America’s No. 1 team sends three players to Maui
TOURNAMENT FACTS
Dates: March 27 – 29, 2023
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. HDT shotgun each day
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Host: University of Hawai‘i
Defending Team Champion: UC Davis (2021)
Defending Individual Champion: Madison Wood, UC Davis (2021)
TEEING OFF
Next week, the University of Hawai‘i will host the ninth annual Anuenue Spring Break Classic at Kā‘anapali. 14 women’s college golf teams from eight states will compete over three days on Maui.
SCHOOLS (14)
Boise State, Brigham Young, Cal Poly, Denver, Gonzaga, Hawai‘i, New Mexico State, Pepperdine, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Seattle, Stanford (three individuals) Tulane, UC Davis and UCLA.
CONFERENCES (7)
AAC (1), Big West (3), Mountain West (2), Pac-12 (2), Summit (1), WCC (4) and WAC (2).
UC Davis seeks to defend their Anuenue Spring Break Classic team title at Kā‘anapali.
EVENT HISTORY
Like the John A. Burns Intercollegiate for men, the Anuenue Spring Break Classic allows many top-ranked women’s college players to compete against one another in the Aloha State.
Notable Anuenue individual champions include Daniela Holmqvist (California, 2012), who held the 36-hole lead in the 2020 Women’s British Open, Grace Na (Pepperdine, 2013-14), a four-time All-American and four-time WCC Player of the Year and Andrea Wong (UC Davis, 2015), a three-year Symetra Tour member.
2023 marks the ninth year of the Rainbow Wahine’s tournament on Maui. The first six years were contested on Kapalua’s Bay Course. Waikoloa’s Kings Course hosted for one year before Royal Kā‘anapali became the host venue in 2021.
INDIVIDUAL
In 2021, UC Davis’ Madison Wood edged teammate Jackie Lucena by a single stroke for the individual medalist honor at Kā‘anapali.
The highest ranked player via Golfstat in this year’s field is Tulane sophomore Carla Bernat (No. 8). She comes to Kā‘anapali after a runner-up finish in last week’s Florida State Match Up, earning her ACC Golfer of the Week honors. She will face stiff competition from No. 16 Zoe Campos (UCLA), a sophomore with four top-10 finishes in her first seven starts in the 2022-23 season. Right on her heels at No. 17 is Stanford freshman Megha Ganne, the 2021 AJGA Rolex Player of the Year and one of three individuals competing for the Cardinal at Kā‘anapali.
Other top-ranked players include No. 31 Lion Higo (Pepperdine), No. 34 Sadie Englemann (Stanford), No. 46 Anna Foster (Denver) and No. 54 Caroline Canales (UCLA).
UC Davis’ Madison Wood (left) won the 2021 individual title; Aggie teammate Jackie Lucena (right) finished second.
TEAM
UC Davis returns to Kā‘anapali to defend their 2021 team title after the Aggies’ 20-stroke victory over host Hawai‘i.
America’s No. 1 women’s golf team, Stanford, will send Ganne, Sadie Englemann and Kelly Xu to Maui.
Seven of the 14 teams are listed in Golfstat’s Top 100: No. 1 Stanford, No. 24 Pepperdine, No. 43 Denver, No. 60 Tulane, No. 83 Gonzaga, No. 91 New Mexico State and No. 98 San Francisco.
The 2023 field includes four past team champions who have won a combined six Anuenue team titles: UCLA (2013, 2017), Pepperdine (2014), UC Davis (2015, 2021) and Hawai‘i (2018).
Hawai‘i’s Kaci Masuda won the 2018 Anuenue Spring Break Classic.
VENUE
Situated on sacred lands once home to the Royal Chiefs of Maui, Royal Kā‘anapali offers panoramic views of Lana‘i, Molokai and the West Maui Mountains. Since opening in 1962, the club has hosted numerous high-profile events including the PGA TOUR’s Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf (1964), LPGA Women’s Kemper Open (1982-85), PGA TOUR Champions’ Kā‘anapali Classic (1987-2000), SKINS Game (2008-11) and Hawaii High School Athletic Association Golf State Championships (1998, 2009, ’13, ’17, ’22).
QUOTES
“Kā‘anapali proudly hosted the LPGA Women’s Kemper Open when Amy Alcott won the inaugural event in the islands. The Anuenue Spring Break Classic at Kā‘anapali now represents the next generation of the game’s best,” said Karl Reul, GM at Kā‘anapali Golf Courses. “Our Senior Superintendent Todd Allen and his team have worked diligently to create excellent tournament conditions for these collegiate players.”
“Royal Kā‘anapali is just so fun to play,” said Hawai‘i Women’s Golf Team Head Coach, Julie Brooks. “Wide fairways, big greens for different pins and great views of the ocean. We may even see whales jumping too!”
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Tournament attendance is free and walking spectators are encouraged! Parking is available on-site. Boasting over a dozen lodging options, two championship golf courses, first-class shopping and dining, visitors can access Hawai‘i’s first planned resort and a model for resorts around the world from Kahului Airport (OGG) and Kapalua Airport (JHM).
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 750-plus locations, including 725-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 or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, or subscribe to Troon Magazine.
