LPGA Announces Inaugural Nanea Cup to Spotlight Women’s Golf

The LPGA announced on Tuesday that it will launch the Nanea Cup, a new tournament to be held at Nanea Golf Club in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The event is scheduled for March 11-14, 2027, marking the first professional competition at the links-style course, which opened in 2003 and was designed by David McLay Kidd.

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The four-day tournament will feature a $4 million purse and a mixed field of 95 LPGA Tour players plus 25 top collegiate golfers. The college contingent will represent five universities—Stanford, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M and UCLA. Collegians who miss the professional cut will continue to play on Saturday, contributing to a separate team competition. The Golf Channel will produce stories on the college athletes and their coaches, offering viewers a glimpse of the next generation of talent.

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LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler emphasized that the Nanea Cup aligns with the tour’s focus on routing, courses, and purses, describing the venue as “spectacular” and the purse as “strong.” Tom Knapp, executive vice president and general manager of the Golf Channel, highlighted the network’s commitment to leveraging its relationships with college golfers and coaches to support the innovative format. Anne Walker, Stanford women’s golf coach, hosts the annual Nanea Invitational that already takes place at the club.

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By pairing current tour professionals with elite college players, the Nanea Cup aims to showcase both the present elite field and the future pipeline of talent. The event also expands the LPGA’s geographic footprint to Hawaii, offering fans a first look at a celebrated course while providing collegiate athletes exposure on a major professional stage. The combination of a sizable purse, mixed-field format, and national broadcast coverage positions the Nanea Cup as a potential model for future LPGA innovations.

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