After nearly a year away from the golf course, the University of Hawai'i women's golf team will open the 2020-21 season with the Lamkin Invitational, Feb. 8-9 at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
 
The ninth annual tournament features a 12-team field in 2021 and is hosted by San Diego State. No. 22 TCU is the highest ranked team in the field. Participants will play 54-holes, 36 on Monday, at the 6,318-yard, par 72 course, which is located 22 miles north of downtown San Diego.
 
"It has been 11 months now since we have teed it up in competition and we couldn't be more excited to finally be given the opportunity to compete again," head coach Stephen Bidne said. "This year has presented many challenges, but this team has done a great job staying positive, and working hard knowing that the day will come when we are given the green light to play again. We are looking forward to putting our hard work into fruition as we head to San Diego to compete in a very competitive field.
 
"We have some new faces making their Rainbow Wahine debut, and I'm excited and confident about the depth and quality of our each and everyone of the five in our lineup for this event. The wait to return to competition is over, and the 'Bows are back!!"
 
Along with SDSU and TCU, the rest of the field includes Arizona, Colorado, Hawai'i, Long Beach State, New Mexico, Tulane, UC Irvine, UCLA, USC, and Washington State. SDSU is the defending tournament champion while USC captured five titles, including three straight from 2016-18.
 
UH's lineup includes a pair of newcomers, freshman Monica Johnson of Sydney, Australia and junior Hana Mirnik, a transfer from Wichita State. Johnson achieved a rating of 1200 in the Women's Amateur Golf Rankings while Mirnik was one of WSU's top golfers the past two seasons.
 
Also competing next week for the Rainbow Wahine are seniors Tyra Tonkham, Sahara Washington, and Zoey Akagi-Bustin. Tonkham led the team with a 75.5 scoring average last year before the pandemic cut short the season. The Arleta, Calif., native and Washington have the most experience on the team with a combined 48 career tournament appearances. Scoring-wise, Washington was having the best season of her career in 2019-20 before the season came to an abrupt end. Akagi-Bustin, a Wahiawā, O'ahu native, competed in two tournaments last year in her first season with the Rainbow Wahine after transferring from New Mexico. 
 
The 2021 season marks head coach Stephen Bidne's fourth season with UH while former PGA Tour member and seven-time winner Scott  Simpson enters his second season as assistant coach.