The Sony Open has been played continuously at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu since 1971 (Image: Getty)
For the first time in 56 years, the PGA Tour will be absent from Hawaii in 2027.
The announcement arrived Monday confirming that both the Sentry at Kapalua and the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club have been removed from the schedule, bringing an end to one of professional golf’s most cherished traditions and delivering a major setback to the islands that have welcomed the tour’s season-opening events since 1971.
The Sentry’s demise had been anticipated. The tournament was called off last January when drought conditions on Maui caused the grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua to die, stemming from a contentious dispute over a century-old water distribution system. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau ‘discussed options’ for LIV exit before angry Mexico City outburst
The ownership conflict involving Kapalua operator Troon Golf, Japanese billionaire Tadashi Yanai and Maui Land and Pineapple, which filed a countersuit claiming violations of water restrictions, couldn’t be resolved in time to preserve the tournament.
Two Kapalua staff members were informed Monday that the tour wouldn’t be coming back. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, who has been open about his ambition to restructure the schedule and relocate the season opener to the West Coast, validated the decision.
Tiger Woods is eligible for the PGA Tour Champions (Image: Getty)
The Sony Open’s circumstances differ but carry equal weight. The tournament originated in 1965 and has been held without interruption at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu since 1971, establishing it as one of the tour’s most historically significant competitions.
The tournament relied heavily on its connection with Kapalua – the two-week Hawaii swing had been established since 1999, providing players with justification to make the lengthy trip to the Pacific. Without Kapalua to support that partnership, the Sony Open’s sponsorship, already in its concluding year, could not be extended under the same conditions.
The tour is currently in discussions about converting the Sony Open into a PGA Tour Champions event, according to Sports Business Journal, to be combined with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship on the Big Island. That possibility represents a significant downgrade from its present status, as a Champions Tour classification means considerably reduced television coverage, smaller fields of competing stars and almost certainly diminished revenue and commercial appeal for the local community that has backed the event for more than half a century.
There is, however, one development that could ease the impact, at least for several years. Tiger Woods, now 50, recently became eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, and his participation at a Sony Open in its new configuration would create a level of excitement that few events on any tour could rival.
Whether Woods decides to compete in Hawaii or elsewhere on the Champions circuit remains uncertain as he continues to navigate the aftermath from his recent DUI arrest, but the prospect gives the tournament’s conversion an intriguing wildcard. Torrey Pines in San Diego is widely considered the most probable next destination for The Sentry, following reports that Sentry executives attended this year’s event there. The departure of Farmers Insurance as sponsor at Torrey Pines this year, without a renewal, has left a significant vacancy. Sentry’s existing contract runs through 2035.
Stephanie Smith, the company’s chief marketing and brand officer, spoke warmly of Maui while stopping short of revealing future plans.
“We have said from the beginning, we love Maui and Maui is a Sentry community not unlike our hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin,” she said. “We cherish the friends and partnerships we have formed over the past several years. Our commitment to the island runs deep, and we remain committed to being active in the community.”
Hideki Matsuyama claimed victory at the last Sentry, breaking a PGA Tour record with a stunning 35 under par performance. Meanwhile, Chris Gotterup took the title at this year’s Sony Open, which stepped in as the new season opener.