The University of Hawai‘i men’s golf team will welcome one of the strongest fields of the fall college golf season to Maui next week, hosting the 12th annual Kā‘anapali Classic by OUTRIGGER from October 26–28 at Royal Kā‘anapali Golf Course.
The three-day championship features 20 NCAA Division I programs, including eight nationally ranked teams, as the Rainbow Warriors return to competition in their home state following two mainland tournaments. Defending champion Oklahoma enters as the team to beat, pursuing a fifth consecutive victory at an event it has dominated in recent years.
East Tennessee State is the highest-ranked team in the field at No. 8, followed by No. 12 Georgia, No. 18 Kansas and No. 19 Purdue. Oklahoma is ranked 22nd, while TCU, Clemson and Colorado also enter among the nation’s top 40 programs.
The tournament will be contested over 54 holes on the par-71 Royal Kā‘anapali Course, which measures approximately 6,700 yards. Competition begins with an 8:30 a.m. Hawaii Time shotgun start each day, with teams playing 18 holes per round.
Oklahoma Returns After Record-Breaking 2025 Victory
Oklahoma arrives in Maui looking to extend a remarkable winning streak after producing the lowest team score in Kā‘anapali Classic history last October.
The Sooners finished the 2025 tournament at 63 under par with a 54-hole total of 789, breaking the previous event record of 800 established by Kansas in 2021. The victory was Oklahoma’s fourth consecutive title at Kā‘anapali and sixth overall since the competition began in 2014.
TCU finished second last year at 51 under, recording one of the strongest team performances in program history, while Georgia placed third. All three programs return for the 2026 edition, setting up another competitive meeting at the coastal Maui venue.
Oklahoma will be without defending individual champion Ryder Cowan, who is scheduled to compete in a PGA Tour event instead. His absence opens the door for another golfer to claim the individual championship, with Georgia sophomore JD Culbreth among the leading contenders.
Culbreth enters the tournament ranked second nationally among NCAA men’s golfers. During last year’s Kā‘anapali Classic, he fired a 10-under-par 61 in the second round, matching the Royal Kā‘anapali course record.
Hawai‘i Confirms Five-Player Lineup for Home Tournament
Hawai‘i will be represented in the team competition by Campbell Kerr, Dane Watanabe, Josh Hayashida, Troy Gadalla and Cameron Combado. Three additional Rainbow Warriors — Alec Hilgers, Stryker Leick and Maui native Chris Salem — will compete as individuals.
The tournament will be a homecoming for Salem, Hayashida and Watanabe, who grew up in the Hawaiian Islands.
The Rainbow Warriors are seeking an improved result after a challenging start to the 2026–27 season. They finished tied for 13th at the CDA National Reserve Invitational in Idaho before placing 12th at the Tall City Collegiate in Texas.
Kerr has been the team’s leading scorer in both tournaments, making him a player to watch as Hawai‘i competes against several nationally ranked opponents.
The event also provides an opportunity for the Rainbow Warriors to gain experience against teams from major conferences, including the SEC, Big 12, ACC and Big Ten, without traveling to the mainland.
Royal Kā‘anapali Set for Three Days of College Golf
The Royal Kā‘anapali Course has hosted the tournament since its inaugural edition in 2014. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the course combines coastal terrain, changing elevations and views of the West Maui Mountains.
The 2026 field includes Hawai‘i, Boise State, Cal State Northridge, Clemson, Colorado, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, North Florida, Oklahoma, Purdue, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Southern Illinois, TCU, UC Irvine, UConn and Wyoming.
The tournament follows a five-count-four format, meaning each team fields five golfers and counts its four lowest individual scores toward the daily team total.
Spectators can attend free of charge, with walking spectators welcome. Live scoring will be available through Scoreboard by Clippd.
After hosting the Kā‘anapali Classic, Hawai‘i will conclude its fall schedule with another home-state event, the Pearl at Kalauao Invitational on O‘ahu, November 4–5.
For the Rainbow Warriors, the immediate challenge is clear: improve on their mainland performances while testing themselves against a field that includes eight nationally ranked programs. For Oklahoma, the same three days offer an opportunity to extend one of the most impressive winning streaks in college golf’s fall schedule.