Golfweek - Golf News Magazine

By SEAN MARTIN
Assistant Editor

LAKEWOOD, Wash. – The longest day of golf in Stephanie Kono’s life took her one step closer to the biggest title of her career. In 43 holes Thursday, Kono beat a future college teammate and fellow Hawaiian to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Kono, of Honolulu, ended the day with a 3-foot birdie putt to beat fellow Hawaiian Kimberly Kim on the 23rd hole of their quarterfinal match. Kono beat future UCLA teammate Maria Uribe in 20 holes in the third round.

“I like playing people I know, because it’s not all serious and you can have some fun,” Kono said.

Going 2-0 is fun, too.


The Kono-Kim match was the longest quarterfinal duel in tournament history – until the third Hawaiian in the quarterfinals, Ayaka Kaneko, made a 12-foot birdie putt to beat Canada’s Sue Kim on the 24th hole.

Kristen Park, a high school freshman from Buena Park, Calif., won her match with Haley Sanders in 19 holes. Michelle Shin beat Sarah Brown, 4 and 3, in the only quarterfinal that didn’t go extra holes.

Kim and Kono’s match could’ve been over much sooner. Kono had to make a 6-foot par putt on No. 17 and a 5-footer for birdie on No. 18 to halve those holes. Kim missed an 8-foot eagle putt for the victory on the final hole of regulation.

Kono let out a fist pump after sinking an 8-foot par putt for the halve on the 20th hole. Both players hit woods inside 10 feet on the 21st hole, a 185-yard, par-3, but the match marched on after two pars.

“I’m not disappointed if I lose and I play good, but I didn’t putt good,” said Kim, the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur champ who shot a 10-under 62 in stroke-play qualifying. “I don’t know what was wrong. I haven’t been putting well for a couple months.”

Kim also missed birdie putts inside 15 feet on holes 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15.

Kim, who moved last year to Arizona, and Kono have known each other since they were 8 years old, and they’ve dueled down the stretch in big tournaments two other times since December. Kono edged Kim at the Silver Belle, but Kim beat her at this year’s AJGA Heather Farr Classic.

Kono will face Kristen Park in the semifinals. Park, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2011, finished second at this year’s Rolex Tournament of Champions and won the Kathy Whitworth Invitational. This is her first match-play tournament.

Kaneko – who birdied Nos. 14-17 in the morning to defeat Mina Harigae – will face Michelle Shin. Shin, a high school junior from Cape Coral, Fla., won this year’s AJGA First American Title Junior Classic.

Kaneko has a solid USGA record. She advanced to the third round of the 2005 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the quarterfinals last year, and also played in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open. She’s No. 6 in the Golfweek/Titleist Junior Rankings.

If Kono and Kaneko win, it would set up an all-Hawaii final.

“I think it says a lot about Hawaii,” Kaneko said. “I love Hawaii. Everybody loves it, and it’s not just because of the scenery. The people are so laid-back, so great.”

• • •

Sean Martin is a Golfweek assistant editor. To reach him e-mail smartin@golfweek.com.

---

Scores from the quarterfinal round of match play at the U.S. Girls' Junior, played July 27 at the par-72, 6,391-yard Tacoma Country & Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash.:

QUARTERFINALS
Stephanie Kono def. Kimberly Kim	23 holes
Kristen Park def. Haley Sanders	19 holes
Michelle Shin def. Sarah Brown	4 and 3
Ayaka Kaneko def. Sue Kim	24 holes
THIRD ROUND
Kimberly Kim def. Mary Michael Maggio	2 and 1
Stephanie Kono def. Maria Uribe	20 holes
Kristen Park def. Stacey Kim	2 and 1
Haley Sanders def. Tessa The	3 and 1
Sarah Brown def. Demi Frances Runas	2 and 1
Michelle Shin def. Mitsuki Katahira	5 and 3
Ayaka Kaneko def. Mina Harigae	1 up
Sue Kim def. Tiffany Lua	1 up
SECOND ROUND
Kimberly Kim def. Tessa Teachman	5 and 3
Mary Michael Maggio def. Courtney Ellenbogen	1 up
Stephanie Kono def. Alexis Thompson	3 and 2
Maria Uribe def. Anne Ormson	7 and 5
Kristen Park def. Brittany Altomare	21 holes
Stacey Kim def. Suzie Lee	4 and 3
Haley Sanders def. Katie Sylvan	2 and 1
Tessa The def. Elyse Okada	19 holes
Sarah Brown def. Lila Barton	1 up
Demi Frances Runas def. Abby Cotter	6 and 4
Mitsuki Katahira def. Danielle Kang	1 up
Michelle Shin def. Cyna Marie Rodriguez	1 up
Mina Harigae def. Jennifer Song	4 and 3
Ayaka Kaneko def. Wonjoo Choi	4 and 3
Tiffany Lua def. Sally Watson	5 and 3
Sue Kim def. Danielle Frasier	2 and 1
FIRST ROUND
Kimberly Kim def. Amy Ruengmateekhun	4 and 3
Tessa Teachman def. Taylore Karle	2 and 1
Courtney Ellenbogen def. Maria Ronderos	5 and 4
Mary Michael Maggio def. Lindy Duncan	2 and 1
Alexis Thompson def. Brittany Henderson	5 and 4
Stephanie Kono def. Stephanie Kim	1 up
Anne Ormson def. Tzu-Chi Lin	2 and 1
Maria Uribe def. Sorelle Sedej	4 and 2
Kristen Park def. Margarita Ramos	4 and 3
Brittany Altomare def. Diane Kwon	20 holes
Stacey Kim def. Becca Huffer	2 up
Suzie Lee def. Jennifer Hirano	4 and 2
Katie Sylvan def. Evan Jensen	1 up
Haley Sanders def. Cassandra Blaney	2 and 1
Tessa The def. Jane Rah	5 and 3
Elyse Okada def. Cheyenne Hickle	4 and 2
Sarah Brown def. Ha Na Jang	5 and 4
Lila Barton def. Kiara Hayashida	5 and 3
Abby Cotter def. Madison Pressel	19 holes
Demi Frances Rumas def. Kristen Schelling	2 and 1
Danielle Kang def. Jennifer Johnson	1 up
Mitsuki Katahira def. Alexandra Groetsema	2 and 1
Michelle Shin def. Hunter Ross	3 and 2
Cyna Marie Rodriguez def. Alison Lee	1 up
Mina Harigae def. Jaclyn Jansen	6 and 4
Jennifer Song def. Shanshan Feng	7 and 6
Ayaka Kaneko def. Felicia Espericueta	2 and 1
Wonjoo Choi def. Kristina Wong	4 and 3
Sally Watson def. Karisa Akin	2 and 1
Tiffany La def. Cyd Okino	3 and 2
Sue Kim def. Ashley Edwards	5 and 4
Danielle Frasier def. Jessica Wallace	3 and 2

• • •

Click here for stroke-play qualifying results.


Posted: 7/26/2007

print

email

discuss