The Cancelled Sentry: The PGA Tour Adapts to Restrictions in Maui
The PGA Tour has made the decision to cancel its inaugural tournament, The Sentry, instead of seeking an alternative course for the event that was to be held in Kapalua, Maui. This measure marks the first cancellation of a tournament since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Sony Open in Honolulu will be the first tournament of 2026, scheduled for January 15th to 18th. This date represents the latest start to a year since the PGA Tour was formed in 1969. The circuit and Sentry Insurance, based in Wisconsin, had considered other fields to host the $20 million event for PGA Tour winners and those who were among 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 with the company in charge of a century-old water supply system. The Sony Open is in its final year of title sponsorship, raising uncertainty about Hawaii’s presence on the PGA Tour schedule after this year. The announcement of The Sentry’s cancellation coincided with Kapalua’s announcement that the Plantation course will reopen for play on November 10, and tee times can be booked 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 first PGA Tour event each year since 1999, except in 2001, when the season began in Australia with a World Golf Championship. Several players in the Kapalua field often headed to Oahu for the Sony Open. Seven PGA Tour winners, including Aldrich Potgieter and Min Woo Lee, did not finish in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup. The circuit announced that, to compensate for the lack of a place in Kapalua, they 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, 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 two weeks ago about alleged violations with the water supply system, with fines that could amount to $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 any less,” commented 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 yellow due to water restrictions, leading to a closure in September for at least two months to try to save them. The circuit announced on September 16 that it would not be able to hold The Sentry at Kapalua.
Smith did not specify which other fields were considered. A year ago, the Genesis Invitational had to move from Riviera in Los Angeles due to the deadly wildfires in Pacific Palisades. It was relocated for a year at Torrey Pines, which still had all its infrastructure in place for having hosted a PGA Tour event three weeks earlier. “After evaluating alternative venues in Hawaii and beyond, the circuit 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 circuit said in a statement. The Sentry has one of the longest title sponsorship agreements with the circuit. It remains to be determined whether it will return to Kapalua in 2027, a year in which significant changes are expected from a renewed schedule. Tiger Woods leads a “Future Competition Committee” to shape the circuit. That committee is about to meet for the first time. When asked about the future of The Sentry in Maui in 2027, Smith replied: “It’s hard to say at this moment.” “We are committed to playing The Sentry,” he stated. “We know from our conversations with the circuit 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 being settled?” “We’ve had good conversations,” he said. “We are committed to getting The Sentry back to the level we’ve had in the past.” The Sony Open becomes the seventh tournament to start the year since the circuit began.
