Kapolei Golf Club was recently included in Links Magazine story on some of the best hidden gems in Hawaii. Excerpts from that story, as scribed by Shaun Tolson in January 2023 include:
Kapolei Golf Club recently concluded the hosting of Rainbow Wahine Invitational in October of 2022. Home of the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Wahine Golf Team, Kapolei played host to some of the top women’s golf programs in the country. Following four days of competition, Colorado State University was victorious in the event and Sofia Torres from (also from CSU) captured the individual title.
KAPOLEI, Oahu, Hawaii, (March 22, 2021) – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and LOTTE announced today that Kapolei Golf Club in Kapolei, Hawaii will now host the ninth edition of the LOTTE Championship in 2021. The tournament will be held April 14-17 and will feature a field of 144 players competing for a $2 million purse, with $300,000 awarded to the winner.
“We are excited to return to Hawaii and play the 2021 LOTTE Championship at the beautiful Kapolei Golf Club,” said Sean Pyun, the LPGA’s Chief Business Officer in Asia. “This event has been circled on the calendar for many after cancelling in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. We want to thank our partner LOTTE and Kapolei Golf Club for hosting us, as we look forward to showcasing the very best of the LPGA Tour on their beautiful golf course.”
The LPGA Tour returns to Kapolei Golf Club for the first time since it hosted the Ladies Hawaiian Open from 1996-2001. Designed by architect Ted Robinson, best known as the “King of Waterscapes” for his use of water features, Kapolei Golf Club will present fresh opportunities and challenges to a field that includes past champions Brooke Henderson, Cristie Kerr, Minjee Lee, Sei Young Kim and Hawaii’s own, Michelle Wie West. The golf club also hosted the PGA TOUR Champions’ event, the Pacific Links Championship, from 2012-2014.
“It is a great honor to host the 2021 LOTTE Championship at Kapolei Golf Club. We are happy to work with LOTTE and the LPGA together and look forward to witnessing the LPGA players’ great performance at Kapolei Golf Club,” said Akira Kihara, COO, Kapolei Golf Club.
The LOTTE Championship was previously played at the Ko Olina Golf Club since its debut in 2012. In 2019, Brooke Henderson successfully defended her 2018 championship title and became the first consecutive winner in the tournament’s history. The 2020 LOTTE Championship was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 LOTTE Championship will follow the COVID-sensitive no-spectator protocol, with broadcast coverage on Golf Channel during all four rounds from 7-11 p.m. EST.
About LOTTE
Korea/Japan-based Title Sponsor LOTTE has corporate footprints in 25 countries with more than 120 corporations in the world. Through its global networks in China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Russia and beyond, LOTTE is dedicated to becoming one of Asia’s leading global corporations, emphasizing Corporate Social Responsibility as its top priority complemented by eco-friendly measures.
With a strong belief in contributing to the nation and society through commerce, LOTTE officially entered the food business when it founded LOTTE Confectionery & Ice cream Korea in 1967 followed by a tremendous success of LOTTE Confectionery in Japan which was established in 1948. Nearly a decade later, after establishing some of the nation’s top hotels and department stores, it grew into the Korea’s 5th largest business group, embracing a variety of industries including food & beverage, QSR, retail channels from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, tourism & hospitality, chemical, construction, manufacturing, finance, and service.
About Kapolei Golf Club
Located 35 minutes northwest of Honolulu, Kapolei features a scenic Ted Robinson-designed golf course set on 190-acres of a former sugar cane plantation. Colorful floral gardens, waterfalls and five lakes deliver a striking contrast to the course’s lush fairways and greens. In 2020, Kapolei was named one of the top “Courses You Can Play in Hawaii” by Golfweek magazine. For more information on Kapolei Golf Club visit www.kapoleigcdaito.wpengine.com or call 808-674-2227.
About the LPGA
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla., the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 2,300 Members representing more than 30 countries. With a vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while the Symetra Tour, the official development and qualifying tour of the LPGA, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. Additionally, LPGA Professionals directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management.
The LPGA demonstrates its dedication to the development of the game through The LPGA Foundation. Since 1991, this charitable organization has been committed to empowering and supporting girls and women through developmental, humanitarian and golf community initiatives, including LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the LPGA Women’s Network and the LPGA Amateur Golf Association.
Follow the LPGA on its television home, Golf Channel, and on the web via www.LPGA.com. Join the social conversation at www.facebook.com/lpga, www.twitter.com/lpga and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo, and on Instagram at @lpga_tour.
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Media Contacts
Lori Yip, 141 Hawaii
lyip@141hawaii.com, +1 (808) 778-1493
Megan McGuire, LPGA, Tour Media Official
megan.mcguire@lpga.com, +1 (386) 405-1338
