When we lost pro sports teams and events in the past, like the Triple-A baseball Hawaii Islanders or the NFL Pro Bowl, we could always say, “Well, we’ve still got the PGA.”

What evolved into the Tour’s “Hawaii Swing” has allowed the islands to host the all-star event and opening day for a major professional sport in back-to-back weeks. That’s exciting for local golf fans; but, more importantly, it’s been an economic boon for the entire state for decades. And you don’t need a stadium to host a golf tournament.

That is now all in jeopardy, though, with the announced departure last month of one event for at least a year, and title sponsorship for the other at question.

The Sentry at Kapalua’s Plantation Course is — or was — the all-star event, as the tournament champions and other high achievers from the previous season congregated for a tourney on Maui in early January.

The Sony Open in Hawaii, played the following week at Waialae Country Club is opening day — the first full-field event of the new season.

As an added bonus, the next week, on Hawaii Island, there is the season-opener for the PGA Tour Champions, a circuit that includes legendary stars over age 50. The Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on Hawaii Island was won last year by Ernie Els, who has also won both of the other Hawaii events in his storied career.

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But now that The Sentry is gone for at least one year, questions abound not only about its future at Kapalua, but that also of what was previously called the Hawaiian Open and has been held at Waialae since 1965. Concerns are compounded because the upcoming tournament in January is the last of the current contract with Sony, which has been the title sponsor since 1999.

In a phone conversation Friday, Michael Balker, the PGA’s director of golf communications, would only confirm that the 2026 Sony Open, scheduled for Jan. 12-18, and the Mitsubishi set for the following week will go on as scheduled. He declined to speculate on the future of any PGA events in Hawaii.

The absence of The Sentry will likely affect the quality of the field of the Sony Open. It makes much more business sense for top players to at least consider playing at Waialae if it is the second of two tournaments in two weeks in Hawaii.

Some played in The Sentry, but skipped the Sony Open, anyway.

The Sentry is a PGA “Signature Event,” meaning it offers a larger payout, and players can earn more points toward the season-long chase for the FedEx Cup. Since the field is limited, there is no cut at most signature events, including The Sentry, and all entrants receive prize money.

Also, some top players already skip the Sony Open, and play in the Dubai Desert Classic, a European Tour event which is also played in January.

Questions the PGA declined to address include any about the future — immediate and long-term — of The Sentry, including if it will return to Hawaii. Balker also declined to talk about the Sony Open in Hawaii beyond January, 2026.

Transition at the top of the PGA might mean changes that affect Hawaii. Former NFL executive Brian Rolapp will be the new commissioner, replacing Jay Monahan.

It was a big boost for Maui when The Sentry was held at Kapalua in January 2024 — less than five months after the deadly wildfires destroyed Lahaina, just a few miles down the road on the island’s west coast.

All of this underscores Hawaii’s need for a sports commission, one with teeth and autonomy.

First, though, the obvious: A committee of the greatest sports minds in the world cannot stop a drought. But, in this situation, it might have been anticipated and assurances possibly worked out with the PGA that The Sentry would be back when the grass is green again. Instead, we have, at best, uncertainty.

Keith Amemiya has done admirable work as chair of Gov. Josh Green’s sports task force, particularly in marshalling support for Lahaina area athletes and coaches after the 2023 fires. Amemiya has plenty of connections and the governor’s backing, but he is a force of one who also has other duties as a senior vice president at Central Pacific Bank.

But, while Amemiya has proven over decades he is adept at mobilizing local financial support for sports, what he is attempting to do should be a full-time, salaried position. And that would include more government support, including official advisers on a sports commission.

A previous sports commission never got traction, largely because its responsibilities overlapped too much with those of the Hawaii Tourism Authority — which had one employee working on sports, and not full time.

A sports commission could have worked with the PGA, Kapalua and other stakeholders in ensuring that maintaining the course’s condition was made a priority before it was too late — not to puff up the state’s sports ego, but to not lose the millions that the event brings to the island and the state.

Now we face a possible chain reaction. If there are no assurances The Sentry will return, there is less motivation for Sony to re-up — assuming that decision has not already been made. The silence is deafening.

Friends of Hawaii Charities and the Hawaii Community Foundation distributed $1.2 million to nonprofit organizations statewide from the 2025 Sony Open in Hawaii, according to a release from the tournament.

Regaining The Sentry and retaining the Hawaiian Open — with either Sony or a new title sponsor — are important priorities, and not just for sports fans.

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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com.