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Sentry Tournament of Champions: Great Week for 400-yard Plus Drives

By Kathlene Bissell

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 15: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 15, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 15: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 15, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Bryson, DJ, Brooks, Cameron Champ, Bubba Watson and Jon Rahm headline the long drivers at Kapalua in the Sentry Tournament of Champions this week.

Starting Thursday, look for these six golfers and others to surpass the magic 400-yard barrier more than once at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.  In fact, if you like seeing guys hit the long ball, get the popcorn ready, because this week has the potential to amaze. With a combination of players who have unbelievable clubhead speed and a golf course that has many severely downhill fairways, any large number is possible.

Usually, Kapalua’s Plantation Course provides at least half the top ten long drives for the season.  Last year was an aberration due to strong winds and rain. If it wasn’t nailed down, it was probably airborne.   Kapalua is tropical, remember, so they can get anything but sleet, ice and snow.

But in a more typical year, like 2018 for instance, six of the top ten long drives for the entire PGA Tour calendar came at the Sentry, headlined by Dustin Johnson, who along with Hudson Swafford, hit tee shots at the 7th that went 430 yards.  Others who hit over 400 yards at Sentry that year included  Jhonattan Vegas, Xander Schauffele and even Kevin Kisner.  Kisner has been averaging 287 off the tee in the 2021 season.  So, if he can get it out there 400 yards, you know there’s going to be potential for long, long, long, long drives.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 14: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his shot from the 18th tee during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 14, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 14: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his shot from the 18th tee during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 14, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Length shows itself so frequently at Kapalua that in all of 2018, 25 of the 43 drives over 400 yards for the entire season were hit there. And with Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Champ and Tony Finau in the field in 2021, there are sure to be a plenty this week.

The big driving numbers seem to show up most often on the 7th hole and the 12th hole. The scorecards are a little nutty. The 7th is a 522-yard par 4.  Kevin Kisner drove it 423 yards there in 2018.

The 12th is a 424-yard par 4. In 2018, Dustin Johnson drove the green or beyond it since his drive was 434 yards.  Xander Schauffele was right on the money at 422-yards.

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The 17th, also a fun spot for long drives, is where Jason Dufner and Brian Harman walloped drives just over 400 yards. However, the elevation changes are pretty nuts there also, and so they both still had 150 yards left to the green on the 550-yard par 4.

So far this season, DJ and Sergio Garcia have shown us 400-yard plus from the tee, both at the U.S. Open. And DeChambeau gave us a 395-yard drive at Shriners (and 403 on a launch monitor).  Adam Scott poked one out there 394 at the U.S. Open.

Other long hitters in the field at the Sentry include Brooks Koepka, who has already hit a drive 360 (CJCup), and Bubba Watson, whose longest so far is 368 (U.S. Open).

HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 08: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays his shot from the eighth tee during the final round of the Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on November 08, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 08: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays his shot from the eighth tee during the final round of the Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on November 08, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Can DeChambeau, Champ, Finau or someone else stroke a tee ball 450?  475? 500?  Honestly, we have no idea, but that’s what makes the Sentry such fun to watch.  Wherever you are, buckle your seat belt and hang on because it’s going to be a blast.

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