Summary
He PGA Tour announced Tuesday that it will not hold its season-opening event at Hawaii's Kapalua Resort because of drought and a water dispute that have left the golf course dry and in poor condition. The Sentry tournament has been held at the Plantation Course since 1999, except for 2001, when it was held in Australia before moving to Kapalua on Maui.
The new location and date for The Sentry, a signature event with a $20 million prize pool for 2025 PGA Tour winners and the top 50 FedEx Cup finishers, have yet to be determined. It was originally scheduled for January 8-11. However, this decision will not affect the Sony Open, which will be played on Oahu the following week.
Brian Rolapp, CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, met with Hawaii Governor Josh Green and consulted with Sentry Insurance, the Kapalua resort, and Maui County. In a statement, the PGA Tour stated, “It has been determined that the 2026 edition of The Sentry will not be held at the Plantation Course at Kapalua due to drought conditions, water conservation requirements, agronomic conditions, and logistical challenges.”
Key details
The drought has affected 140,000 Maui residents, and water conservation mandates seek to prioritize the island's needs. Governor Green expressed his support for the PGA Tour's decision, underscoring the importance of protecting water and supporting local communities. "The Sentry has showcased the beauty of Maui and contributed to local nonprofits," he added.
Kapalua officials note that the tournament has a $50 million economic impact on the region. Sentry, which has a sponsorship contract through 2035, also approved the decision given the situation on Maui. Stephanie Smith, Sentry's director of marketing and branding, commented, "Maui is a Sentry community, just like our hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Our communities are connected, and we've forged meaningful friendships on the island that are more important than the tournament."
The water dispute centers on allegations against Maui Land & Pineapple, which operates a century-old canal system that provides irrigation water to Kapalua and its residents. Tadashi Yanai, the Japanese billionaire owner of Kapalua and founder of Uniqlo, along with homeowners in Kapalua and Hua Momona Farms, filed a lawsuit on August 18 against MLP, alleging it has failed to maintain the water delivery system. The lawsuit states that “this lack of maintenance, not an act of God or force of nature, is the reason water users in need are currently without water.”
Statements and context
MLP responded that it has made "certain repairs and improvements to the canal system" under the direction of the Water Resources Management Commission and that all of its actions are "consistent with the agreements between MLP and the golf courses." The Kapalua resort closed the Plantation Course on September 2 for two months, hoping to preserve the golf course with the limited irrigation allowed. However, restrictions have been increased, prohibiting all irrigation.
On Monday, Kapalua announced that the Bay Course would close indefinitely to redirect scarce available irrigation to the Plantation. In recent weeks, both sides have pointed fingers at each other. MLP claimed that Kapalua used more than 1 million gallons in two days, leading to tighter restrictions. TY Management, Yanai's company, defended Kapalua's irrigation system by stating that it has central control systems and that water use is based on scientific data. A company spokesperson assured that Kapalua has complied with all orders, even when MLP and Hawaii Water Service unexpectedly imposed a watering ban.
What's next?
Kapalua has been part of the PGA Tour since 1982, when it held an unofficial event in November at the Bay Course, and then at the Plantation Course after its opening in 1991, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The PGA Tour Champions is scheduled to open its season on the Big Island from January 23-25, while the LPGA typically visits Hawaii in early October. The next step will be determining where and when the tournament will be played, especially with the Sony Open the following week. Before moving to Kapalua in 1999, the tournament had been held for years at the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. The PGA Tour added Trump Doral near Miami to its 2026 schedule in April, though a sponsor for that tournament has yet to be announced.
