A new year starts in paradise and resumes PGA Tour season

By The Associated Press

A new year on the PGA Tour begins with a big-time field. The Sentry Tournament of Champions features a 39-man field restricted to winners from 2021. It also includes Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele. The only eligible player who chose not to be in Maui is Rory McIlroy. The field surprisingly includes Phil Mickelson. He’s playing at Kapalua for the first time in 21 years. Lefty stopped coming because he felt the wind could mess up his swing. But winning $8 million from the new Player Impact Program requires him to add a new event, and he chose Kapalua.