The PGA Tour requires a fill-in venue for the season opening event.
The tour announced on Tuesday that no walking sent will be held on the Kapalua plantation course in January due to ongoing drought conditions on Maui.
With its massive elevation changes and dreamy ocean views, the plantation course was long known for its first stop on the New Year’s schedule, but current water conservation efforts due to the drought situation in Maui County have forced the move to events scheduled for January 8-11, 2026.
More than 90% of Maui County and more than 140,000 residents have been affected by droughts, including Sentry host Kapalua Resort.
The tour stated that the agriculture team conducted a site visit earlier this month and determined that the course conditions had been compromised due to water restrictions. He was also forced to cite logistical issues and made a decision on the tour a few months ago.
The tour issued its following statement on Tuesday: “Following discussions with the governor’s office and leadership from Sentry Insurance, Kapalua Resort and Maui County, the PGA Tour has decided that Sentry’s 2026 performance will not be contested on the plantation course in Kapalua due to conditions of drought, agricultural conditions, additional conditions of challenges present, and ongoing conditions of agricultural conditions.
The resort previously announced that it will close plantation and bay courses for 60 days starting September 2nd.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Kapalua Golf and Tennis general manager Alex Nakajima said in a statement at the time. “Closing at this point will allow us to start recuperating and recovering carefully, and allow the course to meet the criteria for guest-worthy playability.”
Not only is the first event of the year, the Sentry is the first of nine signature events in 2026, which means bigger wallets ($20 million) and more star power on the field.
The Sony Open at Waiarae Country Club in Honolulu, the second event of the 2026 tour, remains unchanged.
No information has been released about the Sentry’s exchange venue, but the next five tournaments after Sony will be either California (four events) or Arizona (one), so the tour can decide to stick to the West Coast venue for logistical purposes or create a mini extension of the West Coast swing.
