Undergoing an extensive revamp by original course designers Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore in 2019, the Plantation Course has always been a popular place for the previous year’s winners to kick-off their new year, 15 first-time winners among the 34 to accept the invitation to play in the 2020 event.

Given no Australians have won a PGA TOUR event since Marc Leishman’s victory at the CIMB Classic in October 2018 there will be no Aussies in action until next week’s Sony Open while 2019 Masters champion and ZOZO Championship winner Tiger Woods is enjoying an extended break after leading the US team to Presidents Cup victory at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

Although Woods is absent this week there are seven members of the American Presidents Cup teeing it up with Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Cantlay, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler and defending champion Xander Schauffele eager to start 2020 on the front foot.

It’s been a decade since Geoff Ogilvy claimed the second of his consecutive wins at the picturesque Plantation course and completed an extraordinary run of five wins by Aussies in the space of seven years after Stuart Appleby became the ‘King of Kapalua’ with three straight wins from 2004-2006.

The only other Australian to be victorious among a group of PGA TOUR winners was Steve Elkington, defeating Brad Faxon in a playoff in 1992 and going extra holes again in 1995 before getting the better of Bruce Lietzke.

The resurgent Brendon Todd and Lanto Griffin will be the first group out from 7am AEDT on Friday morning.