The PGA Tour will cancel its season opener at Sentry instead of finding a replacement course in water-starved Kapalua, Maui, marking the first time a tournament has been canceled since the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
The Sony Open in Honolulu will be the first tournament of 2026 from January 15-18, making it the latest start to the PGA Tour since it was founded in 1969.
The tour and Wisconsin-based Sentry Insurance were considering other courses to host the $20 million signature event for PGA Tour winners and the top 50 FedEx Cup finishers. Instead, they chose not to play it at all.
“We’re really proud of Sentry’s growth, and we couldn’t have asked for more 26 years,” said Stephanie Smith, Sentry’s chief marketing and brand officer who oversees the golf partnership, which began in 2018. The sponsorship will continue until 2035.
“We didn’t want it to just be, ‘Find us a place in your schedule to host it,’ or ‘Find us a course to host it.’ I wanted Sentry to continue to be the gem that it is,” Smith said. “We wanted it to be special, and when that didn’t happen, we felt we had no other choice.
“This is not the outcome we wanted, but unfortunately it is where we are.”
Kapalua had to close two courses on drought-stricken Maui (the Plantation Course has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999) due to severe water restrictions brought on by a dispute with the company that manages its century-old water system.
The Sony Open is in its final year of title sponsorship, and it is doubtful whether Hawaii will be added to the PGA Tour schedule after this year.
The tour announced the cancellation of The Sentry on the same day, and Kapalua announced that the Plantation Course would resume play on Nov. 10 and tee times could be booked starting Thursday for a promotional fee of $399. Two of the 18 greens are still being repaired.
The Sentry has been the first event on the PGA Tour every year since 1999, with the exception of 2001, when the season began with the World Golf Championship in Australia. Some of the players in the field at Kapalua often headed to Oahu for the Sony Open.
Seven PGA Tour winners, including Aldrich Potgieter and Minu Lee, did not finish in the top 50 at FedEx Cup. The tour said it will be added to the field at RBC Heritage in Hilton Head the week after the Masters to make up for the absence at Kapalua.
Kapalua owner Tadashi Yanai, a Japanese billionaire who founded the clothing brand Uniqlo, Kapalua homeowners and Huamomona Farms filed a lawsuit against Mauiland & Pineapple in August, alleging the water delivery system was not maintained.
MLP filed a countersuit, and the two sides have been exchanging accusations ever since.
Two weeks ago, Hawaii’s Water Resources Commissioner issued a notice of penalty totaling $11 million to MLP for alleged water system violations. MLPs have until November 8 to respond.
Meanwhile, Kapalua’s two courses turned from emerald green to yellow due to water restrictions and were closed for at least two months in September to save the courses. The tour announced on September 16 that they would not be able to perform “The Sentry” in Kapalua.
Smith did not say which other courses are under consideration. A year ago, the Genesis Invitational was forced to relocate from the Los Angeles Riviera due to deadly wildfires in the Pacific Palisades. That year, we moved our base to Torrey Pines, where all the infrastructure was still in place from when the PGA Tour event was held three weeks earlier.
“After considering alternative venues in and around Hawaii, we have determined that due to logistical issues including shipping deadlines, tournament infrastructure and vendor support, we are unable to compete in the 2026 Sentry,” the tour said in a statement.
Sentry has the longest title sponsorship agreement on tour. A decision has not yet been made as to whether he will return to Kapalua in 2027, but a revamped schedule is expected to bring significant changes that year.
Tiger Woods heads the Futures Competition Committee, which shapes the tour. That committee will meet for the first time soon.
Asked about Sentry’s future on Maui in 2027, Smith said, “It’s hard to say at this point.”
“We are fully committed to playing ‘The Sentry,’” she said. “We know from conversations with the tour that The Sentry will be on the schedule. There are so many factors at play right now. What’s going on on the island? Will the water issue be resolved? Will the course be playable? What will happen to the pending litigation?”
“We had a good conversation,” she said. “We are committed to getting Sentry back to playing at the level we were used to.”
The Sony Open will be the seventh tournament since the tour’s inception, starting that year.
