HONOLULU (AP) — Ludvig Aberg now is a veteran of two years at Kapalua for The Sentry, and he already has figured out the formula for the Plantation Course.
“You need to shoot a lot of low scores here to keep up,” he said.
Aberg was nine shots out of the lead, closed with rounds of 65-64 and wound up 11 shots behind Hideki Matsuyama. The Swede at least managed to improve his position by 24 spots and finished in a tie for fifth.
And then there was Thomas Detry, who shot a 65 in the third round and lost ground.
“I shot 8 under today, but didn’t really feel like I shot 8 under,” he said. “Other courses when you shoot 8 under you really feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, I played unreal golf here.’ I just felt like I played some really steady golf.”
Is Kapalua getting too easy?
Hideki Matsuyama set the PGA Tour record to par at 35 under and won by three. The previous record belonged to Cameron Smith in 2022. He finished at 34 under and won by a single shot.
The similarities for both years — virtually no wind.
Weather happens in golf. Sometimes the wind can rip so hard the tournament can't get started until the fourth day (that happened in 2013). Stuart Appleby won in 2006 at 8-under par when the wind speed was in the 35 mph range every day.
Collin Morikawa was at 26 under for 54 holes and trailing. He was asked after the third round, “Do you like this stuff?”
“I love it,” he said, though he misunderstood the question.
“Oh, I thought you meant like being in contention and being in Hawaii,” Morikawa said with a laugh. "Yeah, it's fine. Look, this golf course the par 5s are gettable, par 4s don't play that long when it's not windy. You can't do anything about it.
“It's not what you want every week, because it's a lot. It's draining just as much as it's draining shooting even par at a major championship.”
By appearance — how much under par, as if that matters — one solution could be changing the 520-yard fifth hole into a par 4. A good drive leaves a mid-iron at most to the green — Taylor Pendrith made the first albatross at Kapalua with a 6-iron — and the par 5 played to an average of 4.1 for the week.
This was the fifth straight year the winning score was 25 under or lower. Justin Thomas won at 20 under in 2020 when the gusts topped 25 mph and one day featured rain.
Morikawa was more in tune with quality of play than the wind lying down, dropping a playful expletive when describing what Matsuyama had done for the week.
“Excuse my language ... but 35-under par, that's low,” he said. “He was matching me yesterday shot-for-shot, and I felt like I was playing lights out.”
King of the PIP
Scottie Scheffler didn't win everything last year. When it comes to the Player Impact Program, designed to reward players who generate interest in the PGA Tour through performance and personality, Tiger Woods was the winner again.
Sports Business Journal obtained the 2024 PIP list and it had Woods — who played in five tournaments and made one cut — earning the $10 million bonus over Scheffler, whose nine victories last year included the Masters, an Olympic gold medal and The Players Championship. He also got arrested in the middle of the PGA Championship.
Scheffler received $8 million, so with bonuses, he topped $70 million for the year. Rory McIlroy, the only player to beat Woods in the PIP in 2023, finished third for $4.5 million.
The next seven, according to the Sports Business Journal: double major winner Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood and Wyndham Clark.
Of the top 10, five of them did not win on the PGA Tour last year.
Xander's rental ride
Xander Schauffele pulled in $29.3 million with a year that included two majors, along with his FedEx Cup bonus. He can afford any car he wants to drive. But the smooth Californian isn't into those kind of toys.
The only car he has is a Toyota Camry from 2016 that he keeps at his home in San Diego. He moved into his south Florida home last year and doesn't have a car.
Schauffele just uses rental cars.
He does have Avis for a sponsor, the logo on the sleeve of his golf shirts. But he had been doing that before signing the corporate deal. As much as he travels, Schauffele sees no harm in picking up a rental when he gets home, and dropping it off at the airport when he leaves.
“My wife has a car in Florida (Toyota Highlander, which she loves), but no, I don't,” he said. “I have one car in San Diego. It's my incognito vehicle, not that anyone cares who I am.”
Sentry's commitment
Wisconsin-based Sentry Insurance donated an additional $1 million to the Maui United Way to continue support of youth mental services in response to the deadly fire that wiped out so much of Lahaina in October 2023.
Sentry, the title sponsor at Kapalua since 2018 with a contract through 2035, has now donated more than $3 million to wildfire relief and recovery, $2 million of that to an initiative that sends mental health counselors to meet with kids in schools, parks and community centers. It has reached more than 5,000 children and families.
“Helping the Maui community recover and heal is deeply personal for us,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry’s chairman and CEO. “Our commitment to Maui extends beyond our role as the title sponsor of The Sentry. We’re focused on supporting the people of this island as they rebuild.”
Return of Finau
Tony Finau didn't make a bogey over the final 51 holes at Kapalua and tied for 15th. What made the week an even bigger success is he didn't feel much pain.
Finau had surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus in October. He had to withdraw from the Hero World Challenge and the mixed team Grant Thornton Invitational last month because he wasn't ready.
And then he walked 72 holes on the hilliest terrain on tour. It was his first competition since the Presidents Cup in late September.
“It feels like a long time,” Finau said. “It took a little time to recover, but I feel strong. I didn't know where my game was going to be — I was more concerned with my body. Overall, I'm happy with where I'm at.”
Divots
The Korn Ferry Tour has expanded the fields to 144 players for the opening two tournaments in the Bahamas to make sure everyone gets a chance to play. Players who had been guaranteed starts found themselves on the alternate list behind players who had PGA Tour conditional status and those out of Q-school. ... Matt McCarty earned a trip to the Masters and a two-year exemption for winning the Black Desert Championship in Utah. He also got a sponsorship deal out of it, signing a two-year agreement to represent the golf course and resort. ... David Rickman received another honor after retiring from 37 years at the R&A. He was appointed an MBE for his services to golf.
Stat of the week
Justin Thomas is the only player to win the season opener at Kapalua and go on to win the FedEx Cup that year.
Final word
“Hopefully, we'll be back next year and just find a way to shoot 36 under. It might not even be enough.” — Collin Morikawa after posting 32-under par at Kapalua and finishing three shots behind Hideki Matsuyama.
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