With the sweet sound of the 60’s back in her golf game, Stephanie Kono returned to the LPGA just in time for this week’s LPGA Lotte Championship at Ko Olina.

Kono bogeyed two of the last three holes and still shot a 3-under-par 69 in Sunday’s qualifying.

That was better than everyone but her playing partner. Ariya Jutanugarn, a 17-year-old from Bangkok, birdied four of the last six for a 68.

The top two qualifiers earned a place in the 144-player field for Lotte, which opens Wednesday. Ai Miyazato is defending champion.

Nearly half the 20 qualifying entrants had Hawaii ties. Punahou freshman Allisen Corpuz finished third with a bogey-free 70.

"I would be really happy if I made it," said Corpuz, who won the 2009 women’s match play championship at 11. "My first one would be really cool. Not to say high school golf is bad, but the LPGA is just … "

Hawaii State Open champion Tamara Surtees, from Waikoloa, earned a share of fifth at 72. She was 3 under after the first eight holes.

Minutes after the qualifying ended, the sky fell at Ko Olina, which is kind of what happened to Kono in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour last year.

The 23-year-old Punahou graduate has qualified for three U.S. Women’s Opens and was a three-time All-American at UCLA, where she played a huge part on the Bruins’ 2011 NCAA championship team.

Kono qualified for the LPGA in her first opportunity. For the first time in her golfing life, she found utter frustration.

She missed every cut last year and never shot in the 60s. She is now intent on finishing among the top 10 money winners on the Symetra Tour this year so she can get back into the big leagues. So far she has a third-place finish in two Symetra starts.

After her 69, she also has another week at home, on the tour that tormented her last year. Her goals this week are blatantly basic.

"I want to be able to hit the shots I know I can hit," Kono said. "That’s what I want to come out. That’s what I want. I know I can do it. That’s all I want to do. When I do that I really have no complaints."

Kono, back with the belly putter she used for three years at UCLA, drained two 30-footers among her five birdie putts Sunday. Her most compelling question this week might be if she can reclaim the confidence that brought her such success until last year.

"I feel better," she insisted. "I feel more comfortable with myself now. We’ll see what happens for the rest of the season.

"I see this as being a good warmup for next week (on Symetra Tour). This is the bigger tournament obviously, but I definitely need to play well in the Symetra events and I have three coming up."

Jutanugarn petitioned to play on the LPGA before she was 18 last year. She was denied and instead earned medalist honors at the Ladies European Tour qualifying. Two months earlier, sister Moriya, a year older, was co-medalist at the LPGA Q-School.

Ariya won her fourth LET start, two weeks ago. But for a triple-bogey on the final hole, she would have won the LPGA’s HSBC Women’s Championship earlier this year.

Corpuz and Moanalua senior Eimi Koga, the 2011 state high school champion, received the two amateur exemptions into Sunday’s qualifying round. Koga shot 78, but there were some highlights.

"I just like the fact that every single tee shot you have the board behind you," Koga said. "And I like when you’re on the range you see all the pros. I was like, ‘Oh, it’s Danielle Kang.’ It’s pretty cool."