The PGA Tour’s season has started at the Kapalua Golf Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui for the last 26 years. The Sentry tournament will have to find a new home in January. A drought and a water dispute have forced tournament officials to relocate the event to an alternative venue.
The PGA Tour had started every year on the wide, lush green fairways at the Plantation Course at Kapalua since 1999. The course’s massive elevation changes and spectacular ocean views are a favorite of players and fans alike.
What happened to Kapalua Resort?
Currently, the Kapalua website’s live camera displays images of a baked and brown golf course due to a lack of irrigation. Tour officials said there was no way to get the course ready for the Sentry Tournament scheduled to be held Jan. 8-11. Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced the move in a statement on Tuesday.
“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,” Rolapp said.
The $20 million Sentry tournament is one of the Tour’s signature events and invites every PGA Tour winner from the previous season and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings to play. Tour pro Cam Davis described the event after his third round in January.
“Couldn’t be much better,” Davis said. “I mean, it’s great having these massive wide fairways to hit and the amazing views to kind of take a second and look at throughout the round, but it’s just a nice relaxing, well it’s not as relaxing anymore now it’s turned into a really big event, but at the same time, it couldn’t be much better.”
Why is there a dispute over water usage?
A severe drought on Maui has led to water shortages and restrictions for more than 144,000 residents on the island. The National Integrated Drought Information System says 93.3% of the island’s population is affected.
Kapalua Resort is owned by Japanese billionaire Tadashi Yanai, who founded the apparel company Uniqlo. His company, TY Management, blames Maui Land and Pineapple for ruining the golf course and is suing the company, claiming they failed to maintain the century-old ditch system that supplies water to West Maui from the mountain.
“That disrepair, not any act of God, or force of nature, or other thing, is why users who need it are currently without water,” the lawsuit says.
Maui Land and Pineapple said it has made repairs and improvements to the ditch system as directed by the Commission on Water Resource Management. They also accused Kapalua of using more than 1 million gallons of water a day over two days, which led to the tighter restrictions.
What efforts are being made to save the course?
The resort closed both its Plantation and Bay courses Sept. 2 in hopes of saving them with the limited irrigation available.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Alex Nakajima, of Kapalua Golf, said. “Closing at this time will allow us to begin careful recovery and restoration so that the courses may once again meet the standards of playability our guests deserve.”
Kapalua officials say the tournament has a $50 million economic impact on the area. The Tour’s second event of 2026, the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, will go on as planned.
