Conference title and NCAA Regional bid on the line at Kā‘anapali
LAHAINA, Hawai‘i – For just the fourth time since 1987, The Big West Women’s Golf Championship will be played in Hawai‘i from April 18–21, 2026. Kā‘anapali Golf Courses and the University of Hawai‘i will host nine Big West teams (45-player field) across three days of stroke play competition featuring 18 holes per day. Both the conference title and league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Regional field are at stake. Standout individual and team performers can also earn at-large NCAA Regional selections.
TOURNAMENT FACTS
- April 18 – Practice Round: 9:00 a.m. HST shotgun
- April 19 – Round One: 10:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. HST individual times
- April 20 – Round Two: 10:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. HST individual times
- April 21 – Round Three: 8:00 a.m. HST split tees
- Format: 54 holes; 18 holes each day; 5-count-4
- Venue: Kā‘anapali Golf Courses; Royal Kā‘anapali
- Location: Lahaina, Maui
- Yardage (Par): 6,013 (71)
- Live Scoring: SCOREBOARD
- Social Media: @bigwestsports and @kaanapaligolf
- Defending Team Champion: Cal State Fullerton
- Defending Individual Champion: Kaitlyn Zermeno Smith, Cal State Fullerton
TEAMS
Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
Royal Kā‘anapali is framed by the West Maui Mountains, Kā‘anapali Beach and Pacific Ocean.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The 2024-25 season was a banner year for the conference. Cal State Fullerton won their first-ever Big West title, advanced to the NCAA Regional and ultimately reached the NCAA Championships. UC Davis also earned a team bid.
Three individuals qualified for NCAA Regionals. Big West Golfer of the Year Kaitlyn Zermeno Smith is a senior who will be back to defend her individual title with Cal State Fullerton. Also earning berths were twin sisters Janae and Jasmine Leovao from Long Beach State. Jasmine was a back-to-back first-team selection and back-to-back Big West Championship individual medalist (2023 and 2024).
Additionally, four of the five all-tournament team performers are back from last year, as well as nine of the top 10 finishers. They include four from Cal State Fullerton – Zermeno Smith, Xanh, Dahl, Ali; two from UC Davis – Kariminal, Bai; one from Long Beach State – Lee; one from CSUN – Soldswisch; one from UC Irvine – Gerbing.
“Kā’anapali’s year-round investment in junior golf is a defining part of our community’s identity,” stated Karl Reul, general manager of Kā’anapali Golf Courses. “Hosting The Big West Women’s Golf Championship allows us to further showcase that commitment, while sharing the spirit of aloha with a national audience.”
“Royal Kā’anapali is a great venue for our championship. It is a true test of one’s game, especially if the trade winds are blowing,” reflected Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine head golf coach, Julie Brooks. “I am excited for all of The Big West teams to visit the beautiful island of Maui. Players will enjoy stellar views of Maui and the other Hawaiian Islands.
“The commitment that Kā’anapali has made to the Hawai‘i golf programs has been tremendous. We really appreciate their support, partnership and look forward to hosting more events there in the future.”
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).
The elevated 10th hole tee box on Royal Kā‘anapali offer panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and Lāna’i. (Photo by Kā‘anapali Golf Courses)
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 950-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, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy & Design and RF DesignStudio, 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.
About The Big West
The Big West is an NCAA Division I member with 11 members with the shared goal of empowering every student-athlete in competition and in life and uniting its university communities through championship experiences. Formed in 1969, The current Big West membership consists of Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. Future full member Sacramento State is an associate member in men’s soccer and beach volleyball and are set to enter the league with California Baptist and Utah Valley in July 2026.
The Big West is united in the pursuit of boundless opportunities, enduring integrity, bold activism, fearless innovation and the pacific spirit of freedom, exploration and progress.
The Big West sponsors 21 sports at the NCAA Division I level: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s water polo and men’s and women’s swimming and diving which made its return last season.
Historically, Big West women’s golf teams have won three NCAA team championships and one individual title with three runner-up team finishes in the stroke-play era, with 32 All-American selections and four Academic All-Americans.
