Kapalua Resort, a Hawaiian course that has started annually with PGA tours since 1999, has been closed for two months to attempt to preserve the course immersed in water during a conflict over the treatment of its water system a century ago in Maui.
The 60-day closure, which begins on September 2nd on the Plantation and Bay course at Kapalua, raised concerns that the Sentry might not be able to be held to commence the 2026 season of the tour.
“The golf course has been damaged without water for months,” Kapalua Golf and Tennis general manager Alex Nakajima said Tuesday. “We have suggested the owners that the golf course needs to be closed to increase their chances of saving the golf course and tournament.”
He believes the best hope is to use what Kapalua gets for the fertilizer that is slowly released, and to keep customers away from the course while staff remove dead grass.
Known for its contrast between lush green fairways and Pacific blue horizons, Kapalua is a yellow and brown blend these days as the grass dies. Nakajima said there has been no water on the course since July 25th.
Janai, the Japanese billionaire who owns Kapalua and founded the apparel brand Uniqlo, and Juamona Farms, Kapalua homeowner, filed a lawsuit against Mauiland & Pineapple last week, alleging it had not maintained its water supply system.
At the heart of the conflict is the 11-mile Honokohau Stream and Ditch system, which runs from the Western Maui Mountains and supplies irrigation water to the Kapalua region.
“The MLP intentionally… has allowed the groove system to fall into a state of demonstrable devastation. The forces of nature, or anything else, are the reasons why the users who need it are currently without water,” the lawsuit says.
Mauiland & Pineapple did not immediately respond to a message from the Associated Press seeking comment. CEO Racelandle said in a statement to Hawaii’s press that the lawsuit was an effort to obtain irrigation water “when West Maui is experiencing a historic drought.”
“The golf course unfortunately turned its attention to the court because it attempted and failed to try and force regulators to use this irresponsible water,” he said.
According to the lawsuit, Yanai says he signed a “water delivery agreement” when he purchased Kapalua property, which allows the course to remain in good condition. The submission states that these agreements stipulate the land in Maui “will always use commercially reasonable efforts to manage, repair and maintain the trench system for reliable delivery of irrigation water.”
The PGA Tour only said it is monitoring “ongoing water conservation requirements affecting Kapalua Resort.”
The tour contacted the title sponsors of Wisconsin Sentry Insurance, and communicated with Kapalua Resort, Maui County and the Hawaiian government to assess the potential impact on staging the $20 million signature event. The tournament is scheduled for January 8th to 11th.
Ty Management (Yanai’s Company) said Sentry brings about $50 million in financial benefits, plus the charity component of Tour and Sentry.
The lawsuit filed in Maui State Court asks about the Mauiland & Pineapple Honorary Agreement and reasonable measures to repair and maintain the groove system, ensuring that water is delivered.
The current drought is unrelated to the issue, citing US geological survey data showing that the fork at Mount West Maui is increasing annual rainfall than Portland and Seattle, according to the lawsuit.
“Water is rare, not because of the heavy rainfall, not because of the heavy decline in rain. Rather, water is rare because MLPs have failed to respect their promise to maintain the infrastructure used to properly collect, transport and store it,” Suit says.
Meanwhile, the Kapalua Resort, managed by Truon, was offering discounts to its customers as the golf courses got worse.
Nakajima said that in order to have hopes to stage Ayumu Sen, the course must be closed.
“We have to do this right away,” he said. “The golf course is almost dying every day.”