Monterey native Mina Harigae had already won the prestigious California Women’s Amateur Championship four times in a row from 2001 to 2004, the first coming at the age of 12.
It was time for the next stepping stone.
In 2007, then at the age of 17, Harigae (pronounced hair-e-guy) earned her first USGA title, winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship via a 4 and 3 victory over Stephany Fleet of Michigan. It was her 13th appearance in a USGA championship and came a year after earning stroke play medalist honors at the 2006 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
“It meant so much to me. I played in a lot of the USGA events, and I just felt like I wanted to win at least one before I turned pro,” said Harigae, who turned professional in 2009. “When I finally did, it was a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Harigae instantly made an impact as a pro, winning three times on the LPGA’s developmental Futures Tour in 2009 and in 2010 to qualify for the LPGA Tour.
“I think in my amateur career, the WAPL was my biggest win. I played well in USGA events – I was a quarterfinalist and I was a medalist – and I was always close. When I finally broke through [with a win], that’s when I felt I was ready to move on to the next level,” Harigae said.
Today 34 years old, Harigae has since been a fixture on the LPGA Tour, In 2021 and 2022 combined, she’d make 33 cuts in 44 starts to earn well over $2 million.