Brendon Todd contending in first event with Paul Tesori on bag

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Brendon Todd played The Sentry’s first two rounds alongside a familiar friend and a brand-new caddie.

They both saw him shoot 67-65, rounds that were good enough to leave him in a tie for the lead when he walked off Kapalua’s Plantation Course.

He has 14 birdies and an eagle in his first 36 holes. He rebounded from his first bogey of the week, at the 17th hole Friday, with what he called his shot of the day, a 5-wood that set up a two-putt birdie on Kapalua’s downhill par-5 18th.

He finished one shot ahead of Chris Kirk, his University of Georgia teammate and fellow member at Athens Country Club in Georgia. The two often engage in chipping contests back home and exchange secrets of the trade. They’re two of the best on TOUR at chipping the golf ball, both ranking in the top 15 in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green last season. Todd was third in that category in 2023.

“He's easily one of the top five chippers on TOUR,” Todd said of Kirk, “and he showed it again today and yesterday, just hitting every chip to 3 feet. When that's your competition, you're always going to be striving for greatness.

“I think we push each other. We both want to beat one another, I think, and we're encouraged when we see the other one doing well. I think we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard when we're playing with each other.”

Kirk is just one shot behind Todd at The Sentry’s halfway point. Kirk ended an eight-year winless drought with his win at last year’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Todd did not win in 2023, but he matched a career-high with seven top-10 finishes. He qualified for The Sentry by finishing 47th in the FedExCup, just his second top-50 finish in the last eight years.

This week also is Todd’s first week with veteran caddie Paul Tesori on the bag. Tesori was on the bag for Webb Simpson for more than a decade, including Simpson’s wins at THE PLAYERS and U.S. Open. He went to work for Cameron Young, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, in March but the pair separated at the end of the season. Tesori also worked for Vijay Singh when Singh was the No. 1 player in the world.

“I think it provided great continuity,” Todd said. “My previous caddie and I finished the year really strong, and him and Paul both learned from Vijay Singh, and so I think just that level of professionalism and preparedness serves me really well out there. So, I'm really lucky to have Paul Tesori on my bag, he's definitely one of the best caddies out here.

“I think the last two days we just did a great job communicating, which is our goal, if we can both be honest with each other, talk through the shots, be honest about the result, was I committed, did I make a good swing. If I did those things, then that's all we can ask for. We've done a good job so far and look forward to working a long time with him.”