{"id":436787,"date":"2025-09-17T10:26:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T10:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/?p=436787"},"modified":"2025-09-18T22:45:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T22:45:51","slug":"pga-tour-drops-kapalua-for-2026-sentry-tournament-due-to-severe-drought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/pga-tour-drops-kapalua-for-2026-sentry-tournament-due-to-severe-drought\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA Tour Drops Kapalua for 2026 Sentry Tournament Due to Severe Drought"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/pga-tour-returns-to-trump-owned-courses-after-a-decade\/\" target=\"_self\">PGA Tour<\/a> has announced that its 2026 season-opening event, the Sentry, is moving from Maui. The event is one of the PGA Tour&#8217;s nine $20 million signature events and will no longer take place at <a  href=\"https:\/\/golfatkapalua.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kapalua&#8217;s Plantation Course<\/a> in early January as originally scheduled<\/p>\n<h3>Kapalua Won&#8217;t Recover In Time For Sentry Tournament<\/h3>\n<p>The decision to drop Kapalua for the 2026 Sentry Tournament comes after <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/pga-tour-season-opener-faces-unexpected-60-day-closure\/\" target=\"_self\">severe drought conditions<\/a> on the island of Maui led to restrictions on water usage. Limited irrigation prevented organizers from preparing the Plantation Course to the standards needed to host one of golf\u2019s most high-profile tournaments.\u00a0The PGA Tour confirmed that agronomic conditions at the course had declined, making it difficult to guarantee fair playing surfaces and a safe competition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFollowing discussions with the Governor\u2019s office, as well as leadership from Sentry Insurance, Kapalua Resort, and Maui County, the PGA TOUR has determined that 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. Additional event information will be shared when appropriate,\u201d the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.pgatour.com\/article\/news\/latest\/2025\/09\/16\/pga-tour-announces-the-sentry-will-not-be-contested-at-kapalua-in-2026\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PGA TOUR said in a statement.<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">18 at Kapalua playing firmer and faster than usual due to drought conditions.<\/p>\n<p>How far could the average X user drive it on this hole?<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lfRZr1BM4O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/lfRZr1BM4O<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Brock \ud83d\udca3 (@Golfingbrock) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Golfingbrock\/status\/1968041143037579442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Tour officials said it was not feasible to expect the course to recover in time, especially with the local government prioritizing community water needs over course maintenance. The PGA Tour said it will provide additional details about the 2026 Sentry Tournament as soon as they become available.<\/p>\n<h3>Smith and Green Back PGA Tour\u2019s Decision<\/h3>\n<p>The loss of the tournament in 2026 will be a blow to local businesses, resorts, and non-profits. Each year, The Sentry directs its proceeds to Maui charities, supporting schools, hospitals, and community programs. Tournament organizers acknowledged that stepping away, even temporarily, will hurt, but they said the circumstances made the decision unavoidable.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_436619\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-436619\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-436619\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/USATSI_19749130_168416623_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-436619\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">January 8, 2023; Maui, Hawaii, USA; Collin Morikawa (right) and caddie J.J. Jakovac (left) walk on the third hole during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament at Kapalua Resort &#8211; The Plantation Course. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Officials from Hawaii and Maui County backed the move, stressing that communities must prioritize water for essential use. Stephanie Smith, Sentry Insurance\u2019s chief marketing and brand officer and chief golf partnership officer, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.pgatour.com\/article\/news\/latest\/2025\/09\/16\/pga-tour-announces-the-sentry-will-not-be-contested-at-kapalua-in-2026\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>, \u2018We support the PGA TOUR\u2019s decision given the drought conditions Maui is facing.\u2019 Hawaii Governor Josh Green also voiced his support, emphasizing that protecting the state\u2019s water and supporting local communities comes first.<\/p>\n<p>The Sentry has called Kapalua home for more than two decades, and the course draws worldwide recognition for its dramatic views and wide fairways. It has become a popular stop for players and fans alike, often serving as the stage for champions to begin the season in Hawaii. However, the worsening drought left organizers with few choices.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: \u00a9 Kyle Terada-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The PGA Tour has announced that its 2026 season-opening event, the Sentry, is moving from Maui. The event is one of the PGA Tour&#8217;s nine $20 million signature events and will no longer take place at Kapalua&#8217;s Plantation Course in early January as originally scheduled Kapalua Won&#8217;t Recover In Time For Sentry Tournament The decision [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5425,"featured_media":436792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,246,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-436787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf","category-golf-news","category-pga"],"modified_by":"Ajayi Segun","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5425"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436787"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":436815,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436787\/revisions\/436815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}