West Maui’s resorts and golf courses continue comeback after wildfires
TOURNAMENT FACTS
Dates: March 24–26, 2025
Venue: Royal Kā‘anapali
Location: Lahaina, Maui
Yardage (Par): 6,013 (72)
Format: 54 holes; 18 holes each day; 5-count-4
Tee Times: 8:00 a.m. HST shotgun start each day
Live Scoring: SCOREBOARD
Host: Hawai‘i
Defending Team Champion: Arizona State (822)
Defending Individual Champion: Ashley Menne, Arizona State (202)
TEEING OFF
Next week, the 2025 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational will be contested on Royal Kā‘anapali. Hosted by the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine, 17 women’s college golf teams from 10 states will compete on Maui from March 24–26.
Royal Kā‘anapali’s fifth hole is framed by Kā‘anapali Beach and the West Maui Mountains. (Photo by Kā‘anapali Golf Courses)
TEAMS (17)
Arkansas State, BYU, Cal Poly, Denver, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Hawai‘i, Mercer, Montana State, Oregon State, Sacramento State, Sam Houston State, San Diego State, Seattle, UC Davis, UC Riverside and Washington.
9 teams are ranked in the current NCAA DI Top 100. The top five teams competing are No. 47 UC Davis, No. 49 Oregon State, No. 51 Sacramento State, No. 53 BYU and No. 64 Washington.
Oregon State poses with the trophy after winning the Causeway Invitational on Feb. 25, 2025 at Del Paso Country Club in California. (Photo by Oregon State Athletics)
Last month, the Beavers of Oregon State beat an impressive field to win the Causeway Invitational (Sacramento, California). They also qualified for the 2024 NCAA DI Women’s Golf Championship
Sacramento State has won two of the past three Dr. Donnis Thompson Intercollegiate titles (2022, ’23). The Hornets will fly high to Maui after finishing second in the 2025 Causeway Invitational.
INDIVIDUALS
Washington sophomore Vivian Lu is projected to be the top-ranked player at Kā‘anapali (No. 29). The New Zealand native was included on the 2024 Annika Award Final Fall Watch List.
Since enrolling at Washington from New Zealand, Vivian Lu has demonstrated great potential. (Photo by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)
Oregon State’s Kyra Ly was named the West Coast Conference Women’s Golfer of the Month for February. The junior recently won the Causeway Invitational (Feb. 24-25) for the second time.
BYU is led by Mexican sophomore María José “MJ” Barragán, the 2025 Women’s Mexico Amateur runner-up.
BYU’s María José “MJ” Barragán smiles after a made putt (Photo, BYU Athletics)
Sacramento State’s Sneha Sharan, a senior from India, was named the Big Sky Women’s Golfer of the Week (March 5) for the second time this spring and the fifth of her career.
O‘ahu native and Hawai‘i senior, Kellie Yamane, will look to lead the Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine in her home state.
Hawaiʻi senior Kellie Yamane eyes her target before teeing off. (Photo by Hawaiʻi Athletics)
EVENT HISTORY
In 1999, the Rainbow Wahine Invitational was re-named in honor of the University of Hawai‘i’s first women’s athletic director, Dr. Donnis Thompson, who was introduced into Hawai‘i’s Sports Circle of Honor in 1988 for her numerous contributions to UH Athletics.
Notable individual champions include Annika Sorenstam (Arizona, 1991 and ’92), Janice Moodie (San Jose State, 1994 and ’97), Krissie Register (Arizona, 1996 and ’99) and Kim Welch (Washington State, 1994 and ’95). Of the 33 individual medalists, five have successfully defended their titles the following year.
Arizona holds the most team championships with eight (1986, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’96, ’99, 2000, ’13).
QUOTES
“After hosting college golf’s top men last fall (Kā‘anapali Classic), we are thrilled to let the women shine bright this spring on Maui,” said Karl Reul, PGA General Manager, Kā‘anapali Golf Courses. “Players, coaches and fans coming from across the country are in for a special treat.”
VENUE
Hawai‘i’s first planned resort, a model for resorts around the world, boasts over a dozen hotels, two championship golf courses, world-class dining and shopping. Kā‘anapali is a 45-minute drive from Maui’s main airport, Kahului Airport (OGG), and 10-minute drive from Kapalua Airport (JHM).
ATTENDANCE
Tournament attendance is free for walking spectators. Parking is available on-site. Overflow parking can be utilized at nearby Whalers Village for a small fee.
About Kā’anapali Golf Courses
Built on 300 acres of land once home to Hawaiian royalty (Royal Chiefs of Maui), Kā‘anapali Golf Courses offers pristine conditions and panoramic views of Lana‘i, Molokai, the Pacific Ocean and West Maui Mountains.
Opened in 1962 and designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the par-71, 6,700-yard Royal Kā‘anapali Course features wide fairways and undulating greens which make it distinctive and demanding. The tournament-tested layout has welcomed Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Jan Stephenson, Betsy King and other legends.
High-profile events have included Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf (1964), Canada Cup (1964), LPGA’s Kemper Open (1982-85), PGA TOUR Champions’ Kā‘anapali Classic (1987-2000) and SKINS Game (2008-11), and Hawaii High School Athletic Association Golf State Championships (1998, 2009, ’13, ’17, ’22).
Complementing Royal Kā‘anapali is the modernized Kai Course, which hosted Golf Channel’s “Big Break Kā‘anapali” in 2008. The 6,400-yard, par-70 layout boasts an array of strategically placed bunkers, contoured fairways and resurfaced greens.
More information: www.kaanapaligolfcourses.com and 808-661-3691.
About Troon
Kā‘anapali Golf Courses are managed by Indigo Sports, a Troon company. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 940-plus locations in 45-plus states and 40-plus countries, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, TroonMagazine.com or connect with Troon on Facebook, X, and Instagram
