The Plantation Course at Kapalua has been a PGA Tour highlight for 25 years, hosting the Sentry, which served as the kickoff event from 1999 to 2013 and again from 2024 to 2025. the relationship ended in April when the PGA Tour announced that it planned to end its presence at the tournament 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 with the recently announced Nanea Cup. The Lotte Championship will have a purse of $3 million 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 a deep-rooted heritage like Kapalua are exactly what we are looking for,” LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler said in a statement. “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 past five years and look forward to building on the success of the Lotte Championship in its new home on 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 it Kessler’s broader vision to overhaul the LPGA schedule in one that makes logistical sense and is centered on golf courses, prize money and routing.
“On the schedule, I hope you’ve heard us talk about routes, courses and purses. We’re ruthless on all three fronts,” Kessler said of his plan at last year’s CME Group Tour Championship. “We know we have a little more work to do on the courses and scholarships, and we have a mindset of continuous improvement, and every year you should expect us to get a little better in all three dimensions.”
Kessler and the LPGA have been working this year to improve the schedule’s outlook going forward.
U LPGA Corning Classic also returns to western New York after an 18-year absence. She was an LPGA fixture for 31 years before ending in 2009.
“The return of the Classic brings together the history of the LPGA and its future. As we continue to shape the next chapter of our Tour, we are 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 purse of $4 million.
But the biggest swing that Kessler has taken in the new schedule is the creation of the Nanea Cup, which will involve a mix of the best LPGA professionals and college women’s golfers to showcase the present and future of the sport. The tournament, which will feature 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 is coming out of that event and will go straight to Kaplua as Kessler’s new vision takes shape.