HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i women's golf team will continue its fall tradition of hosting a fall tournament with the 27^th annual Rainbow Wahine Invitational, Oct. 21-23 at the Kapolei Golf Club in west O'ahu.
 
The 2024 tournament features a 15-team field highlighted by six teams ranked in Scoreboard's Top 100 national rankings including 28^th-ranked Kansas State, No. 70 Grand Canyon, No. 76 Sacramento State, No. 96 Nevada, No. 97 Colorado State, and No. 98 UC Irvine.
 
Making up the rest of the field are Austin Peay, Eastern Michigan, Gonzaga, North Dakota State, Osaka Gakuin (Japan), Santa Clara, Utah Tech, and Wyoming. UH is ranked No. 141 in the season's first national ranking.
 
Participants will play 18 holes each day at the par-72, 6,231-yard course with a shotgun start at 9:00 a.m. each day.
 
Hawai'i's entire lineup will participate in the tournament either as part of the team or as an individual. Maline Kraus leads the team with a 74.33 scoring average followed by Emiko Sverduk (74.67) and Maddie Dustin (74.67). Kraus tied the program's 54-hole score with a 5-under 211 total at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate last month. The Düsseldorf, Germany native carded a final round 3-under 69 to finish in a tie for fifth place
 
UH's fall tournament has been played at Kapolei 16 times under various names including the Kent Youel Invitational. The tournament returned to Kapolei in 2018, which followed a six-year run at Leilehua Golf Course. Kapolei previously hosted the event from 1999-2008 and again in 2011. In between, UH hosted the Turtle Bay Resort College Invitational on the North Shore of O'ahu in 2009 and '10.
 
The program first began hosting a fall tournament in 1997 with the Princeville Rainbow Wahine Fall Classic in Kaua'i. UCLA has won the most Rainbow Wahine Invitationals with five followed by Sacramento State, which has three titles most recently in 2019.
 
Host UH does not have a team title in the event although Melanie Matsumura tied for first in 1999 but lost in a sudden death playoff. The Rainbow Wahine have three runner-up finishes most recently in 2015.


Kapolei Golf Club has hosted PGA and LPGA tournaments including the Pacific Links Championship of the PGA Champions Tour from 2012-14 and the LPGA's Hawaiian Ladies Open from 1996-2001. It was also rated as one of Hawai'i's Top 10 courses by GolfAdvisor.com.
 
Following this week's tournament, the Rainbow Wahine will conclude the fall season with the Nanea Invitational, Oct. 28-30 at the Nanea Golf Club in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i.
 
Tournament Facts
Date: Oct. 21-23, 2024
Format: Three-days; 54 holes (18-18-18); 5-count-4
Time: 9:00 a.m. HT shotgun start each day
Course: Kapolei Golf Club; Kapolei, O'ahu
Yardage (Par): 6,231 (72)
Live Scoring: Scoreboard.clippd.com
Field: Hawai'i, Austin Peay, Colorado State, Eastern Michigan, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Kansas State, Nevada, North Dakota State, Osaka Gakuin (Japan), Sacramento State, Santa Clara, UC Irvine, Utah Tech, Wyoming