Arkansas to Play in Inaugural Nanea Cup

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s golf program will play in the inaugural Nanea Cup, a first-of-its-kind golf tournament bringing together the world’s best professionals and collegiate amateurs at Nanea Golf Club in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii from March 11-14, 2027, the LPGA announced Tuesday.

The field will feature 95 LPGA Tour athletes and 25 of the nation’s top collegiate golfers representing five universities, including Stanford, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M and UCLA. The professional and collegiate competitions will be contested concurrently, creating a unique opportunity for the world’s best LPGA Tour athletes and emerging collegiate talent to compete on the same stage.

All competitors will play the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday. Following Friday’s round, the field will be cut to the low 50 players and ties. Collegiate players who do not make the cut will still complete their third and final round on Saturday to determine the collegiate team champion, while those who make the cut will also advance to Sunday’s final round alongside LPGA Tour athletes.

“Being part of the inaugural Nanea Cup is a tremendous honor for our program and something our players will remember for the rest of their careers,” Arkansas head coach Shauna Taylor said. “To compete alongside Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA and Stanford — and to share the course with the best professional golfers in the world — is the kind of experience you want to have for your team. It’s a chance for our players to measure themselves against the highest level of the game and come away better for it. This is an incredible asset for Arkansas women’s golf, and we’re grateful to be included among such elite company.”

The Nanea Cup will be the first professional event held at Nanea Golf Club. Opened in 2003, Nanea is perched high on the volcanic flank of Hualalai, near Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Designed by David McLay Kidd, Nanea is a windswept and expansive links course set among native grasses and volcanic rock, suspended between mountain and sea. With no homes on the property, Nanea was designed to create a feeling of fascination, tranquility, and enjoyment.

The Razorbacks have competed in Hawaii before, most recently in 1999 at the Rainbow Wahine Classic.

Arkansas is coming off its best season in program history with an NCAA Championship semifinal appearance and a top-three finish in the stroke play portion at nationals.

The 2026-27 season tees off in September.

For more information on Arkansas women’s golf, follow @RazorbackWGolf on social media.