OKLAHOMA AND EAST TENNESSEE STATE SHARE KĀ‘ANAPALI CLASSIC TEAM TITLE;

OU’s Luke Kluver edges ETSU’s Mats Ege for individual victory

$10,000 surpassed in event donations for Maui’s wildfire victims

(MAUI, Hawai‘i) – Oklahoma redshirt senior Luke Kluver was on a roll during his final-round 64, carding nine birdies en route to his individual win at the Kā‘anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational. Kluver becomes the second individual medalist from Oklahoma to win the Kā‘anapali Classic (Quade Cummins; 2019) and the seventh tournament champion to post a sub-200 score following his three-day total of 195 (-18).

In an action-packed Saturday in which three different teams held the outright lead at some point, Oklahoma and East Tennessee State began Saturday tied for second place and five shots behind Liberty. After storming back to both finish at 42-under in the three-day event, the Sooners and Buccaneers were named as team co-champions. Oklahoma’s win is the program’s fourth team title on Maui (2015, ’19, ’22, 23).

Liberty placed in third (-39) for the second straight year, which was their best finish of the 2023 fall season. A two-way tie for fourth (-36) included North Florida and San Jose State.

“We started out like we needed to with lots of firepower and birdies,” said Oklahoma men’s golf coach, Ryan Hybl. “While not as consistent coming down the stretch as we would have liked, we were thrilled with our team and individual victories.”

Oklahoma was anchored by three players who finished in the top 20: Kluver (1), All-Big 12 selection, Jase Summy (T8) and 2023 Junior President’s Cup selection, PJ Maybank (T20).

When asked what it meant to play in honor of Maui’s wildfire victims, Hybl noted, “We have so much sorrow for the wonderful and caring people of Hawai‘i. We will continue to support them in any way that we can.”

Not to be overshadowed, East Tennessee State also had three players finish in the top 20: Individual runner-up and 2022–23 PING All-American Honorable Mention, Mats Ege (2), 2023 JT Poston Invitational winner, Remi Chartier (T13), and sophomore Matty Dodd-Berry (T15).

“When we were three back with four holes to play, we hit great shots as they (Oklahoma) also hit great shots,” said East Tennessee State men’s golf coach, Jake Amons. “Our guys played solid in a really fun setting at Kā‘anapali.”

Amons later added, “We had a great fall season with two team victories and all top-five finishes. When a teammate got sick, other guys stepped up. Depth is a great strength of this team.”

Finishing in solo second place, ETSU’s Ege was the 2022–23 Southern Conference Player of the Year, and recently competed for Team International in the 2023 Palmer Cup

Kluver, a two-time Nebraska Junior Golfer of the Year (2017, ’18), didn’t rest on his laurels during the final round. “I knew that I couldn’t go out there and play like I had the lead. I knew that I would be chased,” he said. “My goal was to shoot in the mid-60’s and that’s truly what I did. It felt great to see the golf shots that I was hoping to hit.”

He further elaborated, “I had a good fall season. However, a year ago, I was struggling when I transferred to Oklahoma. I was not in the lineup, which frustrated me. Over the past 12 months, I put my head down and worked hard alongside a great group of guys and coaches. They really helped me get here today.”

Host Hawai’i posted their best 54-hole score in program history at 16-under (836). Individually, four Rainbow Warriors finished the event under par, led by Blaze Akana’s five-under par 208.

Other notables:

• Ryan Hybl celebrated his 40th team title during his tenure with the Sooners
• CSUN broke their single-round scoring record on Saturday at 20-under (264)
• Host Hawai‘i’s Blaze Akana was the highest-ranked Rainbow Warrior at T30
• Sacramento State’s Zach Mate shot a career-low 65 (-6) in the second round

A fundraising campaign launched last week to benefit Maui’s wildfire victims, including Kā‘anapali Golf Courses’ own associates, has surpassed $10,000 in donations.

The tenth annual Kā‘anapali Classic will be contested from Oct. 16–19, 2024.

A full list of scores can be found at Golfstat.

Team Leaderboard

Place	School	To Par	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total
T1	East Tennessee State	-42	272	267	271	810
T1	Oklahoma	-42	272	267	271	810
3	Liberty	-39	262	272	279	813
T4	North Florida	-36	276	269	271	816
T4	San Jose State	-36	269	277	270	816
6	Georgia	-31	266	285	270	821
7	CSU – Northridge	-20	288	280	264	832
8	Kansas	-18	280	277	277	834
9	Hawai‘i	-16	273	278	285	836
10	Clemson	-13	288	276	275	839
11	Sacramento State	-12	276	281	283	840
T12	Louisiana	-10	280	282	280	842
T12	Boise State	-10	277	278	287	842
14	Gonzaga	-5	285	278	284	847
15	Connecticut	-1	280	290	281	851
16	Wyoming	E	284	291	277	852
17	Colorado	+1	288	293	272	853
18	Denver	+8	288	291	281	860
19	Mount St. Mary’s	+16	290	295	283	868
20	Air Force	+27	291	295	293	879

 

Top Individuals

Place	Player	School	To Par	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total
1	Luke Kluver	Oklahoma	-18	66	65	64	195
2	Mats Ege	East Tennessee State	-15	66	64	68	198
3	Robbie Higgins	North Florida	-14	63	68	68	199
T4	Ivan Barahona	San Jose State	-12	64	71	66	201
T4	Caleb Shetler	San Jose State	-12	66	67	68	201
T4	Josh Ryan	Liberty	-12	65	65	71	201
7	Nick Gabrelcik	North Florida	-11	69	65	68	202
T8	Antoine Sale	CSU – Northridge	-10	71	67	65	203
T8	Thomas Higgins	Clemson	-10	70	68	65	203
T8	Jase Summy*	Oklahoma	-10	70	68	65	203
T8	Ben VanWyk	Georgia	-10	66	71	66	203
T8	Brett Reid	Liberty	-10	64	68	71	203

*Competing as an Individual

 

TOURNAMENT INFO

Dates: October 26 – 28, 2023

Venue: Royal Kā‘anapali

Location: Lahaina, Maui

Yardage (Par): 6,700 (71)

Format: Three days; 54 holes (18 holes each day); 5-count-4

Host: University of Hawai‘i

Donation Link: 2023 Ka’anapali Classic Invites You to Support Families of Maui Wildfires 

About Kā’anapali Golf Courses

Built on 300 acres of land once home to Hawaiian royalty, Kā‘anapali Golf Courses present golfers with pristine conditions and stunning views of 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 both distinctive and demanding.  The tournament-tested layout played host to the Champions Tour Kā‘anapali Classic for 14 years, Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, the Canada Cup and LPGA Kemper Open, welcoming Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Jan Stephenson, Betsy King and other legends.

Complementing the Royal Kā‘anapali Course is the modernized Kā‘anapali Kai Course, which hosted Golf Channel’s “Big Break Kā‘anapali” in 2008. Extensively renovated in 2005, 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

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 825-plus locations, including 825-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses around the globe. 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. With properties located in 45-plus states and 30-plus countries, 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 and ICON Management. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, TroonMagazine.com or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, and via The Turn Podcast.

 

 
Photo credit: Ka‘anapali Golf Courses