Kauai boys Pono Tokioka, an alumnus of Kauai High School, and University of Hawaii freshman Bryden Salvador, a Kapaa High School graduate, are coming back to play golf at the Wailua Golf Course starting Wednesday. Tokioka and Salvador are part
Kauai boys Pono Tokioka, an alumnus of Kauai High School, and University of Hawaii freshman Bryden Salvador, a Kapaa High School graduate, are coming back to play golf at the Wailua Golf Course starting Wednesday.
Tokioka and Salvador are part of the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors B team along with Sam Schwartz, Justin Chu, and Chad McLay who will be participating in the 40th anniversary of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate tournament.
This year marks the fourth year the University of Hawaii’s men’s golf team has hosted the event. The tournament is contested over 54 holes (18 holes each day from Wednesday through Friday) over the 6,991-yard, par 72 course.
Hawaii, coached by Ronn Miyashiro, will be fielding two teams in the tournament.
Among the field of 16 teams, seven are from the Top 50 national rankings, including five-time defending champion No. 21 California. Texas, with its No. 6 ranking, is the highest-ranked team. Joining them are No. 20 Washington, No. 22 Virginia, No. 30 University of Nevada, Las Vegas, No. 41 New Mexico, and No. 45 Texas A&M.
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 each other in the 50th state.
Starting in 1977, the tournament was held primarily at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course before moving to the Leilehua Golf Course in 2000 for an 11-year run. Turtle Bay was home to the tournament from 2011 to 2013 before coming to the Wailua Golf Course for the past two years.
Among the notables coming off the Burns tournament field, Bob Clampett won in Wailua in 1978, Steve Pate (UCLA, 1993), Notah Begay (Stanford, 1995), Tiger Woods (Stanford, 1996), and Bo Van Pelt (Oklahoma State, 1997). Oklahoma State holds the record at six Burns titles.
