RENO, Nev. - Following back-to-back highly impressive performances, the Nevada Women's Golf team is slated to begin their final tournament of the fall season Monday morning at the 26th annual Rainbow Wahine Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawaii in Kapolei, O'ahu.
Tournament Info
The 26th annual Rainbow Wahine Invitational is a three-day, 54-hole event taking place at the Kapolei Golf Club. Golfers will play one 18-hole round each day, beginning Monday with tee times slated to start at 12:00 p.m. (PT).
The Field
The 2023 Rainbow Wahine Invitational boasts a super 17-team field. Outside of Nevada and host school Hawaii, the field consists of Baylor, British Columbia (Canada), Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Gonzaga, Iowa, Kennesaw State, Murray State, New Mexico State, Osaka Gakuin (Japan), Sacramento State, UC Davis, UNC Asheville, and Utah Valley.
The Course
The former host of the LPGA Tour's Hawaiian Open (1996-2001) and the PGA Champions Tour's Pacific Links Championship (2012-2014), Kapolei Golf Club is highly regarded for its magnificent beauty, floral gardens, and strategically placed holes.
The course is a par-72 spanning 6,208 yards and it is rated 4 ½ stars out of five on Golf Digest's Places to Play listing, in addition to earning the Honolulu Star Advertiser's People's Choice Award as the "Best Course on Oahu" in 2010 and 2014.
Projected Lineup
Leah John
John has put together one of the finest individual fall seasons in program history, as the fifth-year senior is coming off back-to-back titles at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational and Golf Iconic Classic entering the Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
John has shot even par or better in seven of nine rounds this fall, and she currently owns an immaculate average score of 69.8.
John also participated in the Stage II of LPGA Qualifying School this past week, just missing out on advancing to the third stage, as she completed the event one stroke outside of the top-40. However, John's performance in Qualifying School earned her full Epson Tour status once she concludes her collegiate career.
John will aim to close out the fall season with another stellar performance and help lead the Pack to a team title.
Gabby Kano
Kano has put together an impressive fall season thus far, earning two top-17 finishes and carding even par or better in five of nine rounds.
The sophomore has been incredibly consistent and will seek to turn in another strong performance to close out the fall season for the Pack.
Anna Shultse
Shultse is coming off a T42 finish at the Golf Iconic Classic after completing the event at +6. Shultse has had a solid fall season, highlighted by a third-place finish in the season-opening event at the Lady Paladin Invitational.
Nikki Chindavong
The freshman has had an impressive start to her collegiate career, as she enters the Rainbow Wahine Invitational with an average score of 74.3 across nine rounds. Chindavong had her best outing of the year at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational where she earned a T10 finish at +1. Chindavong will look to close out the first half of her freshman season in strong fashion and build more momentum entering the spring season.
Payton Lovisa
Lovisa will make her collegiate debut at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, as the freshman cracks the Wolf Pack lineup for the first time this season. A highly touted prep recruit from Burlington, Canada, Lovisa had an exceptional youth career and will aim to make a strong impact for the Pack in her debut appearance in the Nevada lineup.
Live Scoring
Live scoring will be available throughout the event at Golfstat.com.
Follow The Pack
Follow Nevada Women's Golf on social media at @NevadaWGolf (X), @nevadawgolf (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaWGolf.
