There’s fast-tracking the process, and then there’s the task at hand for Kapolei Golf Club readying itself for the 2021 LPGA Lotte Championship.
The LPGA announced on March 24 that the event was switched from its eight-year home, Ko Olina Golf Club, to Kapolei for the four-day tournament April 14-17. The tournament was not held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From the time hosting duties became available, Kapolei had just five weeks to ready itself. But it was an opportunity that it jumped at.
“For sure, the window was definitely tight,” Gordy Walker, general manager at Kapolei, told Pacific Business News. “Typically with an event of this nature, you’d have upwards a year to prepare. It’s certainly had its challenges, but we were up for the challenge from the start.”
Kapolei last hosted an LPGA Event in 2001, the Hawaiian Ladies Open. The West Oahu course has also played host to the PGA Champions Tour’s Pacific Links Championship from 2012 to 2014.
Ko Olina opted not to pursue the tournament this year for economic reasons, said General Manager Greg Nichols.
“It was a really hard decision for us to make,” said Nichols, who wished Kapolei well in putting on a successful event.
“We still had a lot of people out of work, and it costs a lot of money to put on an event,” Nichols added – a “significant six-figure number” for expenses to host the Lotte.
The Lotte Championship is one of four nationally televised, annual golf events in Hawaii, along with the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club; the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua; and the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Walker was confident that the turf grass on his course will be up to snuff for an event of that caliber.
“The star of the show is the golf course – the turf grass,” Walker said. “We’ve been fortunate throughout the pandemic situation to keep our turf at an elevated level, a higher standard than maybe some properties around Oahu and throughout the country.”
He’s looking to add 20-plus workers on the turf, and another 15 to 20 for golf operations. Typically, he said, close to double the turf workers would be ideal, but he’s making do.
The Lotte Championship is to feature 144 players competing for a $2 million purse, including Hawaii’s Michelle Wie West. The winner will take $300,000.
There will be no spectators permitted, but it will be televised live on the Golf Channel.
Lotte, a South Korean conglomerate, has been the title sponsor of the event since 2012, when it debuted.
Nichols said Lotte has been reliable.
“I know both Lotte and the LPGA wanted it to stay in Hawaii,” he said. “We’re always honored to be considered as hosts and we’re hoping that they’ll once again consider us for the host site for future years.”
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