Tony Finau, ranked No. 19 in the world, will be making his second appearance at the Sentry Tournament of Champions next month. AP file photo

The Maui News

Four players who did not win in 2020, but are all ranked in the top 61 on the Official World Golf Ranking, have committed to play in the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions set for the Kapalua Plantation Course Jan. 7-10.

Tony Finau, who is ranked 19th in the world, Abraham Ancer (23rd), Scottie Scheffler (31st) and Lanto Griffin (61st) were announced by the PGA Tour as commitments to the field today.

Even without a victory this calendar year, the players are eligible for the event after advancing to the 2020 Tour Championship; the additional eligibility category for the 2021 TOC event was created due to the tour’s changes to its calendar as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finau, Ancer, Scheffler and Griffin join Stewart Cink, Brian Gay, Martin Laird, Adam Scott, Justin Thomas and Michael Thompson as players who have already committed to the Tournament of Champions.

Finau returns to Kapalua for the second time — he finished tied for ninth in 2017 — after eight top-10 finishes and 10 top-25s in 21 events this year. He lost a playoff to Webb Simpson at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Finau advanced to the Tour Championship for the fourth consecutive season and finished No. 17 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Over the course of 2020, Ancer earned three top-five finishes and eight top-25s in 20 events. He was twice a runner-up in this year, at The American Express and RBC Heritage.

Ancer, who is still in search of his first PGA Tour victory, advanced to the Tour Championship for the second consecutive season, tying Griffin for No. 18 in the FedEx Cup.

The 2020 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Scheffler collected four top-10 finishes and 10 top-25s in 22 events during the 2020 calendar year. The 24-year-old’s best finish came at The American Express, where he was third. He followed that with top-five finishes at the PGA Championship and The Northern Trust.

Scheffler finished his rookie season at No. 5 in the FedEx Cup standings as one of eight rookies to qualify for the playoffs and one of two to advance to the Tour Championship.

After making his Kapalua debut last January, Griffin will return after four top-10s and 10 top-25s in 25 events in 2020. The 32-year-old, who finished 13th here, made the playoffs for the first time this year.

There are 28 players who have qualified for the Sentry Tournament of Champions courtesy of their PGA Tour victories this calendar year, including six first-timers. An additional 17 players who advanced to the Tour Championship are also eligible.