While Punahou senior Allisen Corpuz continues to piece together her summer schedule, she now has a week in July blocked off for a major commitment.

Corpuz edged Buffanblu teammate Mariel Galdiano by one stroke to earn a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open in Monday’s 36-hole sectional qualifier at Waialae Country Club.

Corpuz rode a blistering stretch in the middle of her first round to take the lead at 3-under-par 69 after 18 holes. Following a quick lunch, she remained steady with an even-par 72 in the afternoon and her total of 141 was just enough to secure her first appearance in the U.S. Open, set for July 7-10 at CordeValle in Northern California.

“I’ve tried to qualify several times … so it’s kind of unreal,” Corpuz said moments after her place in the field was made official.

“I was really just trying to put together two solid rounds. I’ve been playing really well, so I knew if I could get a couple of birdie putts to drop and kept it pretty steady for both rounds I would have a good chance.”

Galdiano, who played in three U.S. Opens before turning 18, carded twin rounds of 1-under 71 and will be the first alternate. Kaiser’s Malia Nam tied tour pro Sarah Kemp for third at 5-over 149. But Kemp didn’t stick around for a playoff and Nam was awarded the second alternate spot.

For Corpuz, qualifying for the U.S. Open added to a month of momentous firsts.

She played in her first LPGA Tour event in mid-April after winning a playoff to qualify for the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina. She missed the cut but fired an even-par 72 in the second round.

Two weeks ago, Corpuz captured her first individual title at the David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA Golf Championships, winning a four-hole playoff with Galdiano after placing second as a junior.

“It’s just been a really good senior year so far, so hopefully just keep it going through the summer,” said Corpuz, who will enroll at USC in the fall.

“Definitely I just remember being so nervous during Lotte. So I was really just trying to really just take it shot by shot and I’ve been taking that through my last couple tournaments and that’s really helped me a lot.”

With trade winds blowing through Waialae, Corpuz began her day at 8:15 a.m. and turned in Monday’s lone round of the day in the 60s with her first 18 holes. She birdied four consecutive holes from No. 7 to 10 and added another on No. 12 to move to 5 under. She bogeyed two of the next three holes and signed for a 69.

Corpuz teed off again at 1:15 p.m., played the front nine at 1 under and had two bogeys on the back going into the par-3 16th. She hit a 6-iron to 8 feet to set up her third birdie of the round and scrambled to hold her ground over the final two holes.

Her second shot on No. 17 hit a tree limb, leaving her about 60 yards short of the green. Her pitch shot from the rough settled about 2 feet from the cup and she saved par. Her 5-foot par putt on No. 18 left her one shot ahead of Galdiano, who was already in the clubhouse at 2 under.

“I knew she was going to play well, that was to be expected,” Corpuz said. “I was really just trying keep playing how I had been in the first round.”

After finishing her second round, Corpuz hung around the practice green for the next hour, staying loose in the event of a playoff. But her score held up and she had a modest celebration planned for the evening.

“Probably just homework,” she said. “There’s school tomorrow.”