University of Hawai’i junior Anson Cabello has secured a spot in the 2026 Sony Open in Hawai’i after winning a qualifier held on November 24 at Wai’alae Country Club. Cabello, who is from Kahului, Maui, shot a 1-under 71 to finish two strokes ahead of his teammate Dane Watanabe and Tyler Loree.
The Sony Open is scheduled for January 15-18, 2026 at Wai’alae Country Club. This will be the seventh time that a member of the Rainbow Warriors men’s golf team has qualified for a PGA Tour event. Blaze Akana was the most recent player from the team to compete in the Sony Open, participating in both 2023 and 2024. Previous qualifiers include T.J. Kua in 2010 and David Saka in 2011.
In another tournament, freshman Chris Salem won against Watanabe in the Championship Flight of the Hawai’i State Open, which took place December 4-6 at Kapolei Golf Course. Both players finished with scores of 4-under 212. Salem came back from four strokes behind with five holes remaining to win in a playoff.
James Whitworth and Nathan Szpakowicz also competed, tying for the lowest round on the final day and finishing fourth and seventh respectively.
