WAILUA — The last time the John A. Burns Intercollegiate golf tournament was contested on Kauai, Keoki Puaoi of Anahola said he was shuttling players. “We were volunteering for the PGA and that was about the time Tiger Woods played
WAILUA — The last time the John A. Burns Intercollegiate golf tournament was contested on Kauai, Keoki Puaoi of Anahola said he was shuttling players.
“We were volunteering for the PGA and that was about the time Tiger Woods played here,” Puaoi said. “When they told me the course would be shut down for this tournament, I had to come out and see what was happening.”
Collegiate players were on the course Tuesday for a practice round ahead of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, which tees off Wednesday through Friday at the Wailua Golf Course.
“Looks like you had your share of weather,” Ronn Miyashiro, the head coach for the University of Hawaii men’s golf team, said. “But the weather looks like it’s breaking and hopefully it stays this way through Friday.”
The University of Hawaii is hosting the Burns tournament, which marks its return to Kauai after being contested here in 1978, the second year of the tournament, states a UH athletics release.
The tournament also marks the second time the Hawaii team has played on Kauai this season. Their first appearance was at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational contested at the Princeville Makai Golf Course from Nov. 4 through 6, 2013.
“If I had known they would be here, I would have gone out to see if they need volunteers,” Puaoi said. “I like to volunteer at these types of events.”
Angel Madrid, a former Kauai Junior Golf Association leader and a veteran of more than 30 years on the Wailua Golf Course, was also among the spectators, noting how good these collegiate players are.
“They use the practice rounds to make their notes,” Puaoi said. “They use the rangefinders and make notes because when the tournament starts, all they have is the notes and the golfers try to replicate the good shots.”
When the field tees off Wednesday, 16 collegiate teams, including three-time defending champion and No. 4 ranked California will play at the Wailua Golf Course. California is the second team to win three consecutive titles, joining Oklahoma State who won three straight titles from 1993 to 1995.
Other notable Top 50 ranked teams include No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 18 New Mexico, No. 32 Brigham Young, and No. 38 University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Other participating colleges and universities include Arizona, Colorado State, Fresno State, University of Hawaii-Hilo, Long Beach State, Nevada, Pacific, Saint Mary’s, UTEP and Washington State.
Golfers will play a total of 54 holes over the three days at the 6,991-yard, par 72 course with an 8 a.m. start for the first and second rounds, and an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start, Friday, the final day of competition.
Host University of Hawaii will field two teams, the Black and Green, with all 10 of its members participating. The team enters the tournament coming off a tie for 16th at the Amer-Ari Invitational two weeks ago in Waikoloa on the Big Island.
The John A. Burns Intercollegiate is considered the University of Hawaii’s premiere golf tournament, providing some of the nation’s top-ranked programs with the opportunity to compete against one another in the 50th state.
It also offers University of Hawaii golfers an opportunity to compete with the best in the NCAA. Some of the former participants and individual champions include PGA stars such as Notah Begay (1995) and Tiger Woods (1996) of Stanford and Oklahoma State’s Bo Van Peit (1997).
Visit www.hawaiiathletics.com for more information.
