Kim, Jin and Thompson Advance In U.S. Women's Amateur Championship

Trio of golfers all win Wednesday to reach the second round of match-play

Aug. 8, 2007

Carmel, Ind. - Defending champion Kimberly Kim, 15, of Hilo, Hawaii, and two 12-year-olds, Pearl Jin of San Gabriel, Calif., and Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., advanced to the second match-play round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at the 6,595-yard, par 72 course at Crook Stick Golf Club.

On a brutally hot day where the thermometer reached 97 and the heat index topped 103, Kim eaked out a win against Ayaka Kaneko of Honolulu, Hawaii, 1 up. The match was so tight that neither player led by more than one hole.

Jin and Thompson both won and face each other in Thursday's third round. They are the youngest players in the 112-year history of the championship to make match play.

Jin raced to a 5-up lead after a front-nine 31 against Ashley Tait, 20, of Littleton, Colo. By the 15^th hole, however, Jin's lead had shrunk to 1 up.

"I tried to shoot even better and I tried a little too hard," Jin said of losing four holes to Tait on the back nine. Jin finally made a par on the 17^th hole to win, 2 and 1.

Jin is four months younger than Thompson. "It feels really good to be the youngest one, but I'm a little bit nervous," Jin said.

Thompson lost three holes on the front nine, then won them back. On the 525-yard, par-5 5^th, she watched Jensen hit a 230-yard 3-wood second shot to within 10 feet of the hole. Thompson holed a 25-footer for birdie, and again watched as Jensen sank her eagle putt. Jensen took a 1-up lead for the last time and Thompson captured five holes on the back nine, winning 3 and 2.

The Thompson-Jin match will be the only time two 12-year-olds have met in this championship. "It will be interesting, it really will," said Thompson. "Yeah, that'll be cool."

"I'm really excited," said Jin.

Thompson is the more experienced of the two and last month became the youngest qualifier in U.S. Women's Open history. Jin, who got her black belt in tae-kwon-do when she was six, will enter the 7^th grade in the fall. Thompson is home-schooled.

Kim said of her 1-up win over Kaneko, "it was so hard. We both played the best of our games. After nine holes, I thought if I lose this match, it would (still) be a great match."

Kim and Kaneko were roommates in this summer's Canon Cup match but had never met in match play.

Mina Harigae, 17, of Monterey, Calif., the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion, defeated Kristie Smith, 19, of Australia, 3 and 2. The co-medalist in qualifying, Kristina Wong, 16, of Vestal, N.Y., eased past Kaitlin Drolson of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., 5 and 3. The other co-medalist, Stacy Lewis, 22, the NCAA Division I champion from The Woodlands, Texas, was upset, 2 and 1, by Margaret Shirley, 21, of Roswell, Ga. Shirley got into the championship as an alternate.

Mallory Blackwelder, 20, of Versailles, Ken., the reigning Women's Western Amateur champion, survived her match against Becca Huffer of Denver, Colo., 1 up. Amanda Blumenhurst, 20, a 2006 USA Curtis Cup team member from Scottsdale, Ariz., defeated Kristin Ingram, 20, of Pasadena, Calif., on the 19^th hole.

The championship will conclude with a 36-hole final on Sunday.

The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the game's golfers and golf courses.

The Association's most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Women's Amateur and the U.S. Amateur.

Results from Wednesday's first round of match play at the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship played at the 6,595-yard, par-72 Crooked Stick Golf Club:

Upper Bracket

Kristina Wong, Vestal, N.Y. def. Kaitlin Drolson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., 5 and 3

Vicky Hurst, Melbourne, Fla. def. Lisa McCloskey, Montgomery, Texas, 5 and 4

Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif. def. Kristie Smith, Australia, 3 and 2

Rebecca Kim, Tigard, Ore. def. Taylore Karle, Scottsdale, Ariz., 2 and 1

Maria Jose Uribe, Colombia def. Lee Lopez, Whittier, Calif., 1 up

Candace Schepperle, Birmingham, Ala. def. Sydney Burlison, Salinas, Calif., 5 and 3

Sydnee Michaels, Temecula, Calif., def. Jennifer Ackerson, Allen, Texas, 20 holes

Emma Jandel, Dayton, Ohio def. Victoria Park, Irvine, Calif., 2 up

Lizette Salas, Azusa, Calif. def. So Yeon Ryu, Korea, 2 and 1

Kira Meixner, Canada def. Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif., 1 up

Alexis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. def. Evan Jensen, Belleair, Fla., 3 and 2

Pearl Jin, San Gabriel, Calif. def. Ashley Tait, Littleton, Colo., 2 and 1

Mi Jung Hur, Korea def. Danielle Kang, Oak Park, Calif., 3 and 1

Ha Na Jang, Korea def. Lindy Duncan, Daytona Beach, Fla., 22 holes

Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif., def. Azahara Munoz, Spain, 21 holes

Andrea Messer, Largo, Fla. def. Lauren Hunt, Little River, S.C., 27 holes

Lower Bracket

Margaret Shirley, Roswell, Ga. def. Stacy Lewis, The Woodlands, Texas , 2 and 1

Jennie Lee, Henderson, Nev. def. Katharina Schallenberg, Germany, 3 and 1

Sara-Maude Juneau, Canada def. Dolores White, Lakeland, Fla., 3 and 2

Jane Rah, Torrance, Calif. def. Courtney Ellenbogen, Blacksburg, Va., 3 and 2

Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. def. Amanda Costner, Edmond, Okla., 7 and 6

Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz. def. Kristin Ingram, Pasadena, Calif., 19 holes

Marci Turner, Tompkinsville, Ky. def. Brianna Do, Lakewood, Calif., 5 and 4

Mallory Blackwelder, Versailles, Ky. def. Becca Huffer, Denver, Colo., 1 up

Jennifer Song, Korea def. Natalie Sheary, West Hartford, Conn., 5 and 4

Michelle Shin, Cape Coral, Fla. def. Mari Chun, Pearl City, Hawaii, 1 up

Shanshan Feng, Hilton Head Island, S.C. def. Kylene Pulley, Kokomo, Ind., 3 and 1

Nicole Smith, Riverside, Calif. def. Tamasin Clelland, New Zealand, 4 and 3

Rikako Morita, Japan def. Blair Lamb, Flat Rock, N.C., 6 and 4

Kimberly Kim, Hilo, Hawaii def. Ayaka Kaneko, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1 up

Alison Walshe, Westford, Mass. def. Katie Miller, Jeannette, Pa.. 19 holes

Catherine O'Donnell, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. def. Tanya Wadhwa, McKinney, Texas, 5 and 4

Pairings for Thursday's second round of match play at the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship played at the 6,595-yard, par-72 Crooked Stick Golf Club. (All times are EDT)

8:30 a.m. -- Kristina Wong, Vestal, N.Y. vs. Vicky Hurst, Melbourne, Fla.

8:40 a.m. -- Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif. vs. Rebecca Kim, Tigard, Ore.

8:50 a.m. -- Maria Jose Uribe, Colombia vs. Candace Schepperle, Birmingham, Ala.

9:00 a.m. -- Sydnee Michaels, Temecula, Calif. vs. Emma Jandel, Dayton, Ohio

9:10 a.m. -- Lizette Salas, Azusa, Calif. vs. Kira Meixner, Canada

9:20 a.m. -- Alexis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. vs. Pearl Jin, San Gabriel, Calif.

9:30 a.m. -- Mi Jung Hur, Korea vs. Ha Na Jang, Korea

9:40 a.m. -- Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif. vs. Andrea Messer, Largo, Fla.

9:50 a.m. -- Margaret Shirley, Roswell, Ga. vs. Jennie Lee, Henderson, Nev.

10:00 a.m. -- Sara-Maude Juneau, Canada vs. Jane Rah, Torrance, Calif.

10:10 a.m. -- Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. vs. Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz.

10:20 a.m. -- Marci Turner, Tompkinsville, Ky. vs. Mallory Blackwelder, Versailles, Ky.