PGA Tour Removes The Sentry from Kapalua Due to Drought and Water Issues

PGA Tour Leaves Kapalua Resort Due to Drought

The PGA Tour announced on Tuesday that it will change the venue for its season-opening event, The Sentry, to be held in January, due to the severe drought and water disputes at Kapalua Resort, Hawaii. Current conditions have caused the golf course to be in poor condition due to lack of irrigation. Since 1999, with the exception of 2001, the tournament has been held at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, marking the start of each PGA Tour season. The decision to move the event will affect the 2026 edition. The new location and date for The Sentry, a premier event with a $20 million purse, which brings together the 2025 PGA Tour winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup, are still being determined. It was originally scheduled for January 8-11. The decision will not impact the Sony Open in Oahu, which will take place the following week. Brian Rolapp, CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, contacted Hawaii Governor Josh Green and consulted with Sentry Insurance, Kapalua Resort, and Maui County.

“The PGA Tour has determined that the 2026 edition of The Sentry will not be played at the Plantation Course in Kapalua due to ongoing drought conditions, water conservation requirements, agronomic conditions, and logistical challenges,” the circuit said in a statement.

PGA Tour

In addition to the drought, the logistical challenges of transporting supplies and equipment to an island in the Pacific were considered. Maui faces a drought affecting 140,000 residents, and water conservation measures prioritize the island’s needs.

“We support the PGA Tour’s decision, given the drought conditions facing Maui,” said Governor Green. “Protecting our water and supporting our communities comes first. The Sentry has long showcased the beauty of Maui while giving back to local non-profits.”

Josh Green

According to Kapalua officials, the tournament has an economic impact of $50 million in the area. Sentry, which has a main sponsorship agreement until 2035, agreed with the decision given the circumstances in West Maui.

“As we have said for years, Maui is a Sentry community, just like our hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and that remains the case. Our communities are connected. We have built meaningful friendships throughout the island, and those relationships are more important than the tournament,” said Stephanie Smith, director of marketing and brand who oversees Sentry’s involvement in Kapalua.

Stephanie Smith

The water conflict centers on accusations that Maui Land & Pineapple, which operates the century-old ditch system that provides irrigation water to Kapalua and its residents, has not made the necessary repairs, which has affected the water supply. 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 on August 18 against MLP, alleging that it has not maintained the water supply system.

“That deterioration, not any act of God, nor force of nature, nor anything else, is the reason why users who currently need it do not have water,” the lawsuit says.

Lawsuit

MLP stated that it has carried out “certain repairs and improvements to the ditch system” as indicated by the Water Resources Management Commission and that all its actions are “consistent with the agreements between MLP and the golf courses”. Kapalua Resort closed the Plantation on September 2 for two months in the hope of saving the golf course with the little irrigation allowed. However, there was a setback when the Hawaii Water Commissioner and MLP increased restrictions to ban all irrigation. Kapalua announced on Monday that the Bay course would close indefinitely in an effort to divert the little permitted irrigation to save the Plantation. In recent weeks, both sides have exchanged accusations. MLP said in a statement last week that Kapalua used more than 1 million gallons per day for two days, half the capacity of the wells, leading to stricter restrictions. TY Management, Yanai’s company, said Kapalua’s irrigation has central control systems and water use is science-based. A company spokesperson said Kapalua has followed all mandates, even when MLP and the Hawaii Water Service unexpectedly imposed an irrigation ban while the course was preparing to take measures to save it. Kapalua has been part of the PGA Tour since 1982, when it hosted an unofficial event in November at the Bay course and then at the Plantation after its opening in 1991. It was the first design by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The PGA Tour Champions has a season-opening event on Big Island from January 23-25, while the LPGA usually visits Hawai­’i in early October. The next step is to determine where and when the tournament will be played, especially with the Sony Open the following week. Before going to Kapalua in 1999, the tournament had been held for years at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. The PGA Tour has added Trump Doral near Miami to the 2026 schedule in April. A sponsor has not yet been announced for that tournament.