New year, new venue for golf’s season opener. The Waialae Country Club replaces Kapalua after 27 years. But is everyone happy? Difficult to say that.

Brandel Chamblee just made the disappointment clear on Golf Central when Rich Lerner asked about Hawaii’s uncertain future.

“I grew up, and I thought the PGA Tour was synonymous with glamorous, gorgeous, beautiful environs. Great golf courses played on great precipices overlooking the ocean. So, yeah, we’re going to miss it,” he said.

He likes how Tour Commissioner Brian Rolapp honors tradition without letting it control every decision. But respect doesn’t make the pain go away, as he said, “It’s hard to believe that these Hawaiian events are going to go away.”

During his playing days, the West Coast swing carried weight. Hawaii felt special. That excitement might not translate anymore because “maybe the novelty has worn off of that for today’s tour players.”

Chamblee sees what’s coming: “I have no doubt that there will be some decisions that won’t sit right with everybody.”

The Sentry’s cancellation is just the first domino. The tour’s entire structure is being rewritten.

Brown grass and water restrictions were the first things that caused this turmoil.

The drought became the primary reason for the venue shift. The PGA Tour’s agronomists said the course was not fit in September. At that point, the Plantation Course couldn’t meet Tour standards because the Hawaii Water Services Commission imposed Tier 4 restrictions after the Lahaina fires in 2023. The cancellation followed weeks later.

Now, the Sony Open is the 2026 season opener, beginning January 15-18 at Waialae Country Club. This is only the second time since 1999 that the tour hasn’t started in Kapalua. But there is a bigger question mark over 2027.

The tour is also planning a downsized schedule. Rolapp wants fewer events. There’s a discussion that the start date should be around the Super Bowl in mid-February, rather than January, to avoid competing with the NFL playoffs. The Tiger Woods‘ Future Competition Committee will play an important role in making that decision. But the schedule won’t be released until late March or April.

“We’re trying to figure out what is the best schedule possible so we can create the best fields and have the most viewership and also the most fan involvement, and what does that look like,” Woods said.

The contract with Sentry Insurance lasts until 2035. No one knows where the tournament will be held in 2027. The Sony Open’s four-year deal will end after next week’s event. The Tour hasn’t decided what will happen next with either of the Hawaii tournaments.

However, the cancellation of the Sentry is not solely due to drought; there’s more at stake.

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A billionaire water war threatens Kapalua’s future

The drought is only part of the story. Two billionaires are fighting over who owns Kapalua’s water. This fight could keep The Sentry away for years. Kapalua Resort is owned by Tadashi Yanai’s TY Management. Steve Case’s Maui Land & Pineapple owns the Honokohau Ditch system, which is a century-old irrigation system built for pineapple farms.

In August 2025, TY sued MLP for negligence over the failing infrastructure, which started the lawsuit. Case’s company gave TY emergency well water, but they told him to stop complaining and pay more. TY thought of it as a way to get what they wanted. Days later, MLP turned down a counteroffer. The courses turned brown right away.

Mark Rolfing, who made the first water deal in 1987, is very clear about the timeline. The trial isn’t set to start until March 2027. He said, “I know who’s got the most money, and it’s not Maui Land & Pine.”

Alex Nakajima, the general manager of Kapalua, says it will take 2 to 3 years just to fix the infrastructure at the center of the dispute.

Native Hawaiian farmers also add to the complexity of the situation. The Supreme Court of Hawaii said in June 2024 that golf courses are less important than traditional Hawaiian cultural practices like kalo farming. Isaac Moriwake, a lawyer for Earthjustice, said the decision upholds legal principles governing water rights, including that golf course irrigation is less important than legally protected water rights.

Now with the suit, the uncertainty is just increasing.