Despite previously announced plans from the PGA Tour to shift away from the Islands starting in 2027, the Sony Open at Waiʻalae Country Club will carry on as a PGA Tour Champions event.
The PGA Tour Champions is reserved for men over 50. In previous iterations of the Sony Open, it served as an event on the regular PGA Tour from 1965 to 2026. Chris Gotterup won the final edition of the Sony Open as a PGA Tour event in January.
In April, the PGA Tour previously announced it was moving The Sentry away from Maui. In 2024 and 2025, the PGA Tour began its season with The Sentry before holding the Sony Open the following week. But in 2026, drought conditions at Maui's Kapalua Plantation Course caused the PGA to cancel the event.
“We are excited to welcome the Sony Championship Hawaiʻi to PGA Tour Champions," PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady said in a press release. "Sony has been an incredible PGA Tour partner since 1999, and we are looking forward to beginning this new era with the legends of the game competing on a truly iconic venue in Waiʻalae Country Club."
The newly dubbed 2027 Sony Championship Hawai‘i is set to take place from Jan. 11-16 with a purse of $3 million.
“Welcoming the Sony Championship Hawai‘i to Waiʻalae is more than hosting a world class golf event — it’s an opportunity to showcase the spirit of aloha and strengthen the community impact that has uplifted our islands for decades,” said Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green. “We are proud to see this next chapter unfold and grateful for partners who share our commitment to Hawai‘i’s people and future. Mahalo to the PGA Tour Champions and Sony Group Corp. leadership for perpetuating professional golf in the Hawaiian Islands.”
To date, Sony has contributed more than $27 million to Hawaiʻi nonprofit organizations, thanks to charitable arm Friends of Hawaiʻi Charities, which has benefited "hundreds of local charities that serve vulnerable working families, seniors, under-resourced children and economically disadvantaged communities," according to PGA Tour Champions. This week, Pacific Business News reported that Friends of Hawaiʻi Charities closed its offices on Tuesday, citing its contract with Sony ending in January. Aloha State Daily reached out to the Friends of Hawaiʻi Charities for additional comment.
In its 2027 debut, the PGA Tour Champions iteration of the Sony Open will feature pro-ams on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and Wednesday, Jan 13. The regular competition, featuring a field of 78, will run from Thursday to Sunday.
“Waiʻalae Country Club is proud to continue its 61-year tradition of hosting championship golf, while beginning a new chapter with the PGA Tour Champions,” Waiʻalae Country Club president Meredith Ching said. “We look forward to continuing our valued partnership with Sony and building upon a legacy that has showcased Hawaiʻi around the world and generated meaningful local charitable contributions for decades.”
Modern golf legend Tiger Woods, who turned 50 in December, is eligible for the PGA Champions Tour but has yet to announce plans to do so.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
