Lahaina News & Events

Kapalua's Mercedes-Benz Golf Championship

January 1, 2008

An estimated 36 golf professionals, exclusively last season’s championship winners, are invited to play for one of the largest cash prizes on the circuit. Because of limited participant invitations, the pot is greater, frequently topping $1,000,000 (about 20% of the event purse) plus past year’s winners have walked away with a new Mercedes-Benz! Maui charities also benefit profitably from the event.

The Plantation Course is par 73, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, and covers 7,411 yards of gently rolling mountainside. From the tees; acres of pineapple fields, processions of stately Norfolk pines, white-capped ocean channels, and the idyllic island silhouettes of Moloka’i and Lana’i compete with the game. Integral canyons, occasional trade winds and elevation changes create natural challenges. The signature 18^th hole features dramatic ocean views and with its par 5 at 663 yards, it is also the longest hole on the entire PGA tour. Past players of the Plantation Course have included Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III and Ernie Els.

This particular championship tournament originated in Las Vegas in 1953 at the Desert Inn Golf and Country Club and eventually the Stardust Country Club. Fifteen years later it was moved to La Costa Resort and Spa just outside San Diego, California. The tournament stayed put for over thirty years but in 1999, perhaps due to a saturation of golf in the Southern California region, Kapalua secured the tournament’s new home providing a fresh setting and renewed vigor.

For more event information contact Kapalua or the PGA.