May 18, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Collin Morikawa after making his putt on the 18th hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Clare Grant-USA TODAY Sports ©USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConNavya MishraThu, January 15, 2026 at 3:03 AM UTC·4 min readFor Collin Morikawa, Hawaii has always been a special place. Maui was where his great-grandparents lived, and it’s the place where his grandparents were born. Since then, every event on the island brought with it a family vacation for the Morikawa family. Now that he’s back at The Sony after 5 years, the memories are all over the place. But a lingering sense of concern hangs over the return.
“It’s awful,” Morikawa told the press ahead of the R1. “To see kind of what has happened over the last, let’s call it three years with the fires, seeing the loss of Front Street, obviously us not being there.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn August 8 and 9, 2023, massive hurricane winds snapped a power pole on Lahainaluna Road, which broke open a bush fire. Initially, the fire appeared contained. But by mid-afternoon, brutal winds exceeding 60 to 80 mph reignited the blaze. The fire was pushed all the way from Honoapiʻilani Highway to the town. The authorities failed to manage the devastation, and by the next morning, Lahaina had been almost erased.
Casualties were high, as more than a hundred people were killed, many went missing, and around 2,200 structures were destroyed. Amid them was Front Street, one of the hardest hit areas. It’s the same place where, for years, the Morikawa Restaurant operated, long before Collin became a major champ. Almost $5.5 to $6 billion of losses were incurred by the community.
Since then, the recovery has been painfully slow. Front Street is still closed, with only partial reopenings being discussed in the future. The PGA Tour being held after the catastrophe is a big step, and due to that, Morikawa sees some hope.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I know we provide probably a good amount of attention to the island and for that side of the island for Kapalua,” he says.
While that might be true, a sense of instability still surrounds the future of the PGA Tour in Hawaii. A seismic shift has taken place on the Tour, which reshaped the 2026 season opener. Last year in October, the Tour canceled the original season opener, The Sentry at Kapalua, due to an ongoing drought in Maui. Layered on top of that is a dispute, which has restricted the water flow to the Plantation Course. Without such maintenance, the course could be prepared for a Tour event. Hence, the season opener was pushed onto The Sony.
But the concern doesn’t end here. Sony’s own title sponsorship expires after this year. Without a sponsor, the event cannot be funded, and the Tour would immediately need a replacement. As per sources, both the Sony and the Sentry are under review. New CEO Brian Rolapp has already been considering a schedule overhaul. And if such a situation prevails, the “Hawaiian swing” from the Tour might see an end.
Morikawa, for his part, had already committed to playing in Hawaii. He had been contesting in the Sentry with a runner-up finish last year. This year, the two-time major champ was considering dipping his toes in both events.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I told my agent last year…that I think I wanted to play,” he said. “So the plan from essentially a year ago was to probably play the first two. Play Maui, play here. Obviously, Maui went away; this was still in the schedule.”
Hence, Morikawa wants to stay present and enjoy the week as much as he can. He appreciates being there and hopes that a way could be found to keep the islands on the schedule. But for now, he and the golfers are enjoying the vibe.
Collin Morikawa on why Waialae is a different kind of test
“It’s nice to be out here. It’s a different vibe than most weeks,” Collin Morikawa told the media. The Waialae Country Club, he explains, carries a completely different energy compared to Kapalua. No carts are rolling through varied elevations, and there is no leisure to ease the players. Instead, the course is tighter, quicker, and more urgent.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Everyone is a little bit slower,” he further explained. “This week, you can tell…all the rookies are ready to go, all the guys are ready to play.”
The Waialae Country Club offers some of the widest fairways on the Tour. But when the winds pick up, it gets anything but easy. At just over 7,000 yards and playing to a par 70, the course will reward precise players. At the same time, they will have to be aggressive and make use of the winds to make several birdies.
With the winds expected to reach a 20-25 mph speed, the golfers will be up for a test. For Morikawa, that’s the point. Who knows whether the event will remain on the schedule next year? But this year will definitely be remembered.
The post Collin Morikawa Overcome With Emotion as Uncertainty Looms Over PGA Tour’s Hawaii Stop appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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