May 9, 1960). "Jerry Barber tops champions". The Bend Bulletin.
21. (May 7, 1962). "Arnold Palmer Does It Again". The News-Dispatch.
22. (May 6, 1963). "Jack Loafs to Victory at 'Vegas'". The Spokesman-Review.
23. (April 19, 1966). "Palmer Moves to Second in $ Race: Collects $20,000 in Tournament Of Champions Playoff". The Latrobe Bulletin.
24. (April 22, 1969). "Gary Nabs Champions". Ocala Star-Banner.
25. (April 24, 1972). "Mitchell Snatches Tournament Of Champions Purse From Jack". The Press-Courier.
26. St. Amant, Joe. (April 23, 1973). "Jack Wins Title". Times-Union.
27. Cour, Jim. (April 18, 1977). "Nicklaus Takes Fifth Champions". The Galveston Daily News.
28. (April 17, 1978). "Player Does It Again, Charges To T Of C Victory". The Pittsburgh Press.
29. (April 21, 1980). "Penalty Assessment Watson Survives". The Daily Gleaner.
30. Spander, Art. (April 20, 1981). "Trevino tops Floyd in stretch". San Francisco Examiner.
31. (April 19, 1982). "Misfortune hits Streck; Wadkins wins". The Saginaw News.
32. Green, Bob. (May 6, 1985). "Kite Front-Running Victor In Tournament Of Champions". Schenectady Gazette.
33. (January 12, 1986). "Peete Takes 6-Stroke Victory In Tournament of Champions". The Press-Courier.
34. Diaz, Jaime. (January 7, 1991). "Kite, With a Final 69, Outlasts Wadkins". The New York Times.
35. (January 9, 1995). "Elkington wins Mercedes event". The Daily Courier.
36. Peters, Ken. (January 9, 1995). "Putt into lake costs Huston crown". The Vindicator.
37. (January 13, 1997). "Woods wins Mercedes playoff". The Item.
38. (January 10, 1999). "Duval cruises to Mercedes victory". The Item.
39. (January 10, 2000). "With 40-Foot Putt in Playoff, Woods Matches Hogan's Streak". The New York Times.
40. Brown, Clifton. (January 13, 2003). "Tour Scoring Record Starts Els's Season Right". The New York Times.
41. (January 8, 2006). "Appleby claims third straight Mercedes Championship". ESPN.
42. (January 10, 2010). "Ogilvy bests Sabbatini by one stroke". ESPN.
43. Ferguson, Doug. (5 January 2024). "Hideki Matsuyama has record-setting start to the PGA Tour season with victory at Kapalua". Associated Press News.