The University of Hawaiʻi men’s golf team will compete in the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational at Silverado Country Club in Napa, California, on March 23-24 as part of the PGA TOUR Pathway to Progression program.
The tournament offers a significant opportunity for participants, as the individual medalist will receive an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2026 Blue Championship scheduled for July. The event features a strong field of 14 teams, including defending champion Tohoku Fukushi University from Japan and previous winner BYU. Other notable programs such as UConn, Cal Poly, Howard, and North Carolina A&T are also set to participate.
The Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational is part of the Bridgestone Collegiate Development Program, which aims to create more equitable access to professional golf opportunities. The partnership with the PGA TOUR provides student-athletes not only with high-level competition but also exposure to career development resources and mentorship.
The Rainbow Warriors enter this tournament after finishing 14th at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate earlier in the week. Nathan Szpakowicz led Hawaiʻi’s efforts in Arizona and has been a consistent performer for the team this season. He will be joined by Dane Watanabe, James Whitworth, Alec Hilgers, and Chris Salem at Silverado Country Club.
This marks Hawaiʻi’s return to Napa Valley since their last appearance at Silverado Resort during the 2017 Silverado Showdown. While it is their first time competing in this particular invitational, they have already faced several top-100 programs on the mainland this spring.
Silverado Country Club is known for hosting PGA TOUR events and features narrow fairways and challenging greens that test players’ precision and course management skills. Following this event, Hawaiʻi will continue its season at the Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz from April 13-15 and then move on to the Big West Championship in La Quinta from May 3-5.
