Kansas set to compete at the fifth annual Ka’anapali Classic in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
LAHAINA, Hawaii – Kansas enters its final competition of the fall schedule at the fifth annual Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, Nov. 2-4. Kansas has competed in all four of the previous Ka’anapali Classics as this year’s event will feature 21 teams.
KU is coming off a second-place finish at the Big 12 Match Play Tournament, Oct. 12-14, in Hockley, Texas, defeating TCU, Texas Tech and top-ranked Oklahoma State in advancing to the finals. KU has posted a top-five finish in every event this fall, including the team title at The Jackrabbit, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, in Valentine, Nebraska.
Historically, Kansas has fared well at the Ka’anapali Classic. Under head coach Jamie Bermel, the Jayhawks have finished sixth or better which includes two fourth place marks in 2014 and 2017.
Kansas junior Andy Spencer looks to conquer the Royal Ka’anapali Course for the third-straight year as he finished 10th overall competing individually in 2016 and third overall in 2017. Spencer also tied his career low (65) in each of the last two seasons competing at this event. KU senior Charlie Hillier will also bring prior experience to the table as he finished 13th overall in last season’s competition. Sophomore Ben Sigel and senior Jake Scarrow will compete in their second Ka’anapali Classic, while sophomores Harry Hillier and Drew Shepherd look to take their first shot at the course this weekend.
Several highly ranked teams will compete in this year’s classic, which include 2017 National Champion and 10th-ranked Oklahoma, ninth-ranked Clemson and 19th-ranked Georgia. The 21-team field will play 54-holes of stroke play on the par-71, 6,700-yard Royal Ka’anapali Course.
Kansas’ line-up will consist of Harry Hillier, Charlie Hillier, Spencer, Shepherd, Sigel and Jake Scarrow will represent the Jayhawks individually. The Ka’anapali Classic begins as a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. CT) on Friday, Nov. 2 and will conclude Sunday, Nov. 4. Follow live stats and scorecard updates at www.golfstatresults.com.
QUOTES
Head Coach Jamie Bermel
Q: This will be your fifth time coach a team in the Ka’anapali Classic, how do you think the course will benefit or effect your team?
“It’s always good to have knowledge of the course and we have a lot of players who have played there in previous years.”
Q: Coming off a second-place finish full of highly ranked competition, what are your thoughts on the competition this upcoming weekend and how are you and the guys going to manage it?
“This field is strong again this year and I know we need to play well. I think the guys have a lot of confidence from the last event, but that event is over, and we need to be ready to play on Friday for the first round.”
Q: This being the last tournament of the fall portion of your schedule, has the team exceeded your expectations with finishes in the top-5 of every tournament coming into the Ka’anapali?
“I think we have played very solid but not great. My hope is everyone is playing well, and we can finish the fall season with a strong event.”
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