The PGA Tour Cancels The Sentry in 2026
The PGA Tour has announced the cancellation of its inaugural tournament, The Sentry, scheduled for 2026. This decision is made instead of seeking an alternative venue for the event traditionally held in Kapalua, Maui, due to water scarcity in the region. It is the first time a PGA Tour 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 the year, taking place from January 15 to 18, 2026. This date marks the latest start to a season since the PGA Tour was established in 1969. The organization and Sentry Insurance, based in Wisconsin, had considered other fields for the event, which offers a $20 million prize pool and is reserved for PGA Tour winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. However, it was decided not to hold the tournament.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 Plantation Course, which has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999, was directly affected. The Sony Open is in its final year of title sponsorship, raising uncertainty about Hawaii’s place on the PGA Tour schedule after this year. The announcement of The Sentry’s cancellation coincided with the news that the Plantation course will reopen on November 10, with tee times available from Thursday at a promotional rate. Several players who failed to qualify among the top 50 of the FedEx Cup, such as Aldrich Potgieter and Min Woo Lee, will be added to the field of the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head the week after the Masters to compensate for their absence in Kapalua. In August, Tadashi Yanai, the Japanese billionaire who owns Kapalua, along with Kapalua homeowners and Hua Momona Farms, filed a lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple, alleging that the water supply system had not been maintained. 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 potential fines of up to $11 million. MLP has until November 8 to respond. Given water restrictions, the two Kapalua courses went from emerald green to yellow, leading to their closure in September for at least two months to try to save them. On September 16, it was announced that The Sentry could not be held at Kapalua. The organization stated that, after evaluating alternatives 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 maintains one of the longest 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 due to a renewed schedule. Tiger Woods leads a “Future Competition Committee” to shape the circuit, and the committee is about to meet for the first time. Sentry executive Smith commented that it is difficult to predict the future of The Sentry in Maui for 2027. “We are committed to playing The Sentry. We know from our conversations with the circuit that The Sentry will be on the calendar. There are many factors at play right now. What is happening on the island? Will the water problem be resolved? Will the course be playable? What about the resolution of the lawsuits?”, she said. The Sony Open becomes the seventh tournament to kick off the year since the circuit began.I am very proud of what The Sentry has become; I didn’t want ’26 to be any less special.
Stephanie Smith, Director of Marketing and Brand at Sentry