Eligibility criteria added to 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions

KAPALUA, HAWAII - JANUARY 05: Lanto Griffin of the United States plays his shot from the first tee during the final round of the Sentry Tournament Of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course on January 05, 2020 in Kapalua, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Amended PGA TOUR season and canceled events require shift in player qualification categories

KAPALUA, HAWAII - JANUARY 05: Lanto Griffin of the United States plays his shot from the first tee during the final round of the Sentry Tournament Of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course on January 05, 2020 in Kapalua, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii – As a result of changes to the professional golf calendar made by the PGA TOUR last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions field will include an additional qualification category. Winners from the 2020 calendar year will continue to qualify while players from the top 30 from the FedExCup Playoffs Points List who qualify for the 2020 TOUR Championship will be eligible for the 2021 event at The Plantation Course at Kapalua when the event returns January 6-10, 2021.

“We are committed to the winners-only nature of the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions that has made this an elite event on the PGA TOUR since it moved to Kapalua in 1999,” Executive Director Alex Urban said. “However, these are unprecedented circumstances, and an additional category was needed for the 2021 event that would reward players for a great season, while staying true to the fingerprint of what makes the event special. This addition will create some extra excitement in what should be a thrilling fall portion of golf and will also help the tournament continue its long history of supporting the Maui community.”

The new eligibility criteria will only be in place for the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in 13 events from the 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season to be canceled or postponed, the Sentry Tournament of Champions explored additional means to add players to the field. The cancellations meant the champions-only event would potentially have 13 less players to qualify for the tournament.

The PGA TOUR announced schedule adjustments for the remainder of the 2019-20 FedExCup season and released the fall portion of 2020-21 PGA TOUR Regular Season schedule. The restart of the TOUR season, which has been suspended since THE PLAYERS Championship was canceled on Thursday, March 12, is slated for June 8 - starting with the Charles Schwab Challenge – with additional tournaments being repositioned between then and the season’s conclusion, which is the TOUR Championship, ending on Labor Day (September 7).

In 2020, Justin Thomas battled through three playoff holes to defeat Patrick Reed and defending champion Xander Schauffele to win his second title at The Plantation Course at Kapalua.

Currently, 11 players have qualified for the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions courtesy of their PGA TOUR victories this calendar year, including three first timers. The players are Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith, Andrew Landry, Marc Leishman, Webb Simpson, Nick Taylor, Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im and Tyrrell Hatton.

For more information about the Sentry Tournament of Champions, please visit sentrytournamentofchampions.com. Fans are encouraged to follow Sentry Tournament of Champions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.