Steady winds and an unusually soft golf course gave players something different to think about in the first round of the 2025 Sentry. While some struggled with the atypical conditions, Tom Hoge did not. Carding 10 birdies against just one bogey, the one-time PGA Tour winner fired a 9-under 64 in the first round of the PGA Tour season to command a one-stroke lead over Will Zalatoris and Hideki Matsuyama, with Collin Morikawa standing just one further back.
Hoge and Zalatoris aim to capture the second victories of their respective careers as Matsuyama marches towards another title on the PGA Tour. Meanwhile, it is Morikawa who yearns for something more and seeks to right a wrong from two seasons ago. In firm control of the 2023 tournament before a back-nine collapse, the two-time major champion comes into the new year as motivated as ever to win on a golf course where he has notched five top-10 finishes in five prior attempts.
“I don’t know [what it is about this golf course],” Morikawa said. “No, there’s certain courses where you feel like you can birdie every hole. It’s not like a forced thing that you can have happen, but I feel like out here, you hit some good approach shots, you can make some putts, and thankfully I’ve made a lot of putts throughout the years. Today was just to focus on today and I’ll worry about tomorrow when tomorrow happens.”
Paired with his Presidents Cup teammates Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns, Morikawa displayed his prowess early and often. Three birdies on the front nine set the table for a back-nine run that propelled his name up the leaderboard. Birdie putts from inside 8 feet fell on Nos. 12-13 before a 20-foot conversion came on the very next. A nifty pitch from below the surface on the par-5 15th set up Morikawa’s seventh and final birdie of his bogey-free round.
Morikawa joined Cameron Young at 7 under with his late charge and was later surpassed by Matsuyama, who experienced one of his own highlighted by an eagle on No. 15. Following a two-win season in 2024, the man from Japan looks for more of the same in 2025 as he searches for his third trophy in his last 18 starts to go along with his bronze medal from the Paris Olympics this past summer.
The leader
1. Tom Hoge (-9)
The first man on the golf course Thursday morning was the first name atop the leaderboard by day’s end. Making his third tournament appearance, Hoge relied heavily on his putter as he gained roughly +3.50 strokes on the greens, which even included a three-putt bogey on the par-4 6th. That club will tell Hoge’s tale over the next 54 holes. Although it was strength on Thursday, it has typically been a weakness throughout his career.
“I feel like it’s a golf course that sets up for me well,” Hoge said. “There’s some room off the tee, so you can drive it in a lot of fairways. And then you hit some good irons in you feel like you can make a lot of birdie out here. Feel like I should play well, and hopefully I can keep that going.”
Other contenders
T2. Will Zalatoris, Hideki Matsuyama (-8)
T4. Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young, Corey Conners (-7)
T7. Tony Finau, Adam Hadwin, Thomas Detry (-6)
T10. Jhonattan Vegas, Harry Hall, Aaron Rai, Austin Eckroat, Maverick McNealy (-5)
It is not often a golfer makes a concerted effort to beef up, but that is exactly what Zalatoris did this offseason. Putting on more than 15 pounds of muscle, the right hander hit the gym in order to keep his speed up in a more sustainable manner. Returning in 2024 following back surgery, Zalatoris got off to a nice start with quality results at the Genesis Invitational and the Masters. He fell flat the rest of the year and failed to capture another top-10 finish across the final four months.
With the extra weight, Zalatoris feels as healthy as ever, and it showed in his first round of the year as he hit 16 greens in regulation and looked comfortable with the broom stick putter in hand. Now, he just has to sustain it.
“I typically end up losing somewhere between 5 and 10 pounds every year,” Zalatoris said. “I left Colorado [BMW Championship] at 163, and I weighed in before I left at 182. I’ve put in, it’s been a lot of work, a lot of work in the gym with Damon Goddard, a lot of work with just making sure that — I want to, you know, longevity, I mean, obviously I could stand up on any tee and pop off a 180 ball speed, but I want to do that for as long as I can. Hopefully, this is something that’s going to help for the long-term.”
Beware of the injured golfer
This last week in golf saw world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler injure his hand preparing Christmas Dinner and Viktor Hovland break his pinky toe against the foot of his bed. Despite the pain and visible limp with his right foot towards the end of his round, Hovland gutted it out and posted a 70 to climb just outside the top 20.
Hovland sat down with the PGA Tour before the start of the tournament to detail the events of his injury. Flying from Norway to Hawaii, the former FedEx Cup champion checked into his hotel room, passed out immediately and woke up only to stub his toe against his bed.
2025 Sentry updated odds and picks
- Collin Morikawa: 4-1
- Hideki Matsuyama: 9/2
- Cameron Young: 9-1
- Corey Conners: 9-1
- Will Zalatoris: 9-1
- Tom Hoge: 10-1
- Tony Finau: 16-1
- Ludvig Åberg: 22-1
There is something weird cooking at the Plantation Course. In a tournament often labeled as a putting contest, some of the worst putters in the field have found their groove on the greens. Conventional wisdom suggests they will fall back down to earth, which presents a nice buying opportunity following the first round. Morikawa and Matsuyama are the rightful favorites, but there are some attractive prices a few further back with Åberg drawing the most interest at 4 under following a lackluster day with the driver.
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