Allisen Corpuz never has to look far when searching for proof of what's possible in her golf career.
The Punahou alumna, who turned professional in 2021 after five years of collegiate golf at USC, has one pro victory to her name: The 2023 U.S. Open, one of just five major championships on the LPGA Tour. Corpuz was the talk of women's golf upon winning the tournament on July 9, 2023 at Pebble Beach.
Although Corpuz has not won a tournament since then, she's had two top 10 finishes on tour alone in 2025. Her next attempt at winning a tournament will be on her home Island with the 2025 Lotte Championship beginning on Wednesday at Hoakalei Country Club.
Corpuz last competed in the Lotte in 2023, back when the tournament was held in the spring. Corpuz missed the cut but then went on to win the U.S. Open less than three months later. After opting out of the Lotte in 2024, she returns in 2025, teeing off on Wednesday at 12:09 p.m. with Andrea Lee and Jenny Shin.
Professional golf is a grind, and Corpuz has already played in 20 tournaments in 2025 entering the Lotte. As she guns towards another pro tournament title, her U.S. Open triumph has been a source of constant hope.
"It's definitely something I look back on and just try to emulate what I did that week and what I was thinking, what I was doing to prepare for tournaments," Corpuz said at Monday's Lotte pre-tournament press conference. "I go back to that performance a lot and just use it as ways to get better. It's really awesome to just have people even two years later come up to me and say congratulations. It's been the most fun to be able to share the win with family and friends, fans. That's been really special to me.
"I think for me it really is getting into the right headspace, getting more comfortable out there. I mean, everyone is out there trying their best. Really not being who hard on myself out there."
Being home for the week has its perks — Corpuz says she's staying with her parents this week and sleeping in her bed.
"I'll have a lot of family and friends out on the weekend hopefully to come and support me," she said. "It's really special because I don't get a chance for everyone to watch me play golf, so this is kind of my chance to go out there and show them what my game looks like."
Other golfers with Hawai‘i ties in the field include Punahou alumna Mariel Galdiano, Moanalua alum Lani Luafalealo and current Punahou sophomore Alexa Takai.
"She's a really solid player. I haven't seen her game up close, but I've been watching how she's played over the last few years," Corpuz said of Takai. "It's really impressive to see. She obviously really works really hard and is a really solid player."
Any advice from a pro to an amateur?
"I would say just enjoy the experience," Corpuz said. "Learn from the pros you're playing with and use it as a way to get better."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
