Year 1 on the LPGA Tour was all about acclimation. Year 2, Allisen Corpuz realized, was about summoning the belief that she is indeed good enough to compete with the world’s best on a weekly basis.

Corpuz, a 25-year-old Kapolei native and Punahou School graduate, convinced not only herself, but legions of golf fans of that in 2023.

What You Need To Know

  • Hawaii native Allisen Corpuz recently wrapped up her second season on the LPGA Tour and reflected on her mental growth that allowed her to claim her first victory, the U.S. Women's Open, and place top three in season tour earnings of more than $3 million

  • Corpuz, a Punahou School and USC alumna, held her own in her Solheim Cup debut for the U.S. in September with a 2-1-1 record in match play

  • Michelle Wie West, another Punahou alumna from Hawaii, formally retired this year; she was an influential figure in Corpuz's junior golf days

  • The LPGA recently announced some changes to its 2024 schedule including a record purse and a shift for the LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii from April to November, plus a purse increase from $2 million to $3 million for the event at Hoakalei Country Club

Hawaii’s brightest golf star in several years closed a breakout sophomore season as a top-three player in tour earnings, highlighted by her U.S. Women’s Open triumph at Pebble Beach for her first career victory in July and her subsequent debut in the Solheim Cup.

Of what changed for her this season, Corpuz said, “Just coming out and telling myself that I'm good enough to compete,” during a November interview with media members circulated by the LPGA. “I've been playing well and (have) been working hard. I think that was the biggest game-changer for me.”

With a few weeks left in the season, Corpuz was in position to set the record for highest single-season earnings by an American, but she was overtaken by Lilia Vu of California at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship on Nov. 16.

Corpuz finished third on the LPGA official money list with $3,094,813, behind only Vu ($3,502,303) and Amy Yang ($3,165,834), with five top-10 finishes among 24 events.

When she crossed the $3 million threshold, Corpuz was only the fifth player in LPGA history to do so. She finished the year No. 13 in the Rolex Rankings and ninth in the Race to CME Globe points accrued at each event.

Corpuz is in action this week in the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. The crossover PGA/LPGA event features pairs pulled from both tours. Corpuz is teamed with Cameron Champ.

She missed the cut only five times – one of those at the LPGA Lotte Championship in her backyard at Hoakalei Country Club in April.

In perhaps a sign of her improved mental game, Corpuz came right back the following week by tying for fourth place at the Chevron Championship, earning $188,300.

She received $2 million for her breakthrough win at Pebble Beach in July, when she was the first American to win the U.S. Women’s Open since Brittany Lang in 2016, and the first American in 20 years to make that esteemed major her first career victory. The fact that it was the LPGA's first major at Pebble Beach lent the moment even more gravitas.

“I think the big way it's changed my life so far is just the recognition,” Corpuz said. “I mean, I think being on tour … all the girls know who is winning week to week. On a larger scale there are some tournaments that people I guess overlook or like can't really name who won each week.

“With it being a major, at Pebble Beach, I think a lot more people just know my game.”

Corpuz, who excelled at USC both athletically and academically, still uses Los Angeles as her base of operations. There, she gained a reputation for strong play with her irons.

Thanks to her U.S. Open win, she qualified for the Solheim Cup team and acquitted herself well, with a 2-1-1 performance for the U.S. against Europe in the September head-to-head match play in Spain. The teams tied 14-14, although the Cup remained with Europe as the defending champion.

A U.S. Open victory and Solheim Cup participation were hallmarks of Corpuz’s predecessor from Hawaii on tour, Michelle Wie West. That was not lost on Corpuz, who is asked about Wie fairly regularly. Wie, 34, formally retired after missing the cut at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, the event that was her career crowning achievement in 2014.

“Michelle was obviously such an inspiration growing up for me, so it's definitely an honor to share that U.S. Open win with her,” Corpuz said. “I think there is enough that I have in common with her (in) just watching an Asian American (from Hawaii) play fantastic golf – obviously I don't hit the ball like she does. She's on another level when it comes to the distance and everything that she had.”

Corpuz noted that Wie sponsored the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association’s Tournament of Champions while she was coming up in the ranks.

“Just having her come out and take pictures with the juniors and stuff was really influential,” Corpuz said.

Lotte Championship moves to November, gets larger purse

The LPGA recently announced some changes for its 2024 season, including that it will have a record haul of $116 million at stake across 33 events. One of those tournaments, the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, was shifted from early in the season to late and has been infused with a 50% larger purse.

The Lotte, which has typically been played in April and this year was slotted a week before the first major of the year, will now be in November as it will follow the one-month Asia swing, on the way to the LPGA's final two events of the year in Florida. 

Previously a $2 million purse event, it has been bumped to $3 million, the LPGA said. It will be one of 16 tour events with a purse of at least $3 million.

It will be held at Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach for the third straight year, Nov. 6 to 9.

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.