By Peter Boylan

Copyright staradvertiser

A historic drought has led to the cancellation of the start of the 2026 Professional Golfers Association Tour on Maui after water limitations “significantly compromised” the condition of Kapalua Golf’s
Plantation Course.

The drought and “related challenges” on Maui prevent the tournament from being played there. The tour cited “significant drought conditions in recent weeks” among the reasons for moving the tournament. The Sentry accounts for an annual average economic boost of more than $50 million to Maui’s economy.

The PGA Tour did not say Tuesday where the 2026 season will start or when.

As the first PGA Tour Signature Event of the season, The Sentry field features the top 50 players from the previous year’s FedExCup standings, as well as winners of PGA Tour events from the preceding calendar year.

In January, Hideki Matsu-yama won the event, breaking the PGA Tour record for 72 holes by shooting a 35-under 257, besting by one the 34-under par by Cameron Smith set at Kapalua in 2022.

On Maui, 144,388 people, or more than 93% of the population, is affected by drought conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The management of water resources in West Maui sparked a legal battle between Kapalua Golf’s billionaire owner and Maui Land and Pineapple Co.’s Hawaii Water Service.

In response, water conservation mandates were “implemented to prioritize the needs of the local community,” said the tour.

Kapalua Golf’s irrigation water was cut off Aug. 29 by Maui Land and Pineapple Co.’s Hawaii Water Service and the Plantation Course closed Sept. 2. On Monday, Kapalua Golf announced its Bay Course was closing
indefinitely.

“These restrictions directly affected Kapalua Resort, where the Tour’s agronomy team conducted a site visit in early September,” read the statement from the PGA Tour. “That team concluded the condition of the Plantation Course had been significantly
compromised by the drought and water limitations. While weather conditions may improve in the coming months, the extensive lead time required to prepare a PGA Tour event made it impossible to guarantee Tour-standard playing conditions for the Jan. 5-11 event.”

The “logistical complexities” unique to staging a tournament on the island of Maui, including shipping deadlines, vendor coordination and tournament infrastructure build-out, “all of which are intensified by the island’s remote location” also contributed to the
cancellation.

“With time-sensitive
decisions looming, the
Tour determined that moving forward with the event at Kapalua in 2026 was not feasible,” read the statement.

James K. Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a statement that while the state is “disappointed” that the PGA’s Sentry tournament will not be held in Kapalua in 2026, we appreciate the “collaboration and proactive efforts from all parties involved despite the difficult drought conditions this summer.”

“The state will continue to take steps to keep this event in Hawaii in the future,” Tokioka said.

TY Management, the
Honolulu based company of Japanese billionaire Tadashi Yanai, Kapalua Golf’s owner, told the Star-Advertiser that they are “deeply disappointed that the 2026 Sentry PGA Tour Tournament at Kapalua will not be held” in January.

“The loss of the Sentry was preventable. For years, MLP has failed to maintain the Honokohau Ditch system and has refused to collaborate on solutions, rejecting TY Management’s repeated offers to help finance and support critical repairs,” read the statement

Despite “extraordinary efforts” by Kapalua Golf’s agronomy team, employees and partners, severe “water restrictions imposed upon us over many months inflicted lasting damage” on the Plantation Course, ultimately preventing it from recovering to the championship condition required to hold the event.

“The water supply for Kapalua is monopolized and controlled by Maui Land &Pineapple. The water shortage is the consequence of years of MLP’s failure to repair and maintain the Honokohau Ditch system. The drought has revealed MLP’s inexcusable failings as owner and manager of Kapalua’s only water source,” read the statement.

TY Management accused MLP’s Hawaiian Water Service of leaving idle a groundwater well in Kapalua that could have “supplied enough water to protect the Plantation Course” and benefit the community.

“This pattern of neglect and refusal to act has turned a manageable challenge into a crisis that now impacts everyone,” read the statement from Yanai’s company.

The Sentry marked the Tour’s season-opening event from 1986 to 2013, a tradition that resumed in 2024 when the Tour returned to a calendar-year schedule, according to the statement. The tournament relocated to Maui in 1999. Sentry Insurance became the tournament’s title sponsor in 2018.

After speaking with Gov. Josh Green, Sentry Insurance’s leadership, Kapalua Resort and Maui County, 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.”

“We understand and support the PGA TOUR’s decision, given the challenges related to the ongoing drought,” said Stephanie Smith, chief marketing and brand officer and chief golf partnership officer at Sentry Insurance, in a statement. “We love Maui and the people who make the community such a special place. As we’ve said for years, Maui is a Sentry community not unlike our hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and that remains the case. Our communities are connected. We’ve built meaningful friendships throughout the island, and those relationships are bigger than the tournament.”

Maui Land &Pineapple Inc., in response to the PGA’s announcement, said in a statement that The Sentry Tournament has provided much for Maui both in “economic benefits and charitable contributions.”

“The decision to leave Maui next year underscores the real challenges West Maui is facing with limited water resources. Maui’s severe drought is having island-wide impacts, which we are seeing firsthand from the delays in much-needed housing creation to less
water availability for domestic and irrigation uses,”
read the statement.

The company said for more than a year it “actively engaged” with Kapalua Golf and other stakeholders to find solutions by reducing consumption and exploring the use of recycled water in West Maui.

“We will continue to follow guidance from the State of Hawaii while supporting long-term strategies to ensure availability for generations to come,” read the company’s statement.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and Green met virtually on Monday to discuss the decision and “the broader challenges” facing the Maui community, according to the statement.

“We support the PGA TOUR’s decision, given the drought conditions Maui is facing,” said Green in a statement. “Protecting our water and supporting our communities come first. The Sentry has long showcased Maui’s beauty while giving back to local nonprofits, and we’re grateful to the Tour, Sentry Insurance, Kapalua Resort and Maui County for their partnership.”

The PGA Tour annually hosts two other contests in Hawaii.

One is the 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu on Oahu. The other is the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai that will be played on Hawaii island at Hualalai Golf Club.

“We are excited to host the Sony Open in Hawaii, bringing international attention and support to Hawaii’s communities,” Green said in a statement.

Additional details about the 2026 playing of The Sentry “will be shared when available,” tour officials said.