CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois Women's Golf will open its spring break with the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course on Marines Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe, Oahu, from March 22-23. This year will be the 31st year of the Rainbow Wahine-hosted event.
Illinois and Nebraska will represent the Big Ten conference in the 15-team competition. Oklahoma State enters the tournament as the top-ranked team in the field at No. 10 currently. Texas A&M comes in just outside of the top 25 at No. 28. Other top-ranked teams that will be competing at the par-72, 6,099-yard venue will be No. 57 Pepperdine, No. 67 Gonzaga, No. 69 Fresno State and No. 90 Hawaii. Illinois currently sits ranked 62nd.
Traveling for the Orange and Blue over spring break will be Stephanie Miller, Dana Gattone, Grace Park, Chayanid Prapassarangkul and Bing Singhsumalee. The five have competed at every tournament this season for the Illini.
Competition will open on Tuesday, March 21, with a 1 p.m. CT shotgun start. Teams will play 36 holes on the opening day of action. Play will resume on Wednesday with another 1 p.m. CT shotgun start to wrap up the final round.
In 1999, previously named the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, was re-named as the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in honor of UH's first women's athletics director, who was an avid supporter of women's equality. Dr. Thompson was inducted into the school's Sports Circle of Honor in 1988 for her tremendous achievements and many contributions to the UH Athletics programs. She passed away in 2009 at the age of 75.
The Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational is held every March at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course on the windward side of the island of Oahu. The course has served as home to the tournament every year except when it moved to Olomana Golf Links in 2000 and '01. The Klipper is known for its majestic views of the Ko'olau Mountain Range and the raging surf of the Pacific Ocean. The course rating is 71 and it has a slope rating of 130 on Bermuda grass. The course was designed by William P. Bell, ASGCA, and opened in 1939.
Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest information on Fighting Illini Women's Golf as the team continues the spring season. Follow the Orange and Blue on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for even more coverage. Live scoring can be found here: http://golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=8564.
