The PGA Tour revealed on Wednesday that The Sentry, its traditional season-opening event, will be omitted from the 2026 calendar due to persistent drought conditions in Maui, Hawaii, where the Plantation Course is found. Instead, the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu will take over as the inaugural tournament of the 2026 season from January 15 to 18.

“Since it first became apparent that the PGA Tour would not be able to host The Sentry at the Plantation Course due to drought conditions on Maui, we have coordinated with our partners at Sentry to explore alternatives for holding the event in 2026,” stated Tyler Dennis, Chief Competitions Officer of the PGA Tour. “While it is unfortunate to arrive at this decision, we appreciate the collaboration and commitment from Sentry Insurance, a valuable partner of ours.”

The Tour had previously noted in September that it would not hold the tournament at the Plantation Course and assessed potential alternative sites for the event. However, it was ultimately determined that such venues were inadequate in terms of infrastructure and vendor support.

The Sentry has marked the Tour’s season kickoff from 1986 to 2013 and since 2024, when the Tour returned to a calendar-year format.

Those eligible for The Sentry include the top 50 in the 2025 FedEx Cup standings along with the season’s champions. Players in the top 50 will qualify for all signature events in 2026, while those who only qualified for The Sentry because of their victory will now be included in another significant event, the RBC Heritage.

Stopped by Kapalua today and the course looks totally dead. Can’t fathom how much business this water dispute is costing them. Image — Dan Back (@dan_back) October 7, 2025