University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
KA'ANAPALI CLASSIC COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
UConn Golfers Head For Ka'anapali Classic
10/29/2019 9:59:00 PM | Men's Golf
Wrap Up Fall Schedule With Trip To Hawaii
UConn Athletic Communications
Oct. 29, 2019
For the third consecutive season, the UConn men's golf team is taking a trip off the mainland as it wraps up the fall portion of its 2019-20 schedule by competing in the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational this weekend in Lahaina, Hawaii.
The sixth annual Ka'anapali Classic, played at the spectacular, 6,700-yard, par 71 Royal Ka'anapali Course at Ka'anapali Golf Club, features 20 collegiate teams from virtually every section of the United States -- New England, the East Coast, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest, the Mountain Region, and the West.
"The Ka'anapali tournament field is always extremely strong and provides a great test of golf for our guys," UConn coach Dave Pezzino said. "It really fulfills our mission of allowing our student-athletes to compete against some of the best college golfers in different parts of the country."
The tournament is a three-day, 54 hole event, set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Beginning in 2014, the Ka'anapali has had five different team champions – Oregon (2014), Oklahoma (2015), Clemson (2016), LSU (2017) and California (2018). Besides UConn, this year's field includes Air Force, Boise State, Clemson, George Washington, Georgia, Gonzaga, Hawaii, Kansas, Liberty, North Texas, Oklahoma, Sacramento State, South Carolina, Southern Illinois, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The Huskies, who have earned three Top Five finishes in four events this season, will be led by sophomore Jared Nelson (Rutland, Vt.), who tops the Huskies with a 73.4 per-round average, and senior Drake Hull (Rutland, Vt.), who is a close second at 73.9.
Also in the UConn lineup will be senior Tim Umphrey (Northborough, Mass.), junior Jack Boulger (Walpole, Mass.) and redshirt junior Chandler Morris (Hobe Sound, Fla.). Sophomore Nick Hampoian (North Reading, Mass.) will play the tournament as an individual.
"This tournament always gives us a good feel for where we stand and what we have to work on in the spring," Pezzino said. "The course sets up well for us and allows us to compete at an extremely high level in a different part of the United States. It's a signal to recruits that a highly-competitive tournament schedule is important to what we're trying to build at UConn."
Following their return home, the Huskies will go on their winter schedule break, resuming on Feb. 2 with a head-to-head match against West Virginia at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, Fla.
Players Mentioned
