Lehua Wise kept telling herself, stay in the moment. So don't blame her if she's enjoying the moment, letting it linger, well, a moment longer.

The Lihu'e, Kaua'i native advanced to the LPGA's Final Qualifying Tournament by shooting the best golf of her young professional career to finish third among the 30 qualifiers in the California sectional at the Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs last week.

A confident and comfortable mindset helped, according to Wise.

"I ended my season on Futures (Tour) really well and confident. That's what made me finally decide that I'm ready and comfortable enough to play at the next level," Wise said. "I viewed it like just another week, preparing for another tournament and playing with pretty much the same girls I played with all year."

Wise shot a final-round 5-under-par 67 for a 279 total to advance easily. She was joined by Ayaka Kaneko, who finished tied for 14th at 286. Kaneko, a Sacred Hearts Academy graduate, will turn pro just before the final qualifying at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. , Dec. 2 to 6.

"Last round I was kind of in a zone," said Wise, a 2003 Kaua'i High School alum. "The first day was solid, three birdies and one bogey. Second day was actually really nice. I started on a par-4 and got an eagle from 162 (yards) out. I hit a 6-iron. I knew my ball was on the green but I didn't see it go in because it was pretty early in the morning."

After a sluggish third-round 74, Wise bounced back with a 67 despite the oppressive desert heat, which led officials to allow the use of golf carts. Temperatures hit 105 degrees during the week and rose to 108 on Sunday. "It was pretty hot, but I'm used to it because I live here," said Wise, who resides in La Quinta, 20 minutes from the tournament site.

"I'm very happy and excited about getting past the first stage. My first time and I did really well, so I can use this as a big booster for me. Now I have seven weeks to prepare," said Wise, who practices at the PGA West Course where she worked as an assistant pro two years ago.

"I've grown a lot, especially the last three months alone, as a player and in just believing that I can be out there on the LPGA Tour. The Futures Tour allows you to grow. It really is a development tour. I've learned a lot about of myself and as a golfer," added Wise, 24, who turned pro after graduating from New Mexico State with a degree in marketing and golf management.

Gaining full status on the Duramed Futures Tour this year, Wise played in all 17 events. Her best showing was a tie for 14th in the USI Championship in New Hampshire. "I wasn't comfortable with my game at the beginning of the year, but it kind of fell into place in the middle of the season. I started to be real comfortable with who I was as a golfer and stuff and with my game. I played well at the end," said Wise, who made the cut in her last seven tournaments. Her scoring average dropped nearly fives strokes from 77.2 to 72.5 in one year, a jaw-dropping difference she attributed to better course management.

Now, it's practice and more practice for Wise, who hopes to return to the Garden Island in a couple of weeks for some R&R. She hasn't been home since last August. "Wailua is still my favorite golf course and I'm still a Red Raider at heart," she said. But the good folks on Kaua'i should forgive her if she comes down with rock fever.

"It's kind of funny, how on Kaua'i, you drive hour-and-a-half and go from one side of the island to the other. On the Futures Tour, I drove probably 15,000 miles this year. We drive to every event," said Wise, grateful that her mom, Debra Leyva, bought her a new Pontiac when she was still in college. Her longest haul this year was 13 hours from New York to Kentucky. It's nothing compared to the jaunt she took last year from California to Kansas that took 28 hours. A lot of her $502 paycheck from that event went for gas.

A two-time Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation girls champion, Wise played in two pro-ams with Tiger Woods when Po'ipu Bay hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Tiger even sent her a congratulatory note after she received a scholarship from New Mexico State.

Wise came out of the Kaua'i junior golf program and former LPGA veteran Mary Bea Porter-King remembers her as a youngster. "She had a lot of talent and developed a passion for the game. She's got one last big step to make and I think she can do it," said the head of the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association.

Wise also has the athletic genes to go with that passion. Her father, Bernie, and uncle, Mel, were football standouts for Punahou.

Bill Kwon can be reached at billkwonrhs@aol.com.