By Field Level Media
Oct 06 (Field Level Media) - The PGA might have ended its relationship with the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort, but the LPGA is moving in, taking the Lotte Championship to Kapalua as part of a two-tournament Hawaii swing in 2027.
The PGA's Sentry event was held at the Plantation Course on Maui for 25 years, with that relationship ending abruptly in April when the PGA announced it would have no tournament presence in Hawaii next season.
That announcement came on the heels of
the 2026 Maui event having to be canceled due to drought-like conditions at the Kapalua course.
The course reopened to the public last November, though growing concerns on the PGA's side weren't quelled sufficiently to cause the organization to reconsider its stance on moving away from the venue.
Instead, the LPGA will move the Lotte Championship -- hosted last week at Hoakalei Country Club in Honolulu and won by Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul -- to Kapalua and pair it with the inaugural Nanea Cup (in Kailua-Kona) as a 1-2 swing through Hawaii next March.
The Lotte Championship is scheduled to have a $3 million purse in 2027.
"We are thrilled to have Kapalua Resort and the Plantation Course serve as the venue for the Lotte Championship in 2027," LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler said in a news release. "As we continue to strengthen the LPGA tour schedule, venues with deep-rooted heritage like Kapalua are exactly what we look for.
"This new chapter would not be possible without the support and commitment to the tour that Lotte and Kapalua provided. We want to thank Hoakalei Country Club for the last five years and look forward to building on the success of the Lotte Championship at its new home in Maui."
(--Field Level Media)
