The PGA Tour’s “scarcity” model has claimed its first victim. And the people concerned didn’t have any clue about it. Since 1965, Hawaii has hosted The Sentry and the Sony Open. Well, that will stop in 2027 as the PGA Tour is saying aloha to Hawaii after nearly 60 years.

The Tour has just confirmed what was being said in hushed tones: the Hawaii swing will be axed. Yet there was a belief that the C-suite executives in Ponte Vedra would reverse course because of their long-standing ties with the island and how much it meant for the local community. However, that didn’t matter in the end. More shocking is the fact that the people associated with the events were unaware of it, and they are now asking why no one told them, in light of the massive impending repercussions.

“We just found out about this, the governor and I, just like everybody else found out about this, and it got leaked yesterday by a sportswriter … he must have heard something from somebody in the PGA Tour, that it was the decision that was made. Milton Lafitaga, [the brand manager for sports tourism], who is here from HTA, has been in discussions, but they’ve been very cryptic,” Jimmy Tokioka, a senior official at Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said.

The PGA Tour canceled the 2026 iteration of The Sentry, citing logistical challenges. The Plantation Course, host of the Tour’s season-opener, was considered unplayable after a lengthy water dispute. The ensuing cost of revamping the course, along with reconstructing the tournament infrastructure, pushed the Tour to skip the Kapalua tournament.

And yet, Stephanie Smith, chief golf partnership officer at Sentry, said, “The Sentry is a jewel in the PGA Tour schedule… Sentry is committed to our long-term relationship with the tour … and The Sentry’s place as a prominent event.”

It’s not clear what happens to the partnership between the PGA Tour and the Sentry, which was signed through 2035 as the title sponsor of the event. But that’s less of a concern when you think of the local businesses and travel professionals, who will now be hit the hardest by the ad-hoc decision.

Consider the fact that the Sentry pumps $50 million into the local economy. On the other hand, the Sony Open Hawaii is a source of $100 million in revenue for the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. The visitors spent an estimated $29.69 million during the Sony Open this year, generating $54 million in economic impact during that week, which is otherwise considered a lull period for travel. PGA Tour’s solution–possibly hosting a Senior Tour event and pairing it with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship on the Big Island–might not cut it.

The 16,162 people who visited Hawaii for the Sony Open came to watch the PGA Tour’s current and up-and-coming stars. A Senior Tour event with yesteryear’s legends is unlikely to draw that same number of people.

Tokioka said it plainly: “We all know with the PGA Tour, when people travel for that, they are high-end spenders, and that’s the type of traveler we want to get to Hawaii.”

PGA Tour visitors book premium hotels and spend considerably more per trip. Losing that specific segment matters for a state that has been trying to attract quality tourism, not just volume. Moreover, the tournaments gave the youth a chance to witness great golfers. A key reason why Mark Rofling, the golf broadcaster popularly known as “Mr. Hawaii,” is angry at the smokescreen policy of the PGA Tour.

“I’m sort of half angry and half disappointed. I don’t quite understand why you would make an announcement as to what you weren’t gonna do, without telling everybody what you were gonna do. All we’re hearing is what we’re not gonna do, and that is play golf in Hawaii,” Rofling was quoted by Hawaii News Now.

The restructuring is being led by the PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, who is rebuilding the schedule with a later season start and a shift away from no-cut formats. Hawaii’s geographic isolation in the middle of the Pacific, along with the logistical weight that comes with it, no longer fits the new model. So, what’s next for Hawaii?

Senate Majority Leader Glenn Wakai, an advocate of sports tourism, said, “It’s unfortunate that we are losing the PGA [Tour]. It was a fantastic run. There are six professional golf tours in Asia. We should be teeing them up to stop in Hawaii.”

Beyond the decision, Waialae’s history shows what is being lost.

A course that rewrote record books and golfing history

In 1983, Isao Aoki produced one of the most dramatic finishes in golf history, holing out a wedge for eagle on the final hole to win. That one shot made the Sony Open a story that went around the world and showed how Waialae always gave people moments that went far beyond Hawaii’s shores.

In 2017, Justin Thomas made the tournament more famous by scoring a historic 59 and a total of 253, which was 27 under par. It showed how the course could be tough for top players while still letting them shine, which is why the event stayed an important early-season test.

The event has also opened doors for new talent. Tadd Fujikawa made the cut at 16 with fearless play, while Michelle Wie’s 68 as a 14-year-old almost got her through. These performances linked local identity to global competition in a way that mattered.

Waialae’s legacy was also built on consistency. John Huston’s 28-under win set a scoring record, Jimmy Walker’s back-to-back titles showed that he was consistently great, and Grayson Murray’s playoff win in 2024 kept the trend of close finishes going, which kept the event competitive and interesting.

Moreover, the PGA Tour and Sentry helped rebuild the locality after the Maui wildfire. From Patrick Cantlay to Collin Morikawa, a number of PGA Tour pros came forward to help the victims, and the first responders. That created a lasting connection between players, the Tour, and the local people, which is now on the verge of getting culled.