Opinion: Still would have been interesting to see PGA players go to Maui in 2026

Kapalula Golf Course (YouTube)

On Wednesday, the PGA Tour announced that the Sentry Tournament of Champions would be cancelled in 2026 because due to lack of rain in recent months on the Hawaiian island of Maui. According to Molin Sheth of Essentially Sports, the real issue is a problem with the water delivery system in the area. The system is over a century old, and simply needs to be repaired. If the tournament were to proceed, questionable “surface water” would need to be used.

My question is why is the tournament being cancelled to begin with when the course is open to the public on November 10? If the course is good enough to the public, why is it not good enough for the best PGA Tour golfers to play the tournament?

I love watching the best golfers in the world be challenged. My favourite golf tournament every year is the United States Open. At the third major of the year, golfers have a challenging time to make par. That is never a problem at The Sentry Tournament of Champions. Remember, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan had a PGA Tour four round record score of -35 when he won the 2025 Sentry Tournament of Champions last year. If the players played in challenging weather conditions, such as drought, the level of interest among spectators would actually have increased.

The Sentry Tournament of Champions in special. The field only contains golfers that won a tournament the year before, and the top 50 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings from the previous year. It is too bad it will not be taking place in 2026.