Kā‘anapali Classic features five different athletic conferences in top five after first round

Sunny skies and low winds enabled Clemson to go low during round one of the eighth annual Kā‘anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational.

The Tigers’ 17-under 267 leads two-time tournament winner Oklahoma (2015, 2019) and East Tennessee St. by one and two shots, respectively. The North Florida Ospreys (-11) are in fourth place. The defending champion Kansas Jayhawks and Ole Miss Rebels (-9) are tied for fifth.

“We really wanted to cap off our fall season with a strong finish,” said Tigers’ head coach Jordan Byrd, the brother of former Clemson All-American and five-time PGA TOUR winner, Jonathan. “Today was a tremendous team effort. We seek to build upon this success over the weekend.”

Clemson sophomore Andrew Swanson led the way, taking advantage of favorable scoring conditions with seven birdies in his opening round of 7-under 64. The No. 1 AJGA-ranked player in South Carolina out of high school in 2021, Swanson is remarkably one of the only players in the world to have made two hole-in-ones on the same par-four hole.

Tied atop the individual leaderboard is Sooners’ sophomore Drew Goodman. Renowned for carding a 59 as a true freshman, Goodman’s stellar scoring ability was on full display at Royal Kā‘anapali, highlighted by two eagles on the front nine. Notably, both Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida) and Paul Louis Gachet (CSUN) also recorded a pair of eagles during round one.

13 players are within three shots of the individual co-leaders.

Oklahoma’s trip to the Aloha State is the Sooners first since their 2019 Kā‘anapali Classic victory, which set a then school-record at 47-under (805) in a 54-hole event. The 2021 NCAA Championship runner-up program arrived in Maui after a hard-fought second-place finish in last week’s Big 12 Match Play Tournament.

Host University of Hawai‘i’s even-par finish was attributed to consistent play across the board. Atsuya Oishi led the Rainbow Warriors with a 3-under 68 (T16). Teammates Blaze Akana and Isaiah Kanno shot 71 to finish T48.

Akana enjoyed an exhilarating hole-in-one during yesterday’s practice round on the second hole, an uphill 190-yard par 3.

“After hosting the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and LPGA’s best for decades, it is gratifying to watch the sport’s best amateurs walk in the footsteps of legends who have competed at Kā‘anapali,” said Karl Reul, general manager at Kā‘anapali Golf Courses.

Round two begins on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. HDT. Fans can attend for free, with walking spectators encouraged.

Team Leaderboard

Place School To Par Rd. 1
1 Clemson -17 267
T2 Oklahoma -16 268
3 East Tennessee St. -15 269
4 North Florida -11 273
T5 Ole Miss -9 275
T5 Kansas -9 275
T7 Georgia -6 278
T7 UC Irvine -6 278
9 Colorado -5 279
T10 Boise St. -4 280
T10 Liberty -4 280
T12 Hawai‘i E 284
T12 Louisiana E 284
14 Denver +1 285
T15 Wyoming +4 288
T15 Connecticut +4 288
17 CSU – Northridge +5 289
18 Mount St. Mary’s +6 290
19 Gonzaga +9 293
20 Air Force +14 298

Top Individuals

Place Player School To Par Rd. 1
T1 Andrew Swanson Clemson -7 64
T1 Drew Goodman Oklahoma -7 64
T3 Nick Gabrelcik North Florida -6 65
T3 Max Charles Boise St. -6 65
T3 Josh Ryan Liberty -6 65
T6 Carson Griggs Denver -5 66
T6 Tommy Dallahan Connecticut -5 66
T6 Patton Samuels Ole Miss -5 66
T6 Stephen Campbell Jr. Oklahoma -5 66
T6 Matty Dodd-Berry East Tennessee St. -5 66

Tournament Information:

Dates: Friday, Oct. 28 – Sunday, Oct. 30
Location: Royal Kā‘anapali, Lahaina, Maui
Course Yardage (Par): 6,900 (71)
Format: 54 holes; 18 holes each day; 5-count-4
Tee Times: 8 a.m. HDT shotgun each day
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Host: University of Hawai‘i
Defending Team Champion: University of Kansas
Defending Individual Champion: Brandon Berry, Loyola University Maryland