When she tees off today in the opening round of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, Stephanie Kono will be playing in her 23rd USGA championship. It’s an impressive total made even more notable given her last USGA start came more than 14 years ago at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
How long ago was that? Consider that Kono, then 21, defeated a then-14-year-old Lydia Ko in the second round (Ko would win the title a year later) before falling in the quarterfinals at Rhode Island C.C.
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Enough time has passed that Kono is on to her second career, this one in business development for a Jupiter, Fla.-based quantitative hedge fund investment group, having wrapped up her days as a professional golfer in October 2020 and regained her amateur status in April 2024.
Upon arriving at California’s Monterey Peninsula Country Club earlier this week, Kono acknowledged feeling a bit of déjà vu as she ran into some of former her rivals/contemporaries. While her life is quite different now at 35, competing on the golf course again brings back memories.
“When I’m out there, it feels like nothing has really changed,” said Kono, a three-time first-team All-American at UCLA and member of the victorious 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup team, “except sometimes the quality of the shot is just not as good.”
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The return to amateur golf has been an enjoyable one for Kono, albeit her time to keep her game and swing sharp is limited. In addition to her day job, Kono is also taking online classes toward her MBA at Boston University.
A member at the Dye Preserve in Jupiter, Fla., Kono says she plays about once a week and has competed in only a handful of state events. She qualified to play in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball but had to withdraw when her playing partner, Ina Kim-Schaad, had a conflict with the championship dates.
After winning an NCAA team title with the Bruins in 2011, Kono entered LPGA Q school as an amateur that fall, in the middle of her senior year. She finished T-9, earning an LPGA card provided she turn pro immediately.
Kono’s amateur success, however, didn’t continue as a pro. In 35 starts on the LPGA Tour, she made just five cuts, earning a little more than $26,000. While playing on the Symetra Tour (now known as the Epson Tour), she claimed her lone professional win at the 2018 Donald Ross Classic. But her career was sidetracked when she tore a disc in her back in 2016.
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By 2020, when the COVID pandemic hit and regular back flare-ups were taking a toll, Kono was open to a friend’s suggestion to meet with David Vogel, CEO of Voloridge Investment Management, who coincidentally went to Kono’s high school in Honolulu. The two connected, Vogel, a data scientist, detailing how his company trades in public securities in the health industry. It was a departure from what she studied in college (art history), but something she was intrigued to pursue.
While her pro golf days over, Kono wasn’t ready to give up the sport entirely. She contacted the USGA in early 2021 about getting her amateur status back. Because of her stint on the LPGA Tour and success on the Symetra Tour, she needed to wait 3½ years. During that time she practiced but was unable to compete in either amateur or pro events.
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Stephanie Kono (bottom row, right) was on the victorious 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup team that also included Jessica Korda (back row left) and Lexi Thompson.
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Jim Rogash
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Stephanie Kono celebrates with UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth after the Bruins won the 2011 NCAA team title.
NCAA Photos
Impressively, just two weeks after getting her status back in April 2024, she played in the Florida Women’s Mid-Amateur … and won.
Ultimately, golf provided her an outlet. “The thing I love about the job is that people don’t care about the fact that I play golf,” Kono said. “It’s nice to be able to get away and kind of go back to this world that I know really well.”
Kono, whose best finishes in USGA amateur events came when she reached the semifinals of the 2007 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, says she comes this week’s Mid-Am with no expectations, excited simply to be back competing again, albeit with different stakes.
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“In terms of the tournament itself and being there, it feels completely different, knowing that a college scholarship is not on the line, your paycheck is not on the line,” Kono said. “I think it’s different because nothing is really riding on, is on the line for anyone.”
Early in the week she became to see some familiar faces. Not just competitors, but their families as well.
“It’s nice to see everyone you know. Feel like just a sense of comfort. Even though I’m really grateful for my job, I mean, one of the things I like and it’s also really challenging is when I travel for work or attend conferences, I’m surrounded by people who are very accomplished in the industry, and I feel a little bit, you know, still kind of out of my league. In golf, I just, I feel very comfortable. So it’s, it’s nice.”
The week in Monterey will also serve as a family reunion. Her parents, who moved from Hawaii to Japan after they retired, are flying to the U.S. to see her play for the first time in years.
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“They’re probably gonna be like, wow, [your game] has really gone done. It’ll be, it’ll be fun to have them out there.”
Also planning to come out is her boyfriend, who caddied for her during qualifying (This week Kono is using a local college kid to help with some local knowledge).
The hope is to play in a few more events come 2026, allowing the lessons she’s learned from all her years playing golf to remain in place.
“Golf teaches resilience. I think that’s probably the most valuable quality I’ve developed from playing golf, is resilience,” Kono said. “I mean everyone knows like when you’re having a tough day on the golf course, it can be really hard. I think it’s just made me a lot tougher.”
And happy too.
