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 Maui, due to water scarcity in Kapalua. This is the first time a tournament has been canceled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Sony Open in Honolulu will become the first tournament of 2026, scheduled from January 15 to 18, marking the latest start of the year since the PGA Tour was formed in 1969. The decision to cancel The Sentry was made after the tour and Wisconsin-based Sentry Insurance considered other courses for the event, which has a $20 million prize purse and is intended for PGA Tour winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup.Kapalua had to close its two courses in Maui due to severe water restrictions imposed by a dispute related to the company’s water supply system. The Sony Open is in its final year of main sponsorship, which creates uncertainty about its place on the PGA Tour calendar after this year. The same day that the cancellation of The Sentry was announced, Kapalua reported that the Plantation course will reopen on November 10th and that tee times can be reserved starting Thursday 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 annually since 1999, except in 2001, when the season began in Australia with a World Golf Championship. Several players who competed at Kapalua used to participate in the Sony Open in Oahu. Several PGA Tour winners, such as Aldrich Potgieter and Min Woo Lee, did not qualify among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup. The tour announced that, to compensate for the lack of participation in Kapalua, they will be added to the field of 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. Two weeks ago, Hawaii’s Water Resource Management Commissioner notified MLP about alleged violations related to the water supply system, with fines that could reach $11 million. MLP has until November 8 to respond.“I am 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 until 2035.
Stephanie Smith
Meanwhile, the two Kapalua courses went from emerald green to a yellowish color due to water restrictions, leading to their closure in September for at least two months to try to save them. The tour announced on September 16 that it would not be able to hold The Sentry at Kapalua.
The tour declared that, after evaluating alternative venues in Hawaii and other locations, it determined that it would not be able 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 due to a renewed schedule. Tiger Woods leads a “Future Competition Committee” to shape the tour, which is about to meet for the first time. Smith commented on the future of The Sentry in Maui in 2027, saying that it is difficult to predict at this time. “We are committed to playing The Sentry,” he affirmed. “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?” The Sony Open becomes the seventh tournament to start the year since the tour began.
