The 2026 PGA Tour season opener has been cancelled after an alternative venue for The Sentry couldn't be found.
Drought and water conservation issues on the island of Maui meant the PGA Tour wanted to move the event, scheduled for 8-11 January, away from the usual host venue of the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
However, after looking at alternate courses around Hawaii and elsewhere, the PGA Tour decided a switch was not possible due to "logistical challenges" - so The Sentry has been cancelled.
The Sony Open, taking place from 15-18 January at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, will now be the official start of the 2026 PGA Tour season - and is the latest start to a campaign since its formation in 1969.
"After assessing alternate venues in Hawaii and beyond, the tour determined it would not be able to contest The Sentry in 2026 because of logistical challenges - including shipping deadlines, tournament infrastructure and vendor support," the PGA Tour said in a statement.
It's the first cancellation of a PGA Tour event since Covid times, but Sentry are hopeful the event will remain "a jewel in the PGA Tour schedule" according to it's chief marketing and brand officer and golf partnership officer Stephanie Smith.
"Sentry is committed to our long-term relationship with the Tour - which runs through 2035 - and The Sentry’s place as a prominent event," said Smith. "While 2026 will not turn out as we would have liked, we’re optimistic about the future.”
The Sentry was the traditional PGA Tour curtain raiser from 1986-2013 before the introduction of the wraparound season.
It reverted to being the opening event of the season when the PGA Tour resumed a calendar year schedule in 2024, with Hideki Matsuyama the current champion after shooting a record 35 under par.
The Plantation Course in Kapalua has held the tournament since 1999, when it relocated from California.
The Sentry was a Signature Event for the 2026 season, and set to feature PGA Tour tournament winners from last season alongside the top 50 in the final FedEx Cup standings.
With the event cancelled, 2025 tournament winners who finished outside the top 50 will now get into the RBC Heritage in April as an alternate Signature Event.
