ESPN Golf: Sony Open Reborn as PGA Tour Champions Event Starting 2027
The Sony Open at Waialae Country Club, a fixture of Hawaii's golf calendar since 1965, is undergoing a major transformation. The PGA Tour and Sony announced on July 1, 2026 that starting in January 2027, the event will shift to the PGA Tour Champions circuit under a new name: the Sony Championship.
Key Details
- Dates: January 14–16, 2027 (concluding on Saturday) - Purse: $3 million - Field size: 78 players - Venue: Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
Background
The move follows the PGA Tour's April 2026 announcement that it would not return to Maui for The Sentry, the season-opening event that had preceded the Sony Open since 1999. With the Hawaiian swing requiring restructuring, transitioning the Sony partnership to the 50-and-over Champions Tour emerged as the natural solution.
Notably, several past Waialae champions now compete on the Champions circuit, including Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Zach Johnson, and Jerry Kelly — giving the new event immediate star power and nostalgic appeal.
Charity Commitment Preserved
Sony's philanthropic legacy in Hawaii remains central to the deal. The company has donated over $27 million to Hawaiian nonprofits since becoming title sponsor in 1999. Sony Group Corp. president Hiroki Totoki called maintaining that charitable component the "highest priority" in renewing the partnership. IMG will operate the tournament.
Strokeslab Perspective
From a Strokes Gained lens, this transition offers a fascinating angle: how do Champions Tour players — with decades of experience at Waialae — now stack up in SG: APP and SG: Putting on a course that has always rewarded precision over power? The data storytelling potential here is significant.
The shift to the Champions Tour at historic Waialae opens a compelling data angle — tracking how legends of the game maintain their SG: APP and SG: Putting numbers on a course they mastered decades ago will be a defining story of this new event.