1x PGAT winner unhappy as long-running event exits Kapalua in 2026

1x PGA Tour winner Michael Kim is unhappy as the long-running Sentry Tournament exited Kapalua in 2026. The PGA Tour shared news on Tuesday that the Sentry Tournament would not be held at the Kapalua Plantation Course.

The reason behind the decision was the ongoing drought and challenges on Maui. The drought situation came up recently, affecting 90% of the area and 140,000 residents. As a result, water conservation was strictly suggested to help the adverse situation of the land.

As Kim was looking forward to the tournament next year, he shared his resentment at missing out on the tournament and shared a post on his X handle, writing:

“Was really looking forward to going back next yr. Hopefully the tour can find somewhere soon and on the west coast so I can also play Sony.”

However, the Sentry Tournament will not take place in Kapalua; the 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii will take place in its usual venue called the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Governor Josh Green of Hawaii confirmed the same to the PGA Tour. He said:

“We are excited to host the Sony Open in Hawai‘i, bringing international attention and support to Hawai‘i’s communities.”

This year, Kim played the Sony Open, and he missed the cut after two rounds of the event on Friday. He scored 2 under in total. In 2025, he also missed cutlines at the Farmers Insurance Open, the Players Championship, the John Deere Classic, and the Open Championship.

His top 10 finishes of the season were the WM Phoenix Open with a T2, the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches with a T6, the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a fourth-place finish, and the BMW Championship with a tenth-place finish after scoring 17 under, 15 under, 8 under, and 6 under, respectively.

Who was the last Sentry Tournament winner in Kapalua?

The 2025 Sentry Tournament in Kapalua was won by Hideki Matsuyama after the golfer scored 35 under. He defeated Collin Morikawa to get the trophy with a margin of 3 shots. Following his victory, he joined the post-tournament press conference to share his feelings about the win. His words were ( via ASAP Sports):

“I'm very happy. I wanted to definitely win both tournaments in Hawaii. So I'm very happy to be able to do that…I actually wasn't feeling too well this week, and so I was really just focused on what I needed to do, so I really didn't speak much, so there's nothing that I can remember that comes to mind”

Matsuyama scored 65 in the first round of the Sentry Tournament, followed by 65, 62, and 65 in the rest of the three rounds.

Edited by pranavsethii