Lee Wins Big Island Amateur Championship at Mauna Lani
Kohala Coast, Hawai‘i – The 95th Annual Big Island Amateur Championship was held September 22nd and 23rd on the North Course at Mauna Lani Resort. The 36-hole, stroke-play competition was won by Davis Lee from Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Lee’s 68-72 (140) was five shots better than second place finisher Pono Yanagi of Hilo, Hawai‘I 72-73 (145). As a resident of Hilo, Yanagi claimed the Big Island Resident Champion title.
Lee is in his junior year at Mid-Pacific Institute, a college preparatory high school in Honolulu, and is the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association’s current Player of the Year for boys 15-18 years old.
The Big Island Amateur Championship has been played every year since 1924 making it the second oldest golf tournament in the state of Hawaii behind the Manoa Cup and one of the longest running and most prestigious amateur events in golf. The tournament has been hosted at Mauna Lani Resort since 2005. Played on the iconic resort’s famed North Course, a total of 71 golfers competed across five flights in the 2018 Big Island Amateur Championship. To view all the scores from the 95th Annual Big Island Amateur, please visit the Hawaii State Golf Association website at www.hsga.golf.
Mauna Lani’s North Course, a Flint, Cain and Nelson design, was built on an ancient lava bed and is ranked by Golfweek as one of the top courses on Hawaii. Overlaying the rugged brown pahoehoe lava flow, the North Course features rolling fairways and through kiawe forests. A 230-acre protected archeological district lies on the northern edge of the North Course, while feral goats roam the course, cropping the grass and providing a unique neutral hazard. The par-3 17th is the signature hole on the North Course as a series of elevated tees form a natural amphitheater with the green at the base of a lava bowl.
For more information on Mauna Lani Resort and Golf, visit www.maunalanigolf.com or call 808-885-6655.
About Mauna Lani Golf
Mauna Lani, meaning “mountain reaching heaven,” is a tropical resort oasis set upon the famed Kohala Coast on Hawai‘i Island. The beautiful Mauna Lani property is located 23 miles north of the Kona International Airport and features the Fairmont Orchid, Fairmont’s award-winning Spa Without Walls, and the Mauna Lani's North and South Golf Courses. In preserving the essence of Hawaii, the former Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows will reopen in late 2019 after an investment of more than $100 million as one of Hawaii’s finest resorts. The re-envisioned Mauna Lani, Auberge Collections Resort will feature 30 oceanfront acres, three miles of shoreline and draw its inspiration from its awe-inspiring setting. Since opening in 1981, the Mauna Lani golf courses have collected numerous “best courses you can play” awards from Golfweek, Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine. Mauna Lani’s award-winning South Course formerly hosted the prestigious Hawaii State Open, and was the site of the Senior Skins Game from 1990 to 2000, hosting many of golf’s greats, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriquez, and Gary Player.
About Troon
Mauna Lani Golf is professionally managed by Troon. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf management company providing services at more than 360 locations around the globe, including 280 golf courses at 246 facilities. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages more than 150 restaurants located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 35 states and 30 countries, divisions of Troon include Troon Golf, Honours Golf, Troon Privé (the private club operating division of Troon), Troon International and Cliff Drysdale Management. There are currently 60 Troon-affiliated properties featuring 80 golf courses on national and international “Top 100” rankings. Troon-affiliated properties include Bayside Resort Golf Club in Selbyville, Delaware; Kapalua on Maui, Hawaii; Mauna Lani Resort on the Kohala Coast on Hawaii; Pronghorn in Bend, Oregon; Lofoten Links in Norway; and Mollymook Golf Club in Australia. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Blog, Press Room, or subscribe to Troon Golf & Travel.
