COURTESY SYMETRA TOUR
Stephanie Kono earned her first professional win at the Donald Ross Classic in July.
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Punahou graduate Stephanie Kono earned LPGA Tour membership for next year by placing in the top 45 in the inaugural LPGA Q-Series, which concluded Sunday in North Carolina.
Kono, 28, finished at 5-over-par 77 in the final round at Pinehurst Course No. 7 and finished the eight-round series at 9-over 585 to tie for 39th. The top 45 and ties qualified for 2019 LPGA status. Jeongeun Lee won the 144-hole Q-series at 18 under.
Kono’s best round of the series was a 69 in the fifth round, which opened the second of the two four-day tournaments comprising the series.
Kono, who won the girls high school state championship in 2006 and was a three-time All-American at UCLA, made 14 cuts in 18 starts on the Symetra Tour this year and earned her first professional win at the Donald Ross Classic in Indiana in July. She picked up two more top-10s with a tie for eighth at the Sioux Falls GreatLife Challenge in late August and a tie for seventh at the Guardian Championship in September.