Fountain Hills resident and Eagle Mountain employee Xyra Suyetsugu recently qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship and is set to compete in the big event from June 19-22.

Suyetsugu, a native of Hawaii, returned to her home state to play her qualifying round on May 12 at Waialaie Country Club.

For the Open, she’ll be heading to Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in North Carolina, taking on the famous Pinehurst No. 2 course with a field of around 160 fellow golfers.

Suyetsugu, 27, said she has been playing golf since the age of nine, eventually going on to play for the University of Hawaii.

“I wanted to continue pursuing golf and they had the Cactus Tour out here in Arizona, so I decided to come out here and play a season,” she said.

“I then went on to the Symetra tour and got pretty good status there, so I decided to play there for a few years. So, basically, I’ve been here for about four years now.”

She first got into the game while following her father around the local course back in Hawaii.

“I’d tag along with my dad to the driving range,” she said.

“He saw that I looked bored, so he asked if I wanted to try.”

That led to a set of clubs of her own one Christmas, followed by enrollment in a junior program. From there, Suyetsugu continued to improve.

It wasn’t until high school that Suyetsugu said she started to recognize how strong her talent for the game of golf actually was.

“I actually had to choose between basketball and golf in high school, because they were played during the same season,” Suyetsugu said.

“I went with golf because I’m on the shorter side and not as fast. So I played golf and earned myself a scholarship to the University of Hawaii, which was awesome.”

When she wasn’t on the links, Suyetsugu was studying family resources. But it looks like golf is the current future plan for this young standout.

“Last year, I was actually kind of struggling, so I decided to take a break,” Suyetsugu explained.

“That break ended up really helping me. I worked on my mental game, some swing changes and, right now, it’s all just coming together.”

Suyetsugu said that golfers can pick where they play their Open qualifying round but, given the time of year, she didn’t like the idea of long hours of golfing under the Arizona sun.

“It was a good excuse for me to go home, too, of course, so I decided to do my qualifier in Hawaii,” she continued.

“I was a little nervous starting off. I didn’t play the best during my first round and got a 76. For the second round, though, I was in the zone and the birdies helped me.”

Her second day score was a 69, giving her a two-day total good enough to earn a first place final standing out of a field of 27.

“I saw some of the names on the list and knew it was going to be a cat fight out there,” Suyetsugu said.

“I knew I had a chance, though. After my first round, I figured I had nothing to lose, so I just got out there and played. Things ended up going my way.”

Suyetsugu said she was shocked when she found out the final results.

In preparation for the Open, she said she’s been working on her short game and “beating golf balls” to build up her stamina.

Since the men’s tournament is before the women’s at Pinehurst, Suyetsugu and her fellow players won’t have an opportunity to play the course before the actual tournament.

She found a unique workaround, though.

“I borrowed my friend’s PlayStation and I’ve been playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14,” she said.

“I’m trying to learn the course by playing the game. It’s not perfectly accurate, but getting to at least know the layout is pretty good.”

Suyetsugu said she’s excited for her chance to play in the Open and plans on absorbing everything while she’s there. After that, it’s on to even more tournaments.

“This is one of the biggest things I’ve ever done, so I just want to take it one shot at a time,” Suyetsugu said.

“Even par is good. I’d be happy if I can just keep it even.”