Water for Generations – Protecting West Maui’s Lifeline

“Tournament of Champions” in Kapalua this year, due to drought conditions in the area. This is a big deal because the tournament has been held on Maui in Kapalua for 26 years dating back to 1999 and it brings an estimated $50M into the local economy over the course of just a few days. 

Although The Sentry PGA tournament will not be played at Kapalua in 2026, Kapalua Golf is working hard to plan and prepare to host the tournament again in 2027.

A lack of water at least partly due to drought doomed one of the most prestigious annual sporting events in Hawaii for 2026, but a conflict over the price of water also appears rooted in the recent cancellation of a professional golf tournament worth $50 million to Maui’s economy.

Against a backdrop of water diversions and disputes over water use reaching back to the 19th century, and now burdened by inadequate supply intensified by repeated drought, Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP) wants to step away from its water system and assets.

 I had the pleasure of growing up on Maui in the ’60s and ’70s. Much of the island, at that time, was covered in sugar cane and pineapple fields. Guess what? They were green. I imagine there were drought conditions back then, too, but the plantations remained green. Now there are no cane fields and few pineapples, and everything is completely dry. No water? Or is it terrible mismanagement?

Damon Hack and Mark Rolfing discuss Kapalua's Plantation Course shutting down for 60 days and what that could mean for The Sentry.

The lawsuit argues that Kapalua’s water shortages are not simply the result of less rainfall in the area, but rather Maui Land & Pineapple’s failure to maintain its water system.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The latest battle in the Maui water wars is putting one of the most famous golf courses in the world at risk.

The billionaire owner of Kapalua Golf, and several homeowners’ associations, are accusing Maui Land & Pineapple Co. of mismanaging West Maui’s water supply, causing increased rates, water shortages and wildfire conditions that hurt residents and businesses.

Tadashi Yanai, the richest man in Japan, is leading a lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple, claiming the company failed to maintain the more than century old Honokōhau Ditch System, which has led to severe water shortages and restrictions in West Maui.

The owners of a famous golf course in West Maui say the company that controls its water is doing a terrible job.

The PGA Tour 2026 schedule has been announced and the world’s top golfers will gather to claim trophies, prize money, glory and the chance to make history.

The suit alleges that the company has failed to maintain its Honokōhau ditch system.

Kapalua Resort, the Hawaii course where the PGA Tour has started every year since 1999, is shutting down for two months as it tries to save its water-starved courses during a dispute over the handling of a century-old water system on Maui.

Kapalua Resort, the Hawaii course where the PGA Tour has started every year since 1999, is shutting down for two months as it tries to save its water-starved courses during a dispute over the handling of a century-old water system on Maui.

Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii – site of two courses and the annual home to the PGA Tour’s The Sentry to start each season – has announced it will close both courses for at least 60 days because the taps were shut off on irrigation water for nearly a month. 

Kapalua Golf faces a deadline as it shuts down its renowned courses, hoping to resurrect parched greens before a major PGA Tour event in January.

KAPALUA, Maui (KHON2) — The Kapalua Golf Course on Maui is doing all it can to be ready for the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in January, a tournament that it has hosted for almost 30 years. But the course is shutting down for 60 days due to a lack of water.

A lawsuit filed Aug. 18 alleges that Maui Land & Pineapple Co., one of Hawaii’s biggest land developers, has been negligent in maintaining its Honokōhau ditch system, which supplies water to West Maui.

Kapalua Resort, the Hawaii course where the PGA Tour has started every year since 1999, is shutting down for two months as it tries to save its water-starved courses during a dispute over the handling of a century-old water system on Maui.

Right now, the Maui golf course that hosts the PGA Tour’s prestigious season opener every January for the past 27 years is unplayable at the elite level. Severe water restrictions in West Maui have resulted in brown fairways and dying grass on the greens.