Stephanie Kono and Britney Yada head into the latest "biggest" week of their golf careers immensely thankful.
On Friday, Kono won the Suncoast Pro Golf Tour event at the LPGA International Hills Course in Daytona Beach, Fla., surviving a four-way playoff. The Punahou graduate and Yada, a Waiakea alum, will tee off in the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament on Wednesday at the same site.
Kono turns 25 on Thanksgiving and is giving thanks for her first victory since 2011, when she led UCLA to an NCAA championship in the junior year of a celebrated collegiate career.
"It feels the same," she says of the win. "It feels really good. Whenever I’ve won any tournament, I’ve always felt like I can’t believe that happened to me. When I went into the playoff it was cool, I had a chance at redemption and I had not been in a playoff for a long time. At the same time there were four people, so I only had a 25 percent chance of winning. I was pretty lucky."
Few would describe Kono’s golf success as lucky. At 11, she was the youngest to win the Hawaii State Women’s Match Play Championship. She captured all three Hawaii women’s majors and a state high school championship and played on the winning Junior Solheim and Curtis cup teams.
She won four times in three All-America years at UCLA, then became the first Bruin to qualify for the LPGA Tour while still in school — almost unintentionally, after the LPGA gave her incorrect information about the final stage.
Kono was frustrated on that tour in 2012, but has found some success on the Symetra developmental tour since. She has learned a lot about golf since going pro, and a lot more about herself and life on the road.
"What I’ve enjoyed more as time goes on is that I’ve made more friends on tour," Kono says. "In the beginning, in the LPGA, I just knew former teammates. Now I’ve met so many more people and I’m really happy being on tour. I’ve adjusted to life on tour, to the travel, meeting new people, staying with host families.
"Looking back on the tour the last few years, I don’t necessarily remember the shots I hit or the tournaments, but I do remember all the great friends."
It all came together last week. Kono opened with rounds of 74-72, in 40-degree weather that convinced her to buy a blanket for the course. She was five back going into the final round. When she finished regulation with four bogeys and a birdie in the last five holes for another 74, she thought she had blown her chance.
But the cold and windy conditions caught up to everyone.
"I three-putted the last hole and as I was getting off the green the official said if there is a playoff we will play 18," Kono recalled. "I was thinking, what are you talking about? I’m 4 over and the leader yesterday was 3 under.
"I went to the scoring tent and I was a little upset because I’d just three-putted. Then he told me to come back to 18 for a playoff, so I thought here’s a chance for redemption — and just 20 minutes later."
Two of the four playoff contenders three-putted 18 this time around, sending Kono and her opponent back to the 18th tee again. Kono parred the second extra hole for the win, hitting her approach 50 feet from the pin and lagging her first putt to 4 feet, in "exactly the same spot I missed it in regulation." This time she drained it.
Kalani graduate Nicole Sakamoto was 11th, three shots out of the playoff. Kamehameha graduate Mari Chun was third at a Suncoast stop in May.
The LPGA’s final stage is five days. The field of about 160 is cut to the low 70 and ties after 72 holes. Then a number to be determined will receive LPGA membership. All who finish 72 holes receive Symetra status.
Yada has played Cactus Tour events in Arizona since getting through Stage 2 qualifying, while working at Bear Creek Golf Course in Chandler. In 21 starts on that tour, she has three victories and leads the money list with nearly $16,000. Kimberly Kim, also from Hilo, is third with $10,000.
Yada, a Portland State graduate, was Big Sky champion in 2011 and a four-time all-conference selection.
Now, her focus is putting and trying to remain imperturbable.
"Mentally, I’ve been working on trusting and believing in my game," Yada says. "I’ve gotten a lot better at letting things go, like bogeys, doubles, three-putts, bad shots. I am more able to stay relaxed and get over things quicker without letting it snowball into more holes."
She concedes to getting more anxious as the day approaches. But Yada and Kono both realize they would not want to be anywhere else. While Kono tries to "let go of all those expectations and just play," Yada simply feels immensely thankful.
"My senior year at Portland State I was on the fence about trying to play professionally or not," she recalls. "But, I decided that I had to try. I did not want to regret not trying late in life. This was my first full year as a professional, and I loved every second of it."
