Tomita Arejola’s name, in Japanese, carries a sense of growth, abundance, and prosperity — and it fits her story almost too well. The Filipina pro is still early in her journey, but she’s already lived through enough highs, lows, and long-haul flights to know that progress in golf doesn’t happen by accident.

Last year was her rookie season, a stretch she simply calls “a year of lessons.” It wasn’t just about learning new courses or tougher fields; it was about figuring out how to live like a pro. The off-season, in particular, exposed a gap. She didn’t really know how to structure her time, and the experience hammered home one truth: if you want to get better, you can’t stop playing.

“I think you have to keep playing in the off-season to keep improving,” Tomita says. She wanted to be with her family over the holidays, so they came up with a compromise: fly to Taiwan just for a Christmas Day qualifier, then spend the rest of the time together. “I was very hesitant,” she admits. “But it’s something you have to do.”

That first professional stint in Asia turned into a crash course in adaptability. Tomita had grown used to American college and tour conditions — good ranges, tidy schedules, everything organized. Taiwan was different. “In the US, we are so spoiled with facilities and everything being organized,” she says. “This was all new to me: language barriers, one caddy for four players, walking the course... and why were the scores so high every year? Weird!”

The weather didn’t help. There was no range for proper warm-ups. It rained. It was cold. The wind made carrying an umbrella pointless. “I couldn’t hold the umbrella because of the wind, so I just decided to play drenched,” she says, half laughing at the memory. “We played the ball down all week. It was a whole experience for sure.”

And yet, she didn’t treat it as misery. She leaned into it. She spoke basic Chinese, enough to get by, and focused on the fact that she was out there competing, not just practicing. “Luckily, I spoke basic Chinese and was just thrilled to be playing. You learn a lot about yourself in conditions like that,” she says.

Back home since the first day of December, Tomita has been weighing her next move: where and how to kick off her year. “I don’t really like practicing here,” she says frankly. “There are distractions, traffic takes so much time, and it’s a lot of effort to go to the gym, practice, and play.” On the table are two paths — opening her season on the Epson Tour in the US, or starting closer to Asia with the TLPGA. “It’s undecided — I think I’ll know by tomorrow what I want to do,” she says.

What’s already set is the direction. Tomita is gearing up for a full season on the Epson Tour, the LPGA’s official feeder circuit, while hoping to fit in select events in Asia as well. It’s a schedule that lets her chase stronger fields while staying emotionally tethered to home. “It would also give me an excuse to go home,” she adds with a laugh.

Behind the scenes, a big part of her progress has come from the team around her. She works with a biodynamics coach who has trained players like Jason Day and Grace Kim — expertise she says is still hard to come by back home. “I just feel like there aren’t a lot of good technical coaches here in the Philippines,” she says. Through gym routines, practice plans, and tournament stretches in Taiwan and Vietnam, her coach has been guiding her remotely, scheduling workouts and technical check-ins to make sure every week counts. Tomita’s résumé already includes a strong junior career in the Philippines, standout college stints at Fairleigh Dickinson and Campbell, and a step into the Epson Tour and LPGA qualifying. But for her, the story isn’t about titles yet — it’s about building something solid.

Every qualifier, every rain-soaked round, every long travel day is another rep in that process. And true to the meaning of her name, Tomita Arejola is choosing to see all of it — the discomfort, the uncertainty, the small wins — as part of a journey defined by growth, abundance, and prosperity, on and off the course.