The Sentry Round 1: Tom Hoge Turns Forced Time Off Into a Kapalua Lead

Tom Hoge spent December with a newborn instead of a range bucket. On the first day of the 2025 PGA TOUR season, that looked like the smartest prep in the field.

Hoge shot a 9-under 64 on the Plantation Course at Kapalua on Thursday to take a one-shot lead at The Sentry, the TOUR's season opener and the first Signature Event of the year. Hideki Matsuyama and Will Zalatoris sit one back at 8 under after 65s. Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young and Corey Conners are another stroke behind at 66, with Tony Finau, Adam Hadwin and Thomas Detry lurking at 6 under.

Forced Time Off, Fast Start

Hoge did not exactly arrive in Maui sharpened to a point. His first child was born in early December, and his last start had come in Mexico at the beginning of November. By his own account, he had played very little golf since.

"We had our first child in early December, so kind of forced time off," Hoge said, per the AP.

It did not show. He rolled in a 15-foot birdie on the first hole, saved par from 6 feet on the second, holed an 18-footer on the third and chipped in on the fourth. That is four birdies in his first five holes, the kind of opening stretch that turns a quiet week into a headline. His only blemish came on the sixth. By the end of the day he had 10 birdies against that single bogey.

The mindset helped. Hoge told reporters that low expectations were the point. "It just kind of frees you up. And you're in Maui, just no expectations, just let it go and see what you can do," he said.

Matsuyama Finds a New Putter and a Gear

Matsuyama spent his fall playing in Japan and showed up at Kapalua with a new putter, a model he picked up after seeing another player use it. For most of the day the result was solid, not spectacular. Then the back nine happened.

He three-putted from 15 feet for bogey on the 13th, which would have rattled plenty of players. Instead, he stuck a wedge to 10 feet for birdie on 14, hit a 5-wood to 5 feet on the par-5 15th for eagle and followed with a wedge to 4 feet on 16. Birdie, eagle, birdie. Four shots gained in three holes.

He had a chance to catch Hoge on the downhill par-5 18th, but his 3-wood strayed and he could not get up and down for birdie. A 65 is hardly a consolation prize, though, and the 2021 Masters champion is now right in the mix.

Zalatoris Bulks Up

Zalatoris was the other name at 8 under, and his 65 came without a single bogey. The one hole that annoyed him was the par-5 fifth, statistically the easiest on the course, where he three-putted for par. On a day like this, that registers as a dropped shot.

The bigger story is the body. Zalatoris said he weighed 163 pounds at the BMW Championship and 182 when he flew to Maui, the product of an offseason spent building durability after the back surgery that pulled him out of the 2023 Masters and erased the rest of that year.

"I don't feel like I've even had surgery now," Zalatoris said. He is also thinking long term: "I'm hoping that this year my best golf is at the end of the season."

The Chase Pack and the Stragglers

Morikawa was quietly excellent, going bogey-free and running off four straight birdies from the 12th through the 15th. Young bogeyed the opening hole and was clean after that. Conners played the last seven holes in 4 under to get to 66.

Finau's 67 deserves its own note. It was his first start in four months after surgery on his left knee, and he walked off 3 shots back.

Not everyone found the generous Kapalua fairways. Xander Schauffele, a two-time major winner in 2024 and the highest-ranked player in the field, shot 1-under 72 after two searches for lost balls on the back nine led to bogeys. Defending champion Chris Kirk made two double bogeys and signed for 74, sitting in a tie for 48th in a 59-player field.

The Missing No. 1

The obvious absence hangs over the week. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is out after puncturing his hand on broken glass while preparing Christmas dinner, leaving the door open for somebody else to set the early tone of 2025.

The stakes are real even in paradise. The Sentry carries a $20 million purse, and this season only the top 100 in the FedExCup keep full cards for next year, down from 125. For a field made up of last year's winners and the top 50 from the standings, a hot week in January is the easiest way to bank points before the grind begins.

What Friday Brings

The Plantation Course is wide, soft and inviting when the wind lays down, and Thursday proved it. A 64 got Hoge the lead, but it bought him only a one-shot cushion over two players who have both won at the highest level. With Matsuyama's new flatstick heating up and Morikawa lurking bogey-free, Hoge will need more of that Maui calm on Friday. It is a long way from four birdies in five holes to Sunday.

Full results are on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab) has the shot-by-shot details.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 1 recap and leaderboard), AP, Field Level Media, Sky Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.