The PGA Tour Cancels The Sentry in 2026
The PGA Tour has announced the cancellation of its inaugural tournament, The Sentry, instead of seeking an alternative course for the event in Kapalua, Maui, due to water scarcity. This decision marks the first time a tournament has been canceled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Sony Open in Honolulu will take over as the first tournament of 2026, scheduled from January 15 to 18. This date represents the latest start of a year for the PGA Tour since its founding in 1969. The tour and Sentry Insurance, based in Wisconsin, had considered other fields to host the event, which has a purse of $20 million and is aimed at PGA Tour winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup. However, they chose not to hold it.Kapalua was forced to close its two courses in Maui, due to severe water restrictions imposed by a dispute related to the water supply system. The Sony Open is in its final year of title sponsorship, creating uncertainty about Hawaii’s presence on the PGA Tour schedule after this year. The announcement of The Sentry’s cancellation coincided with the news that Kapalua’s Plantation course will reopen on November 10, with the possibility of booking tee times at a promotional rate of $399. It was reported that two of the 18 greens are still being restored. The Sentry has been the PGA Tour’s opening event each year since 1999, except in 2001, when the season began in Australia with a World Golf Championship. Several players who failed to be among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup, such as Aldrich Potgieter and Min Woo Lee, will be added to the field at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head the week after the Masters. Tadashi Yanai, the Japanese billionaire owner of Kapalua and founder of the clothing brand Uniqlo, along with the homeowners of Kapalua and Hua Momona Farms, filed a lawsuit in August against Maui Land & Pineapple, alleging that it has not maintained the water supply system. MLP filed a counterclaim, and both parties have exchanged accusations since then. The Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management notified MLP about alleged violations of the water supply system with fines that could amount to $11 million. MLP has until November 8 to respond. Meanwhile, the two Kapalua fields went from an emerald green to yellow due to water restrictions, leading to a closure in September to try to save them. The tour announced on September 16 that it would not be able to hold The Sentry in Kapalua. The tour issued a statement explaining that after evaluating alternative venues in Hawaii and beyond, it was determined that it would not be possible to hold The Sentry in 2026 due to logistical challenges, including shipping deadlines, tournament infrastructure, and vendor support. The Sentry has one of the longest sponsorship agreements with the tour. It remains to be determined whether it will return to Kapalua in 2027, a year in which significant changes are expected. Tiger Woods leads a “Future Competition Committee” to shape the tour, which is about to meet for the first time. Smith said it’s difficult to predict the future of The Sentry in Maui in 2027.“I’m very proud of what The Sentry has become; I didn’t want ’26 to be less,” said Stephanie Smith, Sentry’s director of marketing and brand, who oversees the golf partnership that began in 2018. The sponsorship extends to 2035.
Stephanie Smith
The Sony Open becomes the seventh tournament to start the year since the tour began.“We are committed to playing The Sentry. We know from our conversations with the tour that The Sentry will be on the schedule. There are many factors at play right now. What’s happening on the island? Will the water issue be resolved? Will the course be playable? What about the lawsuits that are being settled?”
Stephanie Smith
