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PGA Tour’s Iconic Stop Is Under Threat Amid a Quiet Billionaire Standoff
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- PGA Tour’s Iconic Stop Is Under Threat Amid a Quiet Billionaire Standoff
Via SentryWorld ©Via SentryWorld
In 2026, the PGA Tour will not hold its traditional season opener, The Sentry, at the Plantation Course in Kapalua. This may be the case for years to come as well, and it's not because of scheduling conflicts or sponsorship problems. But it's because two billionaires can't agree on who owns the water.
Tadashi Yanai, the founder of Uniqlo and Japan's second-richest man, is having a dispute with Steve Case, the co-founder of AOL and the majority owner of Maui Land & Pineapple. Kapalua Resort is owned by Yanai's TY Management Corporation. Case's MLP controls the water supply through the Honokohau Ditch system, which is over 100 years old and was built by missionaries for pineapple plantations. It was reportedly damaged by storms in 2018.
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But this isn't just a fight between billionaires; it's more than that. Native Hawaiian farmers who grow kalo need the same water sources. In June 2024, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that golf courses should receive less water than is normal in Hawaiian culture.
Isaac Moriwake, an Earthjustice attorney, explained the decision "reinforces overarching legal principles governing water rights," including "the lower priority assigned to golf course irrigation in relation to legally protected uses such as Native Hawaiian cultural practices."
The legal fight could drag on for years, and the timeline makes resolution unlikely anytime soon. It all started on January 6, with the trial not scheduled until March 2027. Mark Rolfing, who architected the original 1987 water deal, is blunt about the outcome. He said, "I know who's got the most money, and it's not Maui Land & Pine."
Alex Nakajima, Kapalua Golf's general manager, said the timeline creates an impossible level of uncertainty for tournament planning. It could take 2-3 years just to fix the infrastructure issues at the heart of the dispute.
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The lawsuit began in August 2025, when TY, along with local farmers and homeowners, sued MLP for negligence. In March 2025, Hawaii's Water Services Commission implemented Tier 4 water restrictions following the 2023 Lahaina fires. This limited the use of non-potable water to fire protection, which most affected golf courses.
MLP gave emergency well water but told TY to stop complaining and pay higher rates, which TY thought was a way to pressure them. A few days later, MLP turned down a counteroffer. The Bay Course became entirely brown, and the Plantation Course wasn't far behind.
By September, PGA Tour agronomists found the course unfit. In the aftermath, the cancellation of the Sentry 2026 on September 16 followed because it couldn't meet "Tour-standard playing conditions."
But just a few weeks ago, in January , CBS golf writer Patrick McDonald shared a photo of the court looking perfect. He wrote, "Can't believe they took this away from us." And that created a lot of chatter among fans.
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Well, amidst all this, the 26′ is not happening, and the future also looks in limbo.
The Sony Open takes center stage as the PGA Tour's 2026 opener
The Sentry was taken off the 2026 schedule because of problems with the water and course at Kapalua. The regular season of the PGA Tour starts at the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. The Sony Open, which started in 1965, will now be the first official event of the year.
The Sony Open will take place from January 15 to 18, 2026. This is a one-week change to the Tour's schedule and a continuation of Hawaii's tradition of having events early in the year. The tournament has 120 professional players, including top-10 players and major winners, who will be playing in Oahu after the Kapalua cancellation.
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The Sony Open is now more important for players because it awards valuable FedExCup points and momentum in the absence of The Sentry Tournament of Champions. Some golfers have chosen to start their seasons elsewhere. Yet major names are still attending the event.
The change brings up bigger issues with the Tour's Hawaii swing. Water rights fights and infrastructure problems that forced Kapalua to move could affect scheduling decisions across all the islands in the future, prompting the Tour to rethink its usual early-season presence in paradise.
The post PGA Tour's Iconic Stop Is Under Threat Amid a Quiet Billionaire Standoff appeared first on EssentiallySports .
