It came without surfers. It came without sails. It came without Coore-Crenshaw, Molokai or whales.
The 2026 calendar came just the same … but it’s not the same without the traditional PGA Tour season-opening tournament of champions (and then some) at Kapalua’s Plantation Course in Maui. The Grinch who stole The Sentry was a dispute over irrigation water that prompted the tour in September to cancel the signature event, pushing the start of the season to this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii over on Oahu.
For those of us bound in cooler climes stateside, it left a huge hole at the start of the new year. Waialae is a beautiful spot, but it doesn’t match the elevated majesty of Kapalua.
“In September, no one could have predicted that course conditions would improve so dramatically.”
Alex Nakajima, gm, Kapalua Golf
Maybe it wasn’t for everyone (Tiger Woods stopped going ages ago when qualified and Rory McIlroy has been among the most consistent no-shows), but the season-opening Sentry was one of the handful of most anticipated events of the season in my book along with the majors. More hours were spent watching the late-night NBC or Golf Channel broadcast while bundled up on the East Coast than any tournament outside of the Masters, Open or Ryder Cup. The cerulean and azure sky and sea offsetting the vibrant emerald course and hazy forest green island in the distance were always sights for sore eyes. Beyond the eye candy, the frenetic charges of players who found the scoring groove coming home on the dramatic par-73 layout always triggered the familiar rhythm of a new season.
Was anyone else mesmerized watching shot tracer on the 18th tee before following the seemingly endless rollout of the ball down the steeply sloped fairway? That was a uniquely Kapalua feature, always building anticipation for who might risk going for the pin to seek a closing eagle that might change everything.
Sadly, it didn’t have to be this way. The Plantation Course that was browned out after a dry summer sprang back to life and was in “pristine” condition last week when it welcomed resort guests for play instead of the greatest golfers in the world and our envious eyes.
The Plantation Course reopened for public play on Nov. 10 after being closed in September to allow Kapalua’s agronomy team to restore turf health following prolonged Tier 4 water restrictions (zero irrigation) that caused significant stress and damage to the resort’s courses over the summer. Since Tier 3 restrictions (60 percent normal use) went into effect in September, the Plantation’s drought-tolerant Bermudagrasses that were planted during a 2019 renovation allowed for a remarkable recovery.
“In September, no one could have predicted that course conditions would improve so dramatically,” said Alex Nakajima, general manager of Kapalua Golf. “It’s a credit to our amazing agronomy team that we’re seeing these incredible conditions.”
If only we were seeing them on our TV last weekend – or in the future. The entire Hawaiian swing is in jeopardy of being axed to avoid competing with the NFL for eyeballs on the January tour calendar.
The PGA Tour season may never feel the same again without Kapalua batting leadoff. And if we never get to say goodbye to it, three words come to mind – stink, stank, stunk.
Scott Michaux
Top: COURTESY KAPALUA GOLF