Tournament Notes
HONOLULU – In its 34th year, the John A. Burns Intercollegiate is considered the University of Hawai'i's premiere golf tournament, providing some of the nation's top-ranked programs with the opportunity to compete against one another in the 50th state.
The annual spring tournament has seen tremendous growth since its first year in 1977. After 13 years at the Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course, the tournament moved to the Leilehua Golf Course in 2000 and has been played there ever since. This year's tournament brings together 16 teams from around the nation, including four teams from Hawai'i.
The 15-team, three-day tournament begins Wednesday, Feb. 17 and concludes on Friday, Feb. 19. All rounds begin at 8:00 a.m., with a shotgun start.
In last year's tournament, Texas A&M fought hard to overcome Arizona's six shot lead to capture the title at 28-under-par, while Arizona took third place with an 840 total. Arizona's Tarquin Macmanus, the individual leader going into the third round, fell to New Mexico's James Erkenbeck who won the title by one shot at 11-under-par.
UH tied for 14th in the 2009 tournament (292-294-292=878) with
Robert Berton leading the way finishing in a tie for 19th at 212, with rounds of 70, 72, and 70.
As governor of the state of Hawai'i, Burns longed to see the growth of UH's athletes at a competitive level with the rest of the nation. He took part in initiating statehood in 1959 and also started the planning and construction for Aloha Stadium – home of UH football and the NFL's Pro Bowl, as well as other island sporting events and music concerts.
Before he passed away on April 15, 1975 at the age of 66, Burns had a hand in upgrading UH's athletics program. Shortly after his death, his namesake tournament was founded. This tournament reflects back to Burns, the political power who was really a “sportsman at heart.”
In his later years, Burns often talked about young Hawai'i athletes needing support and opportunities to express and compare their athletic talent with other athletes from the U.S. mainland. Both of Burns' sons (John Jr. and James) took up golf as a sport as youngsters and they too found success on the courses. James qualified for the National Junior Championships and drew his father even closer to the junior golf programs. John Sr., was appointed as an honorary member of the Hawai'i Junior Golf Association in 1967.
When the now-defunct Hawaiian Open was included on the PGA Tour, Burns gave solid support and was named honorary chairman of the tournament committee. The success of that tournament, opened doors to the state for future events and soon became a regular stop for the PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour.
The tournament that bears his name offers UH golfers an opportunity to compete with the best in the NCAA. Former participants and individual champions include future PGA stars such as Notah Begay (1995) and Tiger Woods (1996) of Stanford and Oklahoma States' Bo Van Pelt (1997).
Burns' dream has become a reality for Hawai'i's athletes, as many have gone on to professional careers. Because of his determination and the energy he put forth for the growth of this island state, John Burns' name lives on in sports circles as well as in the hearts of Hawai'i athletes and their fans.
Tournament Facts
Dates: Feb. 17-19, 2010
Format: 18 holes each day
Time: All rounds begin at 8:00 a.m., shotgun start
Course: Leilehua Golf Course
Location: Schofield Barracks, O'ahu
Yardage (Par): 6,916 (72)
Office Phone: (808) 956-7523
E-mail: inouchi@hawaii.edu
Defending Champion: Texas A&M
Participating Teams:
Arizona
Brigham Young
BYU-Hawai'i
California
Denver
Fresno State
Hawai'i
Hawai'i Pacific
Nevada
New Mexico
Southern Methodist
UC Santa Barbara
UNLV
UTEP
Texas A&M
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