One of the great viewing experiences in sports is sadly going to be no more as the PGA Tour is leaving Hawaii beginning next season with The Sentry and the Sony Open both departing the schedule in 2027.
The PGA Tour had kicked off the season with The Sentry at Kapalua’s famed Plantation Course since 1999. It was formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, inviting tour winners from the previous season and those who qualified for the Tour Championship. The Sony Open at Waialae Country Club represented the first full-field event of the year and had been played every year since 1971.
According to SBJ’s Josh Carpenter who broke the story, the Sony Open could be resurrected and play host to a Champions Tour event as we have seen with Akron’s Firestone Country Club where the World Series of Golf took place for many years on the PGA Tour.
The writing was on the wall when The Sentry was cancelled earlier this year due to water issues in Maui. Then, new PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp openly spoke about his desire to see the PGA Tour season open later at a marquee venue on the west coast. It’s believed that Sentry may take over sponsorship of the event at Torrey Pines near San Diego, which would fulfill what Rolapp is looking for in a new season-opening tournament.
Kapalua especially was a beloved event for golfers and fans not just because it represented the start of the new season, but because of the iconic scenery. The rolling green hills of the plantation course against the royal blue backdrop of the Pacific Ocean was a welcome sight each year. For sports fans stuck in freezing cold temperatures throughout much of the country in early January, a primetime golf tournament in Hawaii was appointment viewing. It wasn’t just a fun tournament to watch marking the return of the PGA Tour, it was a much needed ray of sunshine in the dead of winter.
With it now missing from the sports calendar, is there any chance the Maui Invitational can be played outdoors now?
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