New Sony Championship Hawaii golf tournament to debut at Waialae in 2027
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Starting next January, the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open in Hawaii will be replaced at Waialae Country Club by a PGA TOUR Champions event.
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“I know some people have said that, you know, the PGA TOUR was abandoning Hawaii and we don’t look at it that way,” PGA TOUR Champions president Miller Brady told Hawaii News Now. “We look at that, we’re able to continue golf and really thankful to Sony for stepping up and being our partner.”
The newly named Sony Championship Hawaii will be held the week of Jan. 11 and features a $3 million purse.
PGA TOUR Champions consists of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The field will consist of 78 PGA TOUR Champion players from across the world. Pro-am competitions will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by competition rounds from Thursday through Saturday.
Longtime golf analyst and Maui resident Mark Rolfing says that this is a vital step in the right direction.
“Sony basically saved golf on the island of Oahu, as far as I’m concerned and the most amazing part about it is, it’s the same week as the Sony Open was, so there is no PGA Tour event that week,” Rolfing said. “We are starting the golf season on Oahu, unencumbered.”
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All three rounds will be televised on the Golf Channel.
Waialae Country Club has hosted the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open in Hawaii every year since 1965.
This will also continue to strengthen the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s campaign to make Hawaii a sports destination.
“It’s hard to put numbers on something like that because when people watch a golf tournament or something that’s happening in Hawaii,” Director James Tokioka said. “You know, they’re in the Midwest, it’s freezing, they’re in the East Coast, it’s freezing and when they see that, they want to come to Hawaii.”
Over the 28 years that Sony has been an event partner, the company contributed more than $27 million to Hawaii nonprofit organizations, benefiting local families in need.
“Make a meaningful impact in the community, both short term and long-term,” Brady said. “We look forward to making this a really long run of the continued professional golf on Oahu.”
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