What Has Changed in the PGA Tour Season Opener The Sentry?

Former King of Kings Tournament Now Allows FedEx Cup Top 50
Total Prize Money Raised to $20 Million for 'Premier Event'
Kim Joo-hyung, Im Sung-jae, Kim Si-woo, Ahn Byung-hoon to Compete

The PGA Tour is kicking off its new season.

The opening event, The Sentry, will be held over four days starting on the 4th (local time) at the Plantation Course (par 73, 7,596 yards) in Kapalua, Hawaii. It is a long journey of 36 tournaments culminating in the Tour Championship, the final playoff (PO) event ending on September 1. The PGA Tour has changed from a seasonal format to a single-year format starting this year. Events held after the Tour Championship serve as a wildcard competition for players who have not secured a stable position for the next season.

Kim Juhyung is walking on the green of the 10th hole during the Sentry practice round. [Kapaluwa (Hawaii) = AFP·Yonhap News]

The Sentry was originally a "champion of champions" event, where only winners of the previous year's tour events could participate. However, due to the small number of participants, the eligibility was expanded this year to include players ranked within the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings even if they did not win last season. The prize money was increased by $5 million compared to last year. It has been upgraded to a premium designated event with a total prize fund of $20 million (approximately 26.2 billion KRW). The winner's prize is $3.6 million (approximately 470 million KRW).

Korea has the largest representation with four players participating. Kim Joo-hyung and Kim Si-woo qualify as winners of last year's tour events. Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun earned their spots by ranking within the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. Kim Joo-hyung made an impressive debut at this event last year, finishing tied for 5th place. He had the fewest strokes from tee to green among all players and the best score on par-5 holes. The PGA Tour praised him, saying, "Kim Joo-hyung, who has excellent learning ability, now fully understands the greens."

Eight players ranked within the top 10 in the world rankings will compete. Top contenders include world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, and Xander Schauffele (all from the USA). Defending champion Jon Rahm (Spain) will not participate as he has moved to LIV Golf. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) will also be absent.

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