PGA Tour will not play 2026 Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua amid course concerns
Tim Schmitt- The PGA Tour won't play the 2026 Sentry Tournament of Champions due to issues at the host venue, Kapalua Resort.
- Kapalua's Plantation Course, home to the tournament since 1999, has faced significant irrigation water restrictions.
- The course's ownership group has sued Maui Land & Pineapple Company over the water being cut off.
- The Sentry has served as the PGA Tour's calendar-year opening event since 1986.
The PGA Tour has announced that the Sentry Tournament of Champions will not be played at Kapalua Resort in the 2026 season due to issues with the Plantation Course, which has housed the tournament since 1999.
The tournament, which was founded in 1953, has served as the calendar debut for the PGA Tour season since 1986. Prior to Kapalua, the tournament was played at Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas until 1966, then moved across town to the Stardust Country Club for two years. The event then enjoyed a three-decade run at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, before moving to Hawaii in 1999.
The Tour has not announced any contingency plans as of this point.
From the Tour:
"Following discussions with the Governor's office, as well as leadership from Sentry Insurance, Kapalua Resort and Maui County, the PGA TOUR has determined the 2026 playing of The Sentry will not be contested at The Plantation Course at Kapalua due to ongoing drought conditions, water conservation requirements, agronomic conditions and logistical challenges. Additional event information will be shared when appropriate."
At the end of August, Kapalua announced it would close both of its golf courses for at least 60 days because irrigation water was shut off for nearly a month.
The Plantation Course is the site of the annual visit by the PGA Tour for The Sentry, which starts each season. Kapalua also has the Bay Course. The Plantation was designed by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 2 public-access course in Hawaii and is the No. 49 modern course in the entire United States.
The Plantation Course is famous among golfers who watch the Tour pros tackle its extreme elevation changes each January, its palette of greens and blue with whales just offshore providing must-watch TV for viewers in cold climates on the mainland.
Water is normally provided to Kapalua through a ditch owned by Maui Land & Pineapple Company, according to a report on MauiNow.com. State officials curtailed the passing of any water through the ditch in late July, which is classified as a Tier 4 restriction. That was loosened Aug. 23 to Tier 2 restrictions, meaning a 40 percent reduction in normal irrigation water.
Kapalua’s ownership group, TY Management Corporation – led by Japanese billionaire Tadashi Yanai, the founder of the company that owns clothing retailer Uniqlo – has sued Maui Land & Pineapple over the water being cut off. Maui Land & Pineapple told MauiNow.com that it is simply following state mandates.
Hideki Matsuyama won the 2025 event, picking up his 11th PGA Tour win by shooting 8-under 65 to top Collin Morikawa by three shots and become the 12th golfer to win both PGA Tour events in Hawaii.
He finished at 35 under for the week, setting a new PGA Tour record for lowest score in relation to par. Matsuyama also tied the record for most birdies or better (35) in a single PGA Tour event.
The event has not only kicked off the PGA Tour's yearly calendar, but it also leads into the Sony Open, which is also played in Hawaii. Since many of the world's top players are already on the islands, the Sony Field has typically remained strong, even though it's early on the schedule.
Golfweek's Jason Lusk contributed to this article.