THE PGA Tour have announced that next season’s opening event, The Sentry, will be moved from its usual course due to extreme weather and unplayable conditions.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua on the Hawaiian Island of Maui, whch normally hosts the curtain-raiser, has been hit by a drought.
The Sentry is the PGA Tour season-opener
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion but won’t be playing at the Plantation Course in 2026
The event is not scheduled to start until January 5 but an early decision has been made to relocate.
The lack of rain in the area means water conservation regulations have been put in place.
This has impacted the Kapalua Resort, which was considered to be “significantly compromised” by Tour chiefs after they visited earlier this month.
There was an acceptance that conditions could change over the next three months but it was impossible to guarantee given the preparation required.
Additional details on where will be played will be published further down the line.
The Sentry has kicked off the year calendar since 2024, when the tour returned to a January-December schedule.
It previously launced the season between 1986 and 2013, with the top 50 players from the previous year’s FedExCup standings and winners of events gaining entry.
A Tour statement adds: “Beyond agronomic concerns, there are logistical complexities unique to staging a tournament on the island of Maui.
“These include shipping deadlines, vendor coordination and tournament infrastructure build-out — all of which are intensified by the island’s remote location.”
Sentry Insurance, who sponsor the event, have given their support to the decision, as have Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and Hawaii Governor Josh Green, who met to discuss the announcement.
is the defending champion having won last year with a remarkable score of 35-under, his 11th PGA Tour title.
He will get the opportunity to make it back-to-back wins at The Sentry, but where he will do it remains to be seen.
