The PGA Tour on Tuesday announced it will cancel its Sentry golf tournament in Kapalua next year, citing the ongoing drought on Maui that has led to water scarcities affecting more than 93% of the population.
In response to the drought, the state has issued water conservation mandates that the PGA said has significantly compromised the Plantation Course, where the tournament has been held as a signature event kicking off the PGA tour in early January.
The course is owned by Tadashi Yanai, founder of the Uniqlo clothing brand.
Recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data shows more than 93% of Maui has been affected by drought. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
The “condition of the Plantation Course had been significantly compromised by the drought and water limitations,” the PGA said in a blog post announcing the tournament’s cancellation. “While weather conditions may improve in the coming months, the extensive lead time required to prepare a PGA TOUR event made it impossible to guarantee TOUR-standard playing conditions for the Jan. 5-11 event.”
The decision came after talks with state and local government officials and Gov. Josh Green, including a virtual call between Green and PGA Tour Chief Executive Officer Brian Rolapp, the PGA said.
“We support the PGA TOUR’s decision, given the drought conditions Maui is facing,” Green said in a statement. “Protecting our water and supporting our communities come first. The Sentry has long showcased Maui’s beauty while giving back to local nonprofits, and we’re grateful to the TOUR, Sentry Insurance, Kapalua Resort and Maui County for their partnership.”
The Sony Open scheduled to be held on Oʻahu Jan. 12-18 will not be affected, Green said.
Yanai’s Honolulu-based TY Management Corp. expressed disappointment.
“Despite extraordinary efforts by our management, agronomy team, employees, and partners, severe water restrictions imposed upon us over many months inflicted lasting damage on the Plantation Course, ultimately preventing it from recovering to the championship condition required to hold the event,” the company said in a statement.
Lawsuit Centers On Maui Land & Pineapple Water System
The announcement comes less than a month after several West Maui homeowners associations joined TY Management in a lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple Co., which manages an irrigation water system feeding the Kapalua area where the golf course is located.
The suit alleges Maui Land & Pineapple failed to maintain its century-old Honokōhau ditch system, which dates to a time when Maui Land & Pineapple was one of Hawaiʻi’s largest pineapple producers and used the system to divert water to its fields.
Over the years, Maui Land & Pineapple has morphed from agriculture to real estate development and resort management and along the way developed the Kapalua resort area and Kapalua Plantation and Kapalua Bay golf courses, which it eventually sold to TY Management Corp.
Yanai and the homeowners groups say they have contractual relationships requiring the company to “undertake all commercially reasonable steps necessary to inspect, repair, and maintain the Ditch System … in a condition adequate for the reliable delivery of water.”
A state worker measures water levels in the Maui Land & Pineapple Co.’s Honokōhau ditch system, which provides water to Kapalua. (Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management)
At the time, the company responded that it was following guidance issued by the state’s Commission on Resource Management, which discussed the matter Tuesday at its regular meeting. The commission prioritizes stream water to be used for public, conservation and traditional Native Hawaiian practices, such as taro farming and drinking water for Lahaina. That generally means when the stream flow is low, water can’t go to ditch systems such as the one Maui Land & Pineapple operates.
Maui Land & Pineapple subsequently issued a press release on Wednesday announcing it has been studying options to sell or lease the ditch system and other water assets since early this year.
“With Maui communities in need of additional water sources and experiencing severe drought conditions, we’re hopeful that these assets may increase water security across the island,” company CEO Race Randle said in the release.
Maui County is open to discuss acquiring Maui Land & Pineapple’s water systems, Maui County spokesperson Laksmi Abraham said.
The loss of the golf tournament is an economic blow to a West Maui tourism industry that has suffered since wildfires killed 102 people and destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina in August 2023. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority reported 235,529 visitors to Maui this past July, 20.7% fewer than visited Maui in July 2023, before the fires.
While the West Maui region has seen an improvement in hotel occupancy to 66.2% in July from 57.9% during the same month last year, the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization has projected “a full tourism recovery is years down the road.”
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation and its coverage of environmental issues on Maui is supported by grants from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the Hawai‘i Wildfires Recovery Fund and the Doris Duke Foundation.
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