PGA Tour Announces Removal of Hawaii Swing Events Starting in 2027

The PGA Tour announced it will exclude the Hawaii Swing from its schedule starting in 2027, concluding events that have opened the season since 1965. Both The Sentry at Kapalua and the Sony Open at Waialae will no longer feature on the PGA Tour calendar from 2027, according to Sports Business Journal. The PGA Tour attributed the change to logistical challenges specific to Maui tournaments.

The 2026 edition of The Sentry was scrapped late last year due to water supply infrastructure problems on Maui. That event had a prize fund of $20 million as a Signature Event. The Plantation Course at Kapalua has hosted the season's opening PGA Tour event since 1999.

Hawaii's connection to professional golf began in 1965. The PGA Tour expressed gratitude to The Plantation Course at Kapalua, Kapalua Resort, Maui County, and the State of Hawaii for their longtime support of the season-opening event. The PGA Tour also expressed appreciation to fans, partners, and volunteers across Maui who supported the event throughout the years.

Stephanie Smith, chief marketing and brand officer of Sentry, said Sentry has sponsored The Sentry in Kapalua for eight years. She described Maui as a Sentry community not unlike Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The Sony Open may survive as a PGA Tour Champions event.

The NFL relocated the Pro Bowl to Orlando in 2016, making golf the second major American sport to exit Hawaii. Scottie Scheffler, the world number one golfer, won The American Express last year. The American Express has dates of January 21-24, 2027.