Golf’s new year might soon look very different. The familiar January rhythm could give way to a surprising shift that changes how fans ease into the season. For a very long time, the PGA Tour schedule has started in January and concluded by August. Then begin the FedEx Fall events. However, this year, the PGA Tour cannot hold the schedule opener, The Sentry. As such, golf analyst and commentator Taylor Zarzour believes that the PGA Tour should make more drastic changes moving forward.

Taylor Zarzour was discussing the PGA Tour’s decision to cancel The Sentry 2026 with Gary Williams. “What I am intrigued by is this sort of precedent for the future? Is there a chance that we are going to have less golf in January on the PGA Tour in, say, 2027, 2028, and beyond? I would think that Brian Rolapp, who was just on your list of assets. Yeah. The CEO of the PGA Tour, I would think, he would like to get out of the way of football. This man cares deeply about the ratings and how many people are connecting to the game, and he should, by the way, and I do as this futures committee that is deciding when to play golf on the PGA Tour,” Taylor Zarzour said on the 5 Clubs podcast.

The PGA Tour announced in October 2025 that The Sentry, the annual season-opening tournament held at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, will be canceled for 2026. According to the PGA Tour, the course cannot host the event because of ongoing drought conditions. There are also legal issues regarding water use on Maui.

The tour tried to find an alternative, but was unsuccessful. There were logistical challenges, such as shipping deadlines, tournament infrastructure, and vendor support, that were of concern when finding an alternative. Finally, the PGA Tour cancelled it. The 2026 season will now begin with the Sony Open in Honolulu rather than The Sentry.

While Zarzour downplayed overreactions to the January ratings, he noted that The Sentry’s suspension might set a precedent for fewer golf tournaments in January. He says that Rolapp will aim to get out of the way of football. Brian Rolapp is a former NFL executive, so he understands the craze around football very well. The PGA Tour makes way for the NFL by completing the regular schedule by September. January is the NFL’s playoff season month. As a result, more people watch the NFL in January than in September.

This becomes even more likely because Sony’s contract ends in 2026. “To me, January could be a spot where we see less golf, especially since we didn’t have the Century this year. The Sony’s contract is up. It wouldn’t surprise me, Gary, if the PGA Tour season started a little later in January,” Zarzour said. The Sony Open enters its final year on contract with the sponsor. This puts Hawaii’s place on the PGA Tour schedule in doubt.

If Jay Monahan, Brian Rolapp, and the other executives on the PGA Tour consider this, they could very well end the events in Hawaii. If that happens, the season will begin with The American Express a little later in January. Zarzour says that while ending the regular season by September was a smart move, starting it later in January will be a smart move, too.

While there are speculations that all the Hawaii tournaments could end in the future, as The Sentry’s golf course is back to its lush-green state.

The Sentry venue is reopened, but the event remains cancelled

The Kapalua Plantation Course experienced severe drought conditions, leading to the turf drying out completely by September 2025. However, course management worked to restore it. By early November 2025, the course had returned to a lush green state. It was open to locals for casual play. Despite the restoration progress, the course still does not meet the PGA Tour standards required to host The Sentry. Thus, the fate of The Sentry 2026 remains unchanged

Sponsors, including Sentry executive Stephanie Smith, remain optimistic about the event’s long-term future. Sentry extended its contract to remain the sponsor of the Tournament of Champions until 2035. “One of the smartest decisions we’ve ever made was to align ourselves with the PGA TOUR,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry’s Chairman of the Board, President and CEO. “It’s been a great relationship—one that has helped us connect with our customers and other business decision makers who watch and play the game. We have established something very special with the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and we’re excited about what the future holds for both the PGA TOUR and our event.”

This note their commitment to a partnership with the PGA Tour through 2035. Taylor Zarzour says that the PGA Tour would be wise to get out of the way of the NFL. However, the sponsor of The Sentry hopes that the event will return in 2027.