Summary
The PGA Tour has decided to cancel its inaugural tournament, The Sentry, at Kapalua due to a lack of water, rather than seek an alternative course. This is the first tournament to be canceled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Sony Open, to be held in Honolulu from January 15-18, 2026, will be the first tournament of the year, marking the latest start since the PGA Tour's inception in 1969.
The PGA Tour and Wisconsin-based Sentry Insurance considered other courses to host the $1.4T$20 million event, which is intended for PGA Tour winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. However, they opted not to hold it at all.
“I’m really proud of what The Sentry has become. I didn’t want The 26 to be any less,” said Stephanie Smith, Sentry’s director of marketing and branding, who oversees the golf partnership launched in 2018. This sponsorship runs through 2035.
“We didn't want it to be just, 'Let's find a spot on the schedule' or 'Let's find a field that can host it.' I wanted Sentry to remain the gem that it is,‘ Smith added. ’I wanted it to be special. When that couldn't happen, I felt we had no other choice. This isn't the outcome we wanted, but unfortunately, it's where we are.‘
Key details
Kapalua had to close both of its courses due to severe water restrictions caused by a dispute with the company responsible for a water delivery system that's been in place for more than a century. The Plantation course has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999.
The Sony Open is in its final year of sponsorship, leaving Hawaii's continued presence on the PGA Tour schedule beyond this year in doubt. The PGA Tour announced the cancellation of The Sentry on the same day it was reported the Plantation course will reopen on November 10, with promotional rates of $399 to reserve tee times.
Since 1999, The Sentry has been the PGA Tour's first event every year, except in 2001, when the season began in Australia with a World Golf Championship. Several players who compete at Kapalua often travel to Oahu to participate in the Sony Open.
Seven PGA Tour winners, including Aldrich Potgieter and Min Woo Lee, failed to finish in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup. To compensate for their lack of a spot at Kapalua, they will be added to the field at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head the week after the Masters.
Statements and context
Tadashi Yanai, the Japanese billionaire owner of Kapalua and founder of the Uniqlo clothing brand, along with homeowners in Kapalua and Hua Momona Farms, filed a lawsuit in August against Maui Land & Pineapple, alleging that the company has failed to maintain its water delivery system. MLP has filed a countersuit, and both sides have exchanged accusations since then.
The Hawaii Commissioner of Water Resources Management has notified MLP of alleged water delivery system violations, with fines that could reach $1.4T.11 million. MLP has until November 8 to respond.
Meanwhile, Kapalua's two courses went from emerald green to yellow due to water restrictions, leading to the course being closed in September for at least two months in an attempt to save them. The PGA Tour announced on September 16 that it would not be able to play The Sentry at Kapalua.
Smith didn't reveal which other courses were under consideration. Last year, the Genesis Invitational was forced to move from Riviera in Los Angeles due to the deadly Pacific Palisades wildfires, relocating to Torrey Pines, which still had all its infrastructure in place after hosting a PGA Tour event three weeks earlier.
What's next?
“After evaluating alternative venues in Hawaii and beyond, the PGA Tour determined it would not be able to hold The Sentry in 2026 due to logistical challenges, including shipping deadlines, tournament infrastructure, and vendor support,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.
The Sentry has one of the longest-standing sponsorship agreements with the PGA Tour. It remains to be determined whether it will return to Kapalua in 2027, a year expected to see significant changes to the schedule. Tiger Woods is leading a "Future Competition Committee" to shape the PGA Tour, and this committee will meet for the first time soon.
When asked about the future of The Sentry on Maui in 2027, Smith commented, “It’s hard to say at this point. We are committed to playing The Sentry. We know from our conversations with the PGA Tour that The Sentry will be on the schedule. There are a lot of factors at play right now. What’s happening on the island? Will the water issue be resolved? Will the course be playable? What will happen with the lawsuits? We’ve had some good conversations,“ she concluded. ”We are committed to playing The Sentry again at the level we’ve had in the past.“
The Sony Open becomes the seventh tournament to open the year since the PGA Tour began.
