Maui Sports

The University of Hawai‘i will host the ninth annual Anuenue Spring Break Classic at Kā‘anapali. Fourteen women’s college golf teams from eight states will compete over three days on Maui from March 27-29, 2023 at the Royal Kā‘anapali on Maui.

Rodney Lash Nui Kilborn was a firefighter on Maui and had sponsored a number of amateur surfing events as a volunteer organizer on the Valley Isle, when he led a number of other watermen to help to start the first annual Peʻahi surfing contest in the mid-1990s. Maui Now writer Gary Kubota interviewed Kilborn for our People of Maui feature.

The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea welcomed canoe teams from sister properties in Bora Bora and Hawaiʻi, as well as local Maui crews for an outrigger canoe paddle called “Molokini Kaʻapunui.” The cultural gathering on Saturday, March 11, was timed to celebrate the end of Makahiki season.

Nearly 1,000 participants ran and walked in last weekend’s 12th annual Maui 5K, raising more than $57,000 for Maui Nui schools. The participation from Maui residents and visitors alike marked a record number for the event.

It was an epic day for Maui’s Jackson Bunch who took home his first ever World Surf League win during Finals Day of the Air Tahiti Rangiroa Pro QS 1,000, the final event of the Hawaii/Tahiti Nui 2022/23′ QS season.

The Aloha Section of the PGA of America named Kapalua Golf General Manager Alex Nakajima as its “2022 Golf Professional of the Year” and Plantation Course Head Professional Michael Castillo its “2022 Merchandiser of the Year” for resort properties. 

Kāʻanapali Golf Courses’ PGA Teaching Professional Chris Armanini has been named a 2022 PGA Jr. League #GameChanger Award winner by the PGA of America.

Michael Castillo, PGA, Head Golf Professional at Kapalua Plantation Course was recently invited to play in the Champions Tour Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences under a sponsor exemption in their two-day Pro-Am.

Wailea Golf Club professionals Marcus Judge, PGA, and Michael Taylor, PGA, received the Aloha Section PGA’s 2022 Player Development and Assistant Golf Professional of the Year awards, respectively.

Molly Picklum (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) won the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, the second stop on the World Surf League 2023 Championship Tour, in six-to-eight foot waves Sunday at Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oʻahu. 

The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course in Kahului has been chosen to host local qualifying for the US Open. On Wednesday, April 26, hopefuls from around the state and the country will converge in Kahului in an attempt to earn a spot to compete with the world’s best golfers at this year’s US Open.

The 19th Annual Menehune Mayhem event takes place on May 6 and 7, 2023 at Hoʻokipa Beach Park on Maui’s North Shore.

The first heat of the event will feature Final 5 competitor Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Pipeline standout Molly Picklum (AUS), and injury replacement Teresa Bonvalot (PRT). 

On Sunday, Jan. 29, the Makaha Canoe Club experienced a devastating blow to their most cherished asset. Hanakeoki, the oldest functioning racing canoe In the State of Hawaiʻi suffered severe damage during the extreme wind and rainy weather as it was lifted and tossed off its canoe racks this past weekend. 

Maui Arts & Cultural Center will again broadcast The Big Game on two large screens Sunday, Feb. 12. The game starts at 1:30 p.m. and gates open at noon.

The Kīhei Aquatic Center will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 1, to accommodate the rescheduling of the Maui Interscholastic League High School Swimming Championships after the two-day meet was postponed due to weather events. The activity will now be done as a single-day finals event.

“Today we lost the patriarch of our family. A man known by his supreme talents for storytelling, an unrelenting passion for Hawaiʻi and the teams and athletes that represent it, and a lifelong love for the craft of sports broadcasting… “

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen has appointed Patrick McCall to serve as director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, the County’s largest department with over 400 employees. Shane Dudoit was selected as deputy director.

Maui surfers, Jackson Bunch and Eli Hanneman storm into Finals Day at the SAMBAZON World Junior Championships after posting strong heat totals, and earning Round of 16 victories.

The six young female athletes of the Maui Polo Club, which has operated since 1888, practice weekly with the Makawao-based horses.