PGA Tour Forced to Move 2026 Season Opener From Kapalua

The Tour is assessing various options to host the signature event which kicks off the 2026 season.

The Plantation Course at Kapalua had hosted the first calendar-year event on the PGA Tour since 1999. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Severe drought conditions and the ongoing closure of the Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui has led the PGA Tour to announce that it will not be conducting its season-opening Sentry tournament at the Hawaii resort.

The 2026 tournament will be relocated and the Tour is assessing various options, which could include somewhere else in Hawaii, or perhaps California or Florida.

The resort announced in late April that it would be closing for two months beginning Sept. 2 to conserve water and to address the situation, putting the tournament’s playing in early January in doubt.

“Following discussions with the Governor’s office, as well as leadership from Sentry Insurance, 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,” the Tour said in a statement.

Kapalua has been home to the Tour’s season-opening or calendar-year starting event since 1999. It was for years known as the Tournament of Champions and open only to players who won a PGA Tour event in the preceding year.

That changed last year with the advent of the signature events, which is now the event’s distinction. Now only does it invite tournament winners but also those who were among the top 50 in the final FedEx Cup standings. The tournament has a $20 million purse without a cut.

The Associated Press first reported the issues in August, saying the course had not been watered  since July 25 and that a lawsuit ensued.