This article originally appeared in the October issue of NCGA Golf Magazine
By James Raia
Golf lore often involves wayward shots, missed putts, bad breaks and embellished recollections. Mina Kreiter's story involves a lost bet and a marriage. The long-time pro shares the narrative with a sense of humor.
It began nearly a decade ago, when the-then Mina Harigae, the Monterey native, met Travis Kreiter in Arizona. She had received the first honorary LPGA membership to Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Gold Canyon. Kreiter worked at the course. Its general manager encouraged him to introduce himself to the new member.
They met briefly. But two weeks later, after Harigae had a break from her LPGA Tour schedule, the duo played nine holes together.
"He won 20 bucks off me and the rest is history," Mina says.
The relationship quickly developed. Kreiter, then still pursuing a pro career on mini-tours, is now an assistant pro at the 36-hole layout and a part-time caddie for his wife. The couple got married on the course in 2023. A few days later, Mina was in the LPGA field on the same course in the Drive On Championship, where she finished tied for 34th.
Much has happened since. A few months after her marriage, Kreiter was back in the LPGA spotlight when the U.S. Women's Open was held in her former backyard, Pebble Beach Golf Links. She'd finished second the previous year, her career highlight.
The final round was held in prime time on NBC. Kreiter opened with a 64 and held the tournament lead. In the fourth round final pairing, she finished with a 73, four shots behind Minjee Lee of Australia. Kreiter earned $1,080,000, the largest second-place paycheck in women's golf history.
"For the most part, we have good days out there," Kreiter says of her husband-caddie relationship. "He can feel my vibe for the day or for the week. I am better at communicating that I don't have any feel today and that kind of thing. That's when he steps in and helps me out more.
"He's a great green reader, so for the most part, if I can't see it, I'll just tell him to read the line. Give me a spot hit at, I'll hit it."
Travis Kreiter concurs, but with a twist.
"I would say there was definitely a learning curve," he says. "We might have, you know, butted heads a little more early on. But I'm out there trying to help her do her best or help whoever I am caddying for do their best.
The preamble to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach returned Kreiter to the spotlight. Television networks and prestigious golf publications featured her eating sushi with childhood friend, high school teammate and former Stanford standout Sydney Burlison at the restaurant her immigrant parents then owned in Pacific Grove. There were pictures of the Kreiters posing with her bag under the Monterey Canning Co. overpass sign.
Burlison, who didn't pursue a professional golf career, and Kreiter are best friends. The former remains on the Monterey Peninsula and is an executive at Taylor Farms and a new mother.
"I remember a lot about Mina's game, mainly that she rarely made any mistakes," Burlison says. "You could never count her out of a hole. On the rare occasion she did make a mistake, she had a scrappy short game to back her up."
Approaching 325 career LPGA Tour tournaments through 17 seasons, Kreiter, who turns age 37 on November 1, remains winless on the LPGA Tour. Since losing fully exempt status, she plays via the LPGA Tour's A1 eligibility status. One criterion is career longevity. She's had 20 career top-10 finishes but has only played in 24 events in the past three seasons and made 10 cuts.
"Ever since I lost full playing status a couple of years ago, he (Travis) has been caddying for other players," she says. "But when he can, he still caddies for me. He's the one person, obviously, who knows the most about my game."
Burlison believes her friend (they talk about once a week) can still achieve her first LPGA Tour title.
"I have full faith that she can win on the LPGA Tour if that's ultimately that path she's still pushing toward," Burlison says. "But also, after15 years on Tour, it's understandable if paths, interests evolve."
The spotlight again returned last November when Kreiter claimed the TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational, her first win since 2020 and nearly a quarter century since her many junior titles on the Monterey Peninsula. Kreiter capitalized on a second-round women's course record 64 at The Links at Spanish Bay to claim the mixed-tour event. With a final-round 73, she still finished three shots ahead of former PGA Tour veterans John Mallinger and Cameron Sisk at 14-under 274.
Kreiter has played in the event more than a dozen times, with her previous best second in 2018. She joined Juli Inkster (1990) as the only women to win the tournament in its 54 editions.
Kreiter led by three strokes Friday after her 64 that included an eagle 3 on the first hole. She hit her second shot to about five feet with a 4-hybrid and made the putt. She finished with a 73 at Pebble Beach after three rounds in the 60s.
The Kreiters' return to the Monterey Peninsula will mark an increasing rarity. Mina's parents retired and returned to Japan. Friendships and responsibilities have shifted to Arizona. The couple lives in a house they purchased in Gilbert, a 30-minute drive to Superstition Mountain. Its owner, Susan Hladky, supports several LPGA players who regularly play together. Mina has also begun to give private lessons.
Kreiter retains her long-time sponsorship with PXG, the golf equipment manufacturer. San Tan Ford, a dealership in Gilbert, offers new vehicles. Mina currently drives a Ford Bronco.
"I never really want to retire," she says. "I still like it and I am playing pretty well. I am going to take that route."