By BETH ANN BALDRY
Senior Writer
ERIN, Wis. – Tiffany Joh hasn’t changed much since the last time she won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. She still downplays her abilities, still looks at each victory as a lucky break more than deserved reward.
C’mon Tiffany, deep down you must have thought of yourself as one of the favorites this week?
“Really, really, really deep down,” said Joh, the 2006 WAPL champion and a U.S. Curtis Cup player. “Like very deep down, like core of the earth deep.”
Joh, 21, laughed as she said this, but during the closing holes she had to keep telling herself she’d be fine. The UCLA senior trailed or tied Korea’s Jennifer Song for 31 holes June 21 at Erin Hills Golf Course. A two-putt birdie from Joh on the 32nd hole brought the match to all square, and the former champion took her first lead of the day with a momentum-building birdie on the 33rd. As Song’s putter went cold, Joh closed the match with par on the 35th, giving her a 2-and-1 victory.
“It means everything,” said Joh, who became the fifth player to win multiple WAPL titles. “I think back when I first won it, I didn’t really know what I was doing. ... I think winning it this time around when I really wanted it, it was that much more meaningful.”
Joh played the first seven holes in 6 under during her semifinal match against Tiffany Lua. The next morning was extremely flat in comparison, with Joh playing that same stretch 4 over to go 2 down early in the match.
This, says Joh, is where her low expectations come in handy.
“I think that’s what helped me in the end when I was down,” said Joh of her play-big-dream-small mindset. “I was just thinking, oh, whatever happens, so what. You come in runner-up.”
No matter what Joh tells the press or herself, she wants to win. Otherwise tears wouldn’t have flowed at the NCAA Championship in May when she lost the individual title in a playoff. And she wouldn’t have her eyes set on teams like the Curtis Cup and World Amateur Team Championship, where spots are generally given to USGA champions.
UCLA spent much of its spring season trailing LA rival USC. Against Song, an incoming Trojan freshman, Joh had a chance to get one back. USC beat the Bruins by six at the NCAA Championship and also took Pac-10 honors. Song, 18, was looking to become the fourth international player to win the WAPL since it started in 1977.
“I felt like I was in control [until] the last few holes,” said Song, who was making her WAPL debut. “I felt I was not myself. I was thinking ahead of myself. That was the mistake.”
Both Song and Joh are the daughters of university professors. Song’s father teaches fluid mechanics at a university in Korea while Joh’s dad is an accounting professor at San Diego State.
Song shared low-amateur honors at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open and will give it another try next week in Edina, Minn., before heading back to Korea.
Joh has yet to qualify for the Women’s Open, failing to get through sectional qualifying. She now returns to UCLA to take summer school classes. The last semester of her senior year she’ll have only one class left, giving the communications major plenty of time to work on her game.
It’s not surprising that Joh chose communications as her field of study. She’s about as outgoing as they come. Every hour is comedy hour in Joh’s world.
On Saturday, however, she did show a more serious side. Joh dedicated her victory to her college roommate’s father, Chuck Wallace, a golf lover who died of cancer six weeks ago.
On the course, she was more subdued than usual. Taking her cues from a serious Song, the elder player toned things down a notch or two and stared at the clouds to clear her mind. She even cut through the fescue a time or two to avoid any “awkward” moments with spectators.
“I think I learned that it’s not always that good to be as talkative and loud and boisterous as I am on the course,” Joh said. “Some people look at it as a distraction for them, and that’s the last thing I want to be for a competitor in the finals of the WAPL.”
Perhaps she has changed a bit in the last two years. But only for the better.
• • •
Beth Ann Baldry is a
Golfweek senior writer. To reach her e-mail
bbaldry@golfweek.com.
Final results from the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, played June 16-21 at the par-73, 6,178-yard Erin (Wis.) Hills Golf Course:
| FINAL |
|
|
|
| Tiffany Joh |
def. |
Jennifer Song |
2 and 1 |
|
|
|
|
| SEMIFINALS |
|
|
|
| Tiffany Joh |
def. |
Tiffany Lua |
4 and 3 |
| Jennifer Song |
def. |
Stephanie Kono |
2 up |
|
|
|
|
| QUARTERFINALS |
|
|
|
| Stephanie Kono |
def. |
Michelle Shin |
5 and 4 |
| Jennifer Song |
def. |
Lauren Doughtie |
4 and 3 |
| Tiffany Lua |
def. |
Stacey Kim |
3 and 2 |
| Tiffany Joh |
def. |
Lee Lopez |
2 and 1 |
|
|
|
|
| ROUND OF 16 |
|
|
|
| Michelle Shin |
def. |
Angela Oh |
19 holes |
| Stephanie Kono |
def. |
Alexandra Stewart |
5 and 4 |
| Lauren Doughtie |
def. |
Emily Powers |
3 and 2 |
| Jennifer Song |
def. |
Ha-Na Jang |
4 and 3 |
| Tiffany Lua |
def. |
Tzu Chi Lin |
20 holes |
| Stacey Kim |
def. |
Michelle Bowles |
4 and 3 |
| Lee Lopez |
def. |
Aimee Neff |
3 and 2 |
| Tiffany Joh |
def. |
Jaye Marie Green |
2 up |
|
|
|
|
| ROUND OF 32 |
|
|
|
| Michelle Shin |
def. |
Ellen Mueller |
5 and 3 |
| Angela Oh |
def. |
Grace Na |
6 and 5 |
| Stephanie Kono |
def. |
Ani Gulugian |
4 and 2 |
| Alexandra Stewart |
def. |
Shasta Averyhardt |
3 and 2 |
| Lauren Doughtie |
def. |
Erica Creed |
6 and 5 |
| Emily Powers |
def. |
Kristen Schelling |
6 and 5 |
| Ha-Na Jang |
def. |
Madelle Swaney |
5 and 4 |
| Jennifer Song |
def. |
Kayla Mortellaro |
1 up |
| Tzu Chi Lin |
def. |
Emily Street |
4 and 3 |
| Tiffany Lua |
def. |
Jennie Lee |
1 up |
| Michelle Bowles |
def. |
Mayule Tomimbang |
3 and 2 |
| Stacey Kim |
def. |
Brianna Do |
1 up |
| Lee Lopez |
def. |
Lynette Duran |
3 and 1 |
| Aimee Neff |
def. |
Jenny Lee |
2 up |
| Jaye Marie Green |
def. |
Rebecca Kim |
1 up |
| Tiffany Joh |
def. |
Sydnee Michaels |
3 and 2 |
|
|
|
|
| ROUND OF 64 |
|
|
|
| Ellen Mueller |
def. |
Lizette Salas |
2 and 1 |
| Michelle Shin |
def. |
Becca Huffer |
3 and 2 |
| Angela Oh |
def. |
Caroline Kim |
7 and 6 |
| Grace Na |
def. |
Carly Werwie |
2 up |
| Stephanie Kono |
def. |
Laura Luethke |
5 and 3 |
| Ani Gulugian |
def. |
Julie Yang |
3 and 2 |
| Shasta Averyhardt |
def. |
Demi Frances Runas |
4 and 3 |
| Alexandra Stewart |
def. |
Gennifer Mendez |
2 up |
| Lauren Doughtie |
def. |
Erica Moston |
2 and 1 |
| Erica Creed |
def. |
Stephany Fleet |
1 up |
| Emily Powers |
def. |
Megan Dowdy |
4 and 3 |
| Kristen Schelling |
def. |
Victoria Trapani |
6 and 5 |
| Ha-Na Jang |
def. |
Kelly Nakashima |
2 and 1 |
| Madelle Swaney |
def. |
Sarah Brown |
1 up |
| Kayla Mortellaro |
def. |
Mari Chun |
3 and 2 |
| Jennifer Song |
def. |
Kristina Merkle |
1 up |
| Tzu Chi Lin |
def. |
Katie Kempter |
20 holes |
| Emily Street |
def. |
Pennapa Pulsawath |
2 and 1 |
| Jennie Lee |
def. |
Joy Trotter |
3 and 2 |
| Tiffany Lua |
def. |
Ryann O'Toole |
4 and 3 |
| Mayule Tomimbang |
def. |
Candice Wiley |
5 and 4 |
| Michelle Bowles |
def. |
Aurora Kan |
6 and 5 |
| Stacey Kim |
def. |
Inah Park |
4 and 3 |
| Brianna Do |
def. |
Kimberly Kim |
3 and 2 |
| Lynette Duran |
def. |
Kate Ackerson |
2 and 1 |
| Lee Lopez |
def. |
Kathleen White |
19 holes |
| Jenny Lee |
def. |
Brooke Beeler |
3 and 2 |
| Aimee Neff |
def. |
Amanda Blumenherst |
2 and 1 |
| Rebecca Kim |
def. |
Kelly Fuchik |
3 and 2 |
| Jaye Marie Green |
def. |
Ashley Sholer |
2 up |
| Sydnee Michaels |
def. |
Christine Song |
6 and 5 |
| Tiffany Joh |
def. |
Wonjoo Choi |
3 and 2 |
•
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Posted: 6/21/2008
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