The last event on the PGA Tour schedule ended three and a half weeks ago. That was the QBE Shootout, an invitational-type team event. The same week, there was a big-bucks Euro Tour event in Dubai that attracted some U.S.-based players. The last full-field PGA Tour tournament ended four and a half weeks ago. That was the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico. So now that the holidays are over, this week’s question is who’s in competitive form for the first event of 2021, the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua on Maui in Hawaii?

In the field of 42, exactly half appeared in one of the events noted above. That includes Abraham Ancer, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ, Harris English, Tony Finau, Lanto Griffin, Billy Horschel, Viktor Hovland, Mac Hughes, Sungjae Im, Marc Leishman, Collin Morikawa, Sebastian Munoz, Kevin Na, Joaquin Niemann, Ryan Palmer, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith, and Brendon Todd in either the Shootout or Dubai event. Additionally, Carlos Ortiz and Justin Thomas appeared in Mexico.

Of the other 21, everyone appeared somewhere in November. The following have been out of sight for more than seven weeks: Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Brian Gay, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Adam Scott, and Michael Thompson.

Then there’s the question of what actually happened in the last couple of months of 2020. In the last group — those who did not appear anywhere in December — only DeChambeau and Johnson performed well enough to show any improvement in their Hawley Rating numbers since the Tour Championship back around Labor Day.

In the group that was active in December, seven have played well enough since the Tour Championship to raise their Hawley Numbers by 50 points or more. Leading the way is English, who had a fabulous fall that included being part of the winning team at the Shootout plus top-10 finishes at Mayakoba, the RSM, the CJ Cup, and the U.S. Open. Australian 27-year-old Cameron Smith also had a pretty good time of it as runner-up in the Masters, in the top 10 at the Zozo, and 11th in the CJ Cup. Also raising their numbers by 50 points or more were Stewart Cink, Reed, Niemann, Hovland, and Robert Streb.

As you would expect, the favorites in the event are big names Thomas, Johnson, Rahm, and Schauffele. All but Rahm have rating numbers that are trending upward, and all but Johnson are among the leaders in expected fit for the Kapalua course, where shots gained putting and sand saves have been the stats most closely correlated with success in recent iterations of the event. Hideki Matsuyama and Mac Hughes lead the field in the course-fit number, with Thomas third.

All in all, it’s a great field to start of 2021. Take your pick.