The PGA Tour announced Thursday it will open the 2024 season at the Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui as scheduled, five months after fires devastated the island.
The Sentry, previously called the Sentry Tournament of Champions, will be played Jan. 4-7 and serve as a signature event open to the top 50 from the 2022-23 FedEx Cup standings and any player who won on tour this season.
There had been question as to whether the tournament would have to relocate after wildfires in the town of Lahaina, Hawaii killed at least 97 people and wiped out more than 2,000 structures.
College basketball’s Maui Invitational is relocating to Honolulu this November, as the Lahaina Civic Center serves as a community center for those displaced or affected by the wildfires.
The Kapalua Resort was not damaged by the fires. One of its courses, the Bay Course, reopened this week. The Plantation Course is scheduled to reopen in mid-October.
In a memo to PGA Tour players from chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green is quoted as saying that playing The Sentry on Maui “is meant to bring hope for recovery to the families and businesses on Maui that have been so deeply affected in every way by the disaster. People from Hawaii and around the world can resume travel to this special place and help it begin to recover economically.”
Dennis’ memo added that the tour is planning ways to raise awareness and help with fundraising and community service on the island.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who is expected to be part of the field at The Sentry, said his grandfather owned a restaurant on the island for several years. It had closed before the fires. Morikawa pledged to donate $1,000 for every birdie he made during this summer’s FedEx Cup playoffs.
–Field Level Media