The calendar flips, the confetti settles, and suddenly, golf is back. It feels like we just crowned a FedEx Cup champion, yet here we are, staring at the lush, rolling fairways of the Plantation Course at Kapalua. If you’re trying to track down The Sentry TV schedule, you’ve probably realized that watching golf in the modern era is a bit like solving a Rubik's cube. Between the linear broadcast on NBC and Golf Channel and the massive digital footprint of ESPN+, things get messy.
It’s the first Signature Event of the 2026 PGA Tour season. That means a massive purse, no cut, and a field stacked with the world's best golfers who spent their December relaxing on beaches or grinding in the gym. For fans at home, the time difference is the biggest hurdle. Maui is significantly behind the East Coast. You’re looking at prime-time golf, which is honestly the best way to spend a cold January evening.
Why the Kapalua Broadcast Hits Different
Most of the year, we’re used to golf ending at 6:00 PM ET. The Sentry flips that script. Because Hawaii is five hours behind Eastern Standard Time (and six if you're comparing it to some parts of the world), the leaders are often finishing their rounds while you're finishing dinner.
Golf Channel typically handles the early windows and the bulk of the weekday coverage. NBC usually swoops in for the weekend drama. But let’s be real: if you don’t have ESPN+, you’re missing about 70% of the actual golf being played. Their "Main Feed" starts hours before the linear TV cameras even turn on their lights.
Breaking Down The Sentry TV Schedule
Let's look at how the days actually flow. For the opening round on Thursday and the follow-up on Friday, Golf Channel is your primary home. Historically, the broadcast window sits comfortably between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM ET. This is perfect for casual viewing. You get to see the sunset over the Pacific while it's pitch black and freezing in Ohio or New York.
✨ Don't miss: Finding the Best Texas Longhorns iPhone Wallpaper Without the Low-Res Junk
Saturday and Sunday change the math. NBC often takes over the late-afternoon window, sometimes starting around 4:00 PM ET, before shuffling the final hour or two back over to Golf Channel to close things out. It’s a bit of a dance.
Pro tip: Check the "simulcast" options. If you have a cable login, the NBC Sports app or Peacock often mirrors what’s on TV, but ESPN+ is where the "Featured Groups" live. If you want to watch a specific pairing—say, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy—from the very first tee shot, TV won't help you. You need the digital stream for that early-round granularity.
The ESPN+ Factor: More Than Just a Backup
Honestly, ESPN+ has changed how people consume The Sentry TV schedule. They run four distinct feeds:
- Main Feed: A general overview of the tournament.
- Featured Groups: Following two specific marquee pairings all day.
- Featured Holes: Usually focused on the par-3s or the iconic finishing stretch.
- Marquee Group: The absolute biggest names on the leaderboard.
The Plantation Course is massive. It’s a par-73 layout that spans over 7,500 yards, but it plays shorter because of the massive elevation drops. On the 18th hole, players are hitting 400-yard drives because the fairway is essentially a giant slide. TV cameras struggle to capture the scale of these hills, but the drone shots used in the modern broadcast do a decent job of showing just how much these guys have to hike.
🔗 Read more: Why Isn't Mbappe Playing Today: The Real Madrid Crisis Explained
Who is actually in the field?
You won’t see everyone. This isn’t a full-field event with 156 players. The Sentry is exclusive. It’s reserved for tournament winners from the previous calendar year and the top 50 finishers from the FedEx Cup standings. It’s the "best of the best" in a very literal sense.
Because there is no cut, your favorite player is guaranteed to be on your screen for all four days. No Friday afternoon heartbreaks here. This allows the TV directors to tell better stories. They can follow a struggling veteran through all 72 holes, or track a rising star who is making their Kapalua debut.
Navigating the Time Zone Chaos
If you live on the West Coast, the schedule is a dream. Golf starts during your lunch break and ends right as you're finishing work. If you're on the East Coast, you’re looking at a late night. The final putt on Sunday often drops right around 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM ET.
- Thursday/Friday: Golf Channel (6-10 PM ET)
- Saturday: Golf Channel/NBC (variable windows, usually 4-8 PM ET)
- Sunday: NBC/Golf Channel (final round coverage starting mid-afternoon)
Keep in mind that Peacock is the streaming home for everything that airs on NBC and Golf Channel. If you've cut the cord, that's your primary destination.
💡 You might also like: Tottenham vs FC Barcelona: Why This Matchup Still Matters in 2026
What Makes This Course a TV Star?
The Plantation Course was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. It’s unconventional. Most courses try to penalize you for missing the fairway; Kapalua just asks you to deal with weird lies. You'll see a pro golfer with the ball six inches above their feet, trying to hit a 3-iron into a green that's 50 feet below them. It’s chaotic. It’s fun.
The wind is the main character. If the trade winds don't blow, these guys will shoot 30-under par. If the wind kicks up to 30 mph, it becomes a survival test. The TV broadcast loves to show the palm trees bending—it's the universal visual shorthand for "the conditions are tough."
Missing Pieces and Controversy
We have to acknowledge the elephant in the room: LIV Golf. The Sentry field is elite, but it’s still missing some familiar faces who have defected to the rival league over the last few years. While the PGA Tour has bolstered its purses to keep the stars at Kapalua, the absence of names like Jon Rahm—who has dominated this course in the past—is something the announcers usually dance around or mention briefly.
The TV coverage has become much more data-heavy to compensate for these shifts. You'll see "Toptracer" on almost every shot, showing the ridiculous curves these players put on the ball to fight the Hawaii wind. You'll also see "ShotLink" data that breaks down exactly how many feet of putts a player has made. It’s a nerd’s paradise.
Actionable Steps for the Best Viewing Experience
To get the most out of the tournament, don't just channel surf. Set yourself up for success by following these steps:
- Download the PGA Tour App: It’s the only way to see real-time scores that are actually ahead of the TV delay. It also tells you exactly when specific players are teeing off so you can switch to the right ESPN+ stream.
- Check the Weather: Use a local Maui weather report. If rain is coming, the schedule will shift. The PGA Tour is notorious for moving tee times up to 7:00 AM local time to avoid afternoon tropical storms, which means golf could be over before you even wake up on the East Coast.
- Sync Your Devices: If you have the luxury, run the main TV broadcast on your big screen and have the ESPN+ "Featured Groups" on a tablet or laptop. This is how the pros watch.
- Watch the 18th Hole Specifically: Even if you only tune in for twenty minutes, make sure it’s when the leaders are on the 18th. It’s one of the most spectacular closing holes in golf—a massive downhill par-5 where eagles are common and disasters are always lurking.
The Sentry marks the start of the "real" season. It's the moment when the FedEx Cup points actually start to matter and the path to the Masters begins to take shape. While the broadcast might seem spread out across multiple platforms, once you find the rhythm of the Hawaii time zone, it's some of the most relaxed and visually stunning sports television of the year.