PGA Tour Ends Long-Standing Tradition As Hawaii Events Axed From Schedule

Throughout the last few months, rumors have been circulating that the PGA Tour would be moving away from Hawaii, with the news confirmed late on Monday evening.

The Sentry and Sony Open in Hawaii have played as the season-opening tournaments of the PGA Tour schedule for a number of years, but the circuit has opted to move away from them in 2027.

It might not be the end of the Sony Open, though, as talks are ongoing that the event could move to the PGA Tour Champions circuit.

The Sentry, meanwhile, was a $20 million Signature Event and could move venues all-together, if reports are to believed.

Sentry Insurance's event sponsorship deal runs to 2035 and, according to numerous reports, the PGA Tour could move The Sentry to Torrey Pines and what is the current Farmers Insurance Open.

PGA Tour CEO, Brian Rolapp, laid out PGA Tour scheduling plans for 2027 at this year's Players Championship, with one point including a marquee event at an iconic venue on the West Coast.

Located in California, Torrey Pines would fit that bill and, given that Farmers Insurance are reportedly pulling their 17-year sponsorship of the tournament, that could open the door for The Sentry to take over.

As we wait to see how it plays out, it means we won't have a Hawaii-based tournament on the PGA Tour calendar for the first time since 1971, when the Sony Open hit our screens.

For 2026, the event was the first of the year, after The Plantation Course at Kapalua, which hosts The Sentry, was cancelled due to the course failing to resolve a water rights dispute with another local company.

The Sentry was the normal season-opening event from 1999-2013 and again from 2024-25. Such was the low scoring nature of the course, Hideki Matsuyama holds the PGA Tour's scoring record, relative to par, with 35-under.

In a statement, the PGA Tour stated: "We are grateful to The Plantation Course at Kapalua, Kapalua Resort, Maui County and the state of Hawaii for their longtime support of our season-opening PGA Tour event, as well as the fans, partners and volunteers across Maui who have supported the event throughout the years."