Her freshman year at UCLA has been such a rush — no, not joining a sorority — that Stephanie Kono hasn't had much time to feel homesick.

As soon as the former Punahou School golfer got acquainted with her Bruin teammates at the Westwood campus in September, they were off to Japan for a collegiate tournament in which Kono finished tied for third and UCLA won by 14 strokes.

Then she made the traveling team to events at Vanderbilt, Stanford and Orlando, Fla., where she shot a pair of 66s to win the 36-hole medal qualifier in the Collegiate Match Play Championship at the Ginn Resort to earn a sponsor's exemption to the LPGA Ginn Open, only to learn that the title sponsor pulled out of its commitment, forcing cancellation of yet another event this year on the women's tour.

Now, as Kono gets ready for college golf's spring season starting next week, it'll be just as much of a rush — as in thrills — if her performance during the fall is any indication. She led the team with the best scoring average of 70.6, shooting 12-under-par in her 11 medal rounds.

Kono ended up ranking No. 9 in the Golfweek/Sagarin poll, the highest of any of her more celebrated UCLA teammates. It's no mean feat, considering they include Tiffany Joh, a two-time U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion, and Colombia's Maria Jose Uribe, the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur champion. Both represented the United States in the Women's World Amateur Championship in Adelaide, Australia, in October.

UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth wasn't surprised by how well the two-time Interscholastic League of Honolulu player of the year has performed for the Bruins.

"Not at all. I knew Stephanie was going to do well. She's a great player and with her competitiveness to win I knew she would make an impact," Forsyth said.

If anything, the only thing that pleasantly surprised Forsyth was that Kono hardly played like a freshman. "To me, that's the most impressive thing," she said.

Impressive indeed, and more so because Kono's showing leads a UCLA team that is ranked No. 1 in Golf World's poll. It's No. 2 to Arizona State in GolfWeek's rankings.

"You know how rankings are like. Like the BCS," Forsyth said, with a little laugh. You just know which poll is to her liking.

And, adds Forsyth, who is in her 10th year as the Bruins' coach, "We've never had a stronger squad in terms of team chemistry. Even when we had the 2004 (national) championship team."

Kono is well aware of UCLA's No. 1 ranking and national title hopes.

"I think we are the favorites to win," she said in an e-mail interview right after taking her mid-term exams and playing the final round of qualifying for next week's tournament.

"However, I know that UCLA has been the favorite for the past few years and has come away with no championship title since 2004. With a runner-up finish last year to our ultimate rival (USC), I can feel that my team is extra motivated this year to win the national championship.

"We definitely have the players and the work ethic to win; we just need to keep up what we are doing and focus each day. Our biggest rivals this year will be ASU, USC, Oklahoma State and Duke."

As for the fall season, it went very well for her, Kono said.

"My biggest concern coming to UCLA was getting adjusted to living on my own, traveling to tournaments for the first time without my parents, doing laundry, etc. My teammates allowed me to feel very comfortable right away, and with their help, I adjusted very quickly to my life here at UCLA.

"Although our schedule is very busy with classes, workouts, and practice every day, I feel like it is definitely a recipe for success. Our team works very hard and it is very inspiring to be on such a motivated team.

"College golf has definitely been one of the most fun experiences for me so far. I have such a good time with my team when I travel, and it's a very cool feeling to have my score not only count for individual ranking, but for the team as well.

"All of my teammates have accomplished many things in their golfing career, and everyone pushes each other to be their best. Because we have such depth on our team, it really forces me to focus and play well each week not only in the tournaments, but in the qualifyings make the traveling team.

"Other than golf, I have been fully enjoying college life. I attended three football games last quarter, and I plan to go to the men's basketball game against USC (that should be very exciting!). I was home for winter break for three weeks, and I am planning to go home for a week right before spring break in March. I was so glad to be home, although I love being here in L.A. I miss my family, my friends, and the food in Hawai'i!"

Kono got a chance to watch Tadd Fujikawa during Golf Channel's coverage of the Sony Open Hawai'i. "Tadd played great on Saturday and I am sure he (made) Hawai'i proud with his performance."

The same could be said for Kono, who has also made local golf fans proud with her showing so far and with the promise of yet better things to come this spring for the Bruins, including a trip later this month to Sonora, Mexico, for a tournament hosted by the University of Arizona.

"I will do my best to make the traveling team for Mexico. I know that will be a fun one," says Kono, who said starting her career at UCLA with a trip to Japan was one of her most memorable experiences.

"I really bonded with the team there, and I had a great time talking with the Japanese girls in the tournament. I couldn't have asked for a better tournament to start my college golf career."