In the last five months, Anna Jang has collected a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from one of the premier colleges on the planet, celebrated with a memorable coast-to-coast road trip and shot in the 60s for the first time to earn a chance to play on the LPGA Tour next year.

That degree from Princeton has already paid off, in unexpected and enlightening ways. To Jang’s credit — and her parents’ — she has been open to every subtle opportunity.

Jang advanced out of the LPGA’s Stage II Qualifying last week in Florida, along with Kalani graduate Nicole Sakamoto and former Rainbow Wahine Corie Hou, from Australia. The five-round final stage is in December.

Jang and Sakamoto, who have dominated state women’s events the last three summers, were on the bubble going into Friday’s final round. They burst into the top 80 with matching 68s when it mattered most. Jang ended up tied for 37th at 2-over-par 290.

"It’s my career low," she said of the 68, then laughed. "Hopefully it will get lower."

She did not see it coming. In a third-round 75, Jang hit just eight greens in regulation. She went to the range and "worked from scratch to get my tempo back." Jang was 6 over going into the final round and figured she need to shoot even-par or better to move on — then bogeyed the first hole.

"My mom (Mira) was caddieing for me," Jang recalled. "She said just think of every hole as a birdie chance. I was trying to play safe before that because I was always on the cutline. When I was 7 over I figured if I played it safe, I was probably not going to make it. I had to be aggressive and shoot at the pins."

Her summer short-game focus immediately paid off. Jang drained a 30-foot putt for birdie on the second hole and made another on the third. There would be no more bogeys.

"It was really exciting," Jang said. "I was like, ‘OK, I can do this.’ That was the turning point. At the end of the round I so couldn’t believe it.

"My mom helped me stay focused and present. I get down on myself a lot and in the last round she really helped, especially the last three holes. I usually freak out, but this time I made one more birdie on the 17th."

The 2007 state high school champion believes her junior golf accomplishments were a compelling complement to her stellar academics at Punahou when it came time for getting into Princeton. Ivy League schools don’t offer athletic scholarships, but acceptance is so competitive outside activities score high.

In Jang, Princeton knew it had a golfer who could go low. She finished in the league’s top 10 her freshman and senior seasons, earning her first collegiate title just before graduation.

A year earlier, she studied abroad in Kenya and came back with an education far beyond anything out of a classroom. "It made me really thankful for all the things I have," Jang said. "I definitely grew a lot."

Jang left for Africa trying to decide whether to become a vet or a doctor. She came home, from a place where she never touched a club, knowing she had to give pro golf a shot or "I’ll regret it too much."

"At the beginning of this year I decided for sure," Jang said. "I was still confused my first three years. My first two, I was not thinking about golf. I thought I’d go straight to med school or grad school. Then I spent my junior year in Kenya.

"The beginning of last spring I started thinking about golf. My game was actually getting worse, but I felt school could wait and pro golf is not something you do if you’re getting older so I figured I better try it now. Just give it a shot. My parents were supportive so that helped."

She got through Stage I easily, then finished fast last week. The final stage is Dec. 4-8, back in Florida. Top finishers get 2014 LPGA membership and everybody else who makes the cut (low 70 and ties after four rounds) receives status on the Symetra Tour. The fluid plan now is to "probably try this three to five years and see how far golf takes me," then go back to school.

Jang played college golf in the shadow of teammate Kelly Shon, who was 37th at last spring’s NCAA championship — the best finish ever by an Ivy League golfer. Shon, who played in the U.S. Women’s Open, is scheduled to graduate next spring and she also advanced last week, tying Sakamoto for 56th — two behind Jang.

"I felt like a lot of people knew Kelly could qualify," Jang said. "She played really well this past summer and at school. For me … it surprised me I made it. A lot of people don’t know I actually chose golf after college. I don’t know if they thought my chances were good."