This will be the 24th time the tournament has been staged over the Plantation Course at Kapalua, since the venue made its PGA Tour debut in 1999.
Laid out close to the coast on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the Plantation Course was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and opened in 1991.
The pair returned in 2019 to carry out a nine-month renovation when all of the greens were rebuilt, while new bunkers were added on four holes.
It is the only PGA Tour course with seven holes longer than 500 yards, and has a total par of 73 - which is also unusually high among tournament venues.
Course characteristics
This island location has wide fairways, large greens and not a single water hazard.
The Plantation Course putting surfaces are the biggest the players will have to cope with all season on the PGA Tour and, when combined with generous fairways, it is not surprising to find that pros hit a high percentage of Greens in Regulation.
Driving Accuracy stats also yield a higher percentage than normal, although golfers will face plenty of long putts over 72 holes.
The following data is certainly significant. For the six years between 1st-Jan-2016 and 31st-Dec-2021, the overall tournament percentage for fairways found successfully off the tee at the Plantation Course was 74.78%* (when the overall PGA Tour average for Driving Accuracy was 61.92%*).
It's a similar story regarding Greens in Regulation: 76.58%* at Kapalua, compared to a Tour average of 67.79%*.
And because of its large, undulating, windswept putting surfaces, players will need to be adept at scrambling, as well as avoiding the dreaded three putts.
Four to Watch
Sam Burns: A two-time winner on the PGA Tour during 2021 and his stats look good when it comes to avoiding three putts.
Check out latest betting for this week's tournament in Hawaii
Patrick Reed: Whichever category relating to three-putt avoidance you look at, Reed enjoys impressive stats. He topped the table titled '3-Putt Avoidance' for the 2020/21 season and is a former winner over the Plantation Course, along with his two runner-up finishes.
Jordan Spieth: Makes his first trip to Kapalua in four years, with three previous podium finishes to his credit, including a victory in 2016. Has a reputation for being a leading scrambler on Tour.
Justin Thomas: No one has played more rounds at Kapuala since 2016 than Thomas who is a two-time winner here.
Stroke Averages
Last Six Years at Kapalua (2016-21)
Avg...Player...(Rds)
68.17: Jordan Spieth (12)
69.13: Xander Schauffele (16)
69.13: Justin Thomas (24)
69.38: Collin Morikawa (8)
69.44: Jon Rahm (16)
69.50: Marc Leishman (12)
69.58: Daniel Berger (12)
69.60: Patrick Reed (20)
69.88: Tony Finau (8)
69.92: Patrick Cantlay (12)
69.92: Bryson DeChambeau (12)
69.92: Hideki Matsuyama (12)
70.25: Cameron Smith (8)
70.38: Kevin Kisner (16)
70.75: Cameron Champ (12)
70.83: Billy Horschel (12)
71.63: Si Woo Kim (8)
72.00: Brooks Koepka (12)
73.63: Kevin Na (8)
Min. No. of Rounds = 8
(Only those competing this week are listed)
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West Coast Swing (2018-21)
Top 12 Position Averages
Avg...Player...(Events)
9.83: Jon Rahm (18)
20.07: Patrick Cantlay (14)
20.82: Xander Schauffele (17)
24.00: Tony Finau (16)
24.94: Marc Leishman (16)
25.93: Justin Thomas (15)
29.88: Max Homa (16)
33.81: Hideki Matsuyama (16)
35.17: Bryson DeChambeau (12)
35.27: Daniel Berger (15)
36.20: Patrick Reed (15)
36.31: Sung Jae Im (16)
Min. No. of Events = 10
(Only those competing this week are listed)
'West Coast Swing' refers to tournaments staged in Hawaii, California and Arizona during the months of January and February.
* - For players who completed 54 or 72 holes
Please Note: Because none of this week's starters have competed since early December, the table referring to 'Last 10 Weeks' shows performances between weeks 40 and 49.
Andy Swales@GolfStatsAlive