PGA Tour exits Hawaiʻi next season; but pro senior event on Big Island set through 2030

The PGA Tour announced Monday it will not play The Sentry on Maui or Oʻahu’s Sony Open in Hawaiʻi in 2027, but this decision does not impact the PGA Tour Champions event on the Big Island, according to the golf organization.

The Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai, an event for professional players 50 and older, is under contract through 2030, said Connor Stange, PGA Tour communications manager, in an email sent Tuesday to Big Island Now.

That extension was announced in January 2025 for the senior tournament, which celebrated its 30th anniversary three months ago.

The PGA Tour said on its website: “While the Tour will share more details regarding its 2027 schedule at a later date, conversations are ongoing about the Sony Open in Hawaiʻi moving to the PGA Tour Champions schedule in conjunction with the existing Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualālai to create a two-tournament presence in the Aloha State.”

The exit of the Sony Open on Oʻahu marks the first time in 56 years that there will not be a PGA Tour tournament in Hawaiʻi. The Sony Open had been played annually since its inaugural event at the Waiʻalae Country Club in Honolulu in 1971.

The Sentry last played at The Plantation Course on Maui in 2025, but was canceled in 2026 due to drought and logistical challenges. It had been held in Kapalua every year since 1999.