The PGA Tour has cancelled its season-opening tournament, The Sentry, after drought and water conservation issues on the Hawaiian island of Maui, and failing to find an alternative venue.
The Sony Open in Honolulu will be the first tournament of 2026, taking place from January 15-18, the latest start to a season since the PGA Tour was formed in 1969.
The Plantation course in Kapalua has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999, but has been forced to close two of its courses due to severe water restrictions stemming from a dispute with the company in charge of a century-old water delivery system.
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The tour said in a statement, “After assessing alternate venues in Hawaii and beyond, the tour determined it would not be able to contest The Sentry in 2026 because of logistical challenges – including shipping deadlines, tournament infrastructure and vendor support.”
Stephanie Smith, the chief marketing and brand officer at Sentry, added, “I am really proud of what The Sentry has become. I didn’t want 2026 to be any less.
“We didn’t want it to be just, ‘Find a place for it in the schedule,’ or ‘Find a course for it that could host it.’
“I wanted Sentry to remain the jewel that it is. I wanted it to be special. When that couldn’t come together, I felt we didn’t have a choice.
“This is not the outcome we wanted, but unfortunately, it’s where we are.”
It is the first time a tournament has been cancelled since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
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Highlights of the final day of the 2025 Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course in Hawaii
The Sentry has been the first PGA Tour event every year since 1999, except in 2001, when the season began in Australia with a World Golf Championship.
Smith said the tour remains “committed” to playing The Sentry again, but said there are many factors at play and it is difficult to give a definitive answer about the future of the course.
In 2025, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama finished with a PGA Tour 72-hole record of 35 under par to win The Sentry in Hawaii by three strokes from America’s Collin Morikawa.
Watch the Sony Open in Hawaii live on Sky Sports from January 15-18. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more golf contract-free with NOW.
