THE Tournament of Champions in Hawaii promises a spectacular start to the new golfing year, with the stunning setting matched by an all-star cast.

Rory McIlroy is the only player among the forty who qualified for this event to give it a miss – hardly surprising as he has played there just once in his career.

But the PGA Tour’s ban on LIV Tour rebels also rules out last year’s winner Cameron Smith, which seems to leave the title at the mercy of 2022 runner-up Jon Rahm, who seemed shell-shocked at finishing 33 under par, and still losing out by a shot!

The Spaniard also finished runner up here in 2018, and the bookies certainly feel he has every chance of going one better, as he heads the market at around  6-1.

It is hard to argue with those odds after Rahm finished 2022 by winning two of his last four starts, and finishing second and fourth in the others. 

But it is easy for players to get hot on this cosy par 73, as Smith proved, and there looks to be plenty of value elsewhere in the field.

Hot shot: Patrick Cantlay, 10-1.

The world No 4 was fourth here last year, and filled the same position two years earlier, so he clearly likes the Kapalua Resort lay-out.

The American did not quite hit the same heights last year as 2021, when he ran away with the FedEx Cup jackpot and proved one of the stars of the USA’s record-breaking Ryder Cup romp.

But Cantlay still managed a victory and four runner-up finishes, and will be determined to improve his win percentage this year. This is a great opportunity to start the process.

Mid price – Sungjae Im, 20-1.

The Korean  star is another player who did not quite live up to expectations last year, despite clocking up a second PGA Tour win and a trio of third places towards the end of the season.

The former PGA Tour rookie of the year was expected to be a big force in the top events after his runner-up finish at the 2020 Masters, but that remains his only top ten finish in the Majors.

But he is still only 24, and this could be a big year for him. His form in this event – fifth and eighth, shooting eight rounds in the 60s to finish a combined 45 under par – also offers plenty of encouragement.

Longshot – Sepp Straka, 100-1.

Players getting their first sight of Kapalua are usually at  a disadvantage, but three figure odds for the fast-improving Austrian ace look too good to pass up.

Straka showed he is not afraid to go low on plenty of occasions last year, when he achieved his breakthrough victory at the Honda Classic and followed up with three more top three finishes.

He is up to 27th in the world rankings, and there is more improvement to come. Straka also looks a good bet for a Ryder Cup debut later this year – and his current odds of 6-1 to make Luke Donald’s team may not last long!

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