The Plantation Course at Kapalua was a PGA Tour staple for 25 years, hosting the Sentry, which served as the kickoff event from 1999 to 2013 and again from 2024 to 2025. That relationship ended in April when the PGA Tour announced it planned to end its tournament presence in Maui.
But while the PGA Tour won’t be returning to the Plantation Course next year, Kapalua now has a new professional golf partner in the LPGA.
On Monday, the LPGA announced that the Lotte Championship will be hosted at the Plantation Course starting in 2027. The tournament, which Jeeno Thitikul won on Sunday, will now be held in March as part of a two-tournament Hawaii Swing along with the recently announced Nanea Cup. The Lotte Championship will have a $3 million purse next season.
“We are thrilled to have Kapalua Resort and the Plantation Course serve as the venue for the Lotte Championship in 2027. As we continue to strengthen the LPGA tour schedule, venues with deep-rooted heritage like Kapalua are exactly what we look for,” LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler said in a release. “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.”
This will be the first time Kapalua has hosted an LPGA event since the 2008 Kapalua LPGA Classic, which Morgan Pressel won.
The newly created Hawaii Swing is part of Kessler’s broader vision to remake the LPGA schedule into one that makes logistical sense and is centered on golf courses, prize money and routing.
“On schedule, hopefully you’ve heard us talk about routing, courses and purses. We are ruthless on all three of those fronts,” Kessler said of his plan at last year’s CME Group Tour Championship. “We know we’ve got some more work to do on courses and purses, and we have the mindset of continuous improvement, and every year you should expect us to get just a little bit better on all three of those dimensions.”
Kessler and the LPGA have worked this year to improve the outlook for the schedule going forward.
The LPGA Corning Classic is also returning to western New York after an 18-year absence. It was an LPGA fixture for 31 years before ending in 2009.
“The return of the Classic brings together the LPGA’s history and its future. As we continue shaping the next chapter of our Tour, we’re building on the qualities that have defined the LPGA for decades — incredible championships, committed partners, passionate communities and unforgettable experiences for our athletes,” Kessler said of bringing back the Corning Classic.
The LPGA, LET and Golf Saudi will also co-sanction an event in London in 2027 with a $4 million purse.
But the biggest swing Kessler has taken on the new schedule is the creation of the Nanea Cup, which will involve a mix of top LPGA pros and collegiate women’s golfers to showcase the sport’s present and future. The tournament, which will include 95 LPGA Tour players and 25 of the nation’s top college golfers, will be held at David McLay Kidd’s Nanea Golf Club. The LPGA will exit that event and head right to Kaplua as Kessler’s new vision takes shape.
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