In what has become an annual tradition, the University of Hawai'i men's golf team will open the spring season by co-hosting the Amer Ari Invitational, which runs Feb. 7-9 at the Waikoloa Beach Resort Kings' Course.
 
UH and its sister school Hawai'i-Hilo will co-host the 18-team tournament which celebrates its 28^thseason this year. The two Hawai'i schools along with Oregon, TCU, and USC have competed in every Amer Ari Invitational.
 
This year's tournament will feature top-ranked Oklahoma State, who also won last year's Amer Ari Invite en route to its 11^thnational title. A total of 14 of the 18 teams are ranked in Golfweek's Top 100 including Top 20 teams OSU (#1), Georgia Tech (#3), USC (#4), Texas (#12), and Auburn (#19).
 
Making up the rest of the field are Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Japan's Osaka Gakuin, Pacific, San Jose State, Stanford, TCU, Texas Tech, UC Davis, and Utah. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played on a par-72 course checking in at 7,074 yards. Players will complete 18 holes each day with a 7:30 a.m. HT shotgun start.
 
UH's best finish in the tournament was fourth place in 2006. Last year, Warriors placed 18^thplace with a 921 total led by Justin Arcano, who shot a final round 67 for a 217 total and tie for 51^stplace. Senior Cameron Kaneko has competed in three previous Amer Ari Invitationals with his best score of 217 as a freshman in 2016.
 
Oklahoma State captured its seventh Amer Ari title last season finishing the three-day tourney at 47-under 817, 17 strokes better than runner-up Texas Tech (834). USC (837) finished third. Individually, USC's Justin Suh edged out a pair of OSU golfers to capture medalist honors at 13-under 203. Suh will return to Waikoloa this season to defend his title.
 
The college-am is scheduled for Tuesday at Kohanaiki Golf Club with the tournament's practice round set for Wednesday. 
 
The Amer Ari is the first of three spring tournaments the Warriors will host in addition to the John A. Burns Intercollegiate (Feb. 21-23) and the Big West Conference Championship (April 29-30), both at Wailua Golf Course in Līhu'e, Kaua'i. UH also hosted two tournaments in the fall – the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational on Kaua'i and Kā'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational on Maui.
 
Tournament #6
What: Amer Ari Invitational
Date: Thursday, Feb. 7 through Saturday, Feb. 9
Where: Waikoloa Beach Resort Kings' Course; Waikoloa, Hawai'i
Yardage (Par): 7,074 (72)
Format: 54-hole tournament (18 holes each day); shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. HT
Co-Hosts: Hawai'i & Hawai'i-Hilo
Tournament Field (18): #19 Auburn, #81 Colorado, #3 Georgia Tech, Hawai'i, Hawai'i-Hilo, #1 Oklahoma State, #42 Oregon, #74 Oregon State, Osaka Gakuin (Japan), Pacific, #63 San Jose State, #28 Stanford, #48 TCU, #12 Texas, #32 Texas Tech, #83 UC Davis, #4 USC, #60 Utah