Medalist Park Chugs Past Brown In First Round Of Match PlayWestfield, N.J. – Determined, yet feeling like a keg of nervous energy, 14-year-old medalist In-Bee Park of Eustis, Fla., dismissed Sarah Brown, 16, of Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday at the 54th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at the par-73, 6,353-yard Echo Lake Country Club.
Park beat Brown, 7 and 5, to become the first USGA medalist this year to win an opening-round match. In the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links championship, medalist Jessica Reese lost to Sunny Oh, 9 and 7. And in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, 64th-seed Tele Wightman knocked off medalist Isaac Jimison, 2 up.
Unaware of the recent history, Park simply went out and stuck to a strategy designed by coach Charlie Yoo. Simply put, she came out aggressive. Knowing Brown had to finish her second round Wednesday morning and then partake in a three-hole playoff, Park did know she was the fresher competitor.
She quickly grabbed a 1-up lead after the first hole, carding a par to Brown’s bogey.
On No. 2, a 234-yard par 4, Park demonstrated that there would be no holding back. Consistently driving in the 240-250-yard range in the first two rounds, Park found the green off the tee to set up a 50-foot eagle opportunity. She missed by inches but settled for birdie and the hole to go 2-up.
“I was nervous,” said Park.
So much for worrying. By the time Park made the turn, not only did she card the equivalent of a 35, but she was 4 up and in total control.
“I told her to go for it,” said Yoo. “The wind was helping, so why not go for it.”
By the end of the 11th hole, Park had increased the lead to 6 up. Perhaps a sign of surrender, Brown discarded her socks and shoes on the next hole. “My feet hurt,” said Brown, laughing.
Park wrapped up the match on the 373-yard par-4 13th. The barefooted Brown nailed her drive 253 yards, only to watch as Park creamed hers 258. When Brown was forced into a two-putt for par, Park ended it with an 8-footer for birdie.
Brown was in awe, especially because their paths have crossed at other tournaments.
“I went bogey-bogey-double-bogey my last three holes in stroke play,” said Brown. “I didn’t think I was in the playoff. Someone said, ‘You’re the 64th seed and facing Park.’ I was like, ‘Ohhh.’”
Brown admitted to being nervous.
“She’s 14 and I’m 16,” said Brown. “She’s on target all the time.”
In another match, Mallory Code, 17, of Tampa, Fla., disposed of 15-year-old Katherine Hoey of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 4 and 3. Appearing in her fifth Girls’ Junior, Code made it to the Girls’ Junior quarterfinals in 2000. Last year Code lost to eventual champion Nicole Perrot, 4 and 3, in the third round.
Code, who has asthma, Cystic Fibrosis and diabetes, applied the hammer on the 193-yard par-3 14th when she followed a 5-wood offering in the rough with a remarkable up and down that led to a 3-up lead.
Experience aside, she is well-tuned to the complexions involved in match play.
“Really in match play anything can happen,” said Code. “I’ll play my hardest, but if the person I’m playing against shoots a 64 and I lose, I’ll go over and congratulate her. You have to know that whatever happens, happens.”
With a year of match-play experience under her belt, 14-year-old Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla., had little trouble with Carling Coffing, 16, of Middletown, Ohio. Pressel, semifinalist from last year’s Girls’ Junior, lost No. 1 before taking holes 2, 3, 10, 11 and 12. Entering No. 14, the match was dormie until the 15th.
Pressel got on in two and hovered over a 25-foot putt for eagle. Guiding it to 2 feet, she carded a birdie to seal the match.
“I guess in match play it doesn’t really matter how you play, as long as you win, I mean you could win 1 up or 7 and 5, and it would be the same thing,” said Pressel, whose uncle is former tennis pro Aaron Krickstein. “But, I didn’t make anything today. No birdies, again. But, I just kept going.”
Her performance last year, which included a trip to the Women’s Open (she did not make the cut), was a stuff dreams are made of. She qualified at the age of 12 and turned 13 just before the Open began. Obviously the expectations to do well have risen.
“I felt more pressure in my first match play event (2001 Girls’ Junior),” said Pressel. “I don’t really consider myself being put under pressure. Anyone expecting me to do incredible things … I just expect myself to go out and do incredible things. I don’t want anyone else to think that. Not incredible things, but just to play well and have fun; that’s the main thing.”
Sixteen-year-old Kim Shin of Shoreline, Wash., knocked off Michelle Wie, 12, of Honolulu, Hawaii, in 19 holes. And Amanda Blumenherst, 15, of Fort Wayne, Ind., eliminated local qualifier Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff, 15, of Toms River, N.J., 2 up.
Ellyn Leonard, 17, of Zionsville, Ind., recorded the largest margin of victory, over 14-year-old Jacqueline Concolino of Orlando, Fla., 8 and 6.
Results of remaining matches are listed below.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior is one of 13 championships conducted by the United States Golf Association each year, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior is open to female amateur golfers who have not reached their 18th birthday before July 27, 2002, and have USGA Handicap Indexes not exceeding 18.4.
The field was reduced to 64 players after two rounds of stroke play. There will be two rounds of match play Thursday and two more on Friday. The championship final is scheduled for 9 a.m. EDT on Saturday.
Story written by Ken Klavon, USGA.
Match Play Results and Pairings
Westfield, N.J. – Results of the round of 64 of match play at the 2002 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at the 6,353-yard, par-73 Echo Lake Country Club follow below. Thursday’s pairings are further down.
Round of 64 results
Round of 64
11:00 a.m. In-Bee Park, Eustis, Fla. (141) def. Sara Brown, Tucson, Ariz. (161), 7 and 5
11:08 a.m. Laura Caniff, Russell, Ky. (157) def. Amanda McConnell, Grand Blanc, Mich. (156), 7 and 6
11:16 a.m. Heather Wright, Houston, Texas (152) def. Courtney McCracken, Eagle, Idaho
(160), 20 Holes
11:24 a.m. Stephanie Connelly, Pasadena, Md. (153) def. Amanda Wilson, Hilo, Hawaii (159), 1 up
11:32 a.m. Jean Reynolds, Newnan, Ga. (160) def. Minnie Choi, Fountain Valley, Calif. (151), 2 and 1
11:40 a.m. Mallorie Underwood, Montgomery, Texas (154) def. Jennie Lee, Huntington Beach, Calif. (158), 2 and 1
11:48 a.m. Mallory Code, Tampa, Fla. (151) def. Katherine Hoey, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (160), 4 and 3
11:56 a.m. Christie Reed, Coral Springs, Fla. (154) def. Cindy Shin, Coppell, Texas (158), 3 and 2
12:04 p.m. Taylor Leon, Dallas, Texas (148) def. Theresa Paik, Silver Springs, Md. (161), 3 and 2
12:12 p.m. Julieta Granada, Paraguay (155) def. Kimberly McCready, Placerville, Calif.(157), 20 Holes
12:20 p.m. Kim Shin, Shoreline, Wash. (152) def. Michelle Wie, Honolulu, Hawaii (160), 19 Holes
12:28 p.m. Ashley Knoll, The Woodlands, Texas (153) def. Kira-Ann Murashige, Hilo, Hawaii (159), 4 and 3
12:36 p.m. Paula Creamer, Pleasanton, Calif. (150) def. Jillian Ferrante, Battle Ground, Wash. (161), 2 and 1
12:44 p.m. Ashley Rollins, Austin, Texas (157) def. Blair Lamb, Flat Rock, N.C. (155), 4 and 2
12:52 p.m. C J Kim, Diamond Bar, Calif. (160) def. Lorraine Ballerano, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
(152), 19 Holes
1:00 p.m. Hannah Jun, San Diego, Calif. (153) def. Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. (159), 5 and 4
1:08 p.m. Catalina Marin, Colombia (146) def. Astrid Gulesserian, Argentina (161), 6 and 5
1:16 p.m. Allison Martin, Bakersfield, Calif. (156) def. Eleanor Tucker, Wilson, N.C. (157), 4 and 3
1:24 p.m. Brittany Lincicome, Seminole, Fla. (152) def. Songyi Yi, San Diego, Calif. (160), 6 and 4
1:32 p.m. Eileen Vargas, Colombia (153) def. Sydney Burlison, Salinas, Calif. (159), 6 and 4
1:40 p.m. Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. (151) def. Carling Coffing, Middletown, Ohio
(160), 4 and 3
1:48 p.m. Ellyn Leonard, Zionsville, Ind. (155) def. Jacqueline Concolino, Orlando, Fla.
(158), 8 and 6
1:56 p.m. Jane Park, Oak Valley, Calif. (151) def. Alejandra Diaz, Mexico (160), 3 and 2
2:04 p.m. Brittany Lang, McKinney, Texas (154) def. Anna Grzebien, Narragansett, R.I.(159), 6 and 4
2:12 p.m. Amie Cochran, Torrance, Calif. (161) def. Irene Cho, La Habra, Calif. (146), 19 Holes
2:20 p.m. Alice Kim, Los Angeles, Calif. (157) def. Alejandra Llaneza, Mexico (155), 4 and 3
2:28 p.m. Nicole Hage, Coral Springs, Fla. (152) def. Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif. (160), 5 and 4
2:36 p.m. Eom Ji Park, Canada (153) def. Margaret Shirley, Roswell, Ga. (159), 3 and 1
2:44 p.m. Chris Brady, Apex, N.C. (150) def. Mandy Goins, Franfort, Ky. (161), 1 up
2:52 p.m. Amanda Blumenherst, Fort Wayne, Ind. (155) def. Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff, Toms River, N.J. (158), 2 up
3:00 p.m. J Tangtiphaiboontana, Long Beach, Calif. (152) def. Jennifer Hong, Windermere, Ind. (160), 3 and 2
3:08 p.m. Tiffany Tavee, Gilbert, Ariz. (154) def. Amber Prange, Noblesville, Ind. (159), 2 up
Round of 32 Pairings
8:00 a.m. In-Bee Park, Eustis, Fla. vs. Laura Caniff, Russell, Ky.
8:08 a.m. Heather Wright, Houston, Texas vs. Stephanie Connelly, Pasadena, Md.
8:16 a.m. Jean Reynolds, Newnan, Ga. vs. Mallorie Underwood, Montgomery, Texas
8:24 a.m. Mallory Code, Tampa, Fla. vs. Christie Reed, Coral Springs, Fla.
8:32 a.m. Taylor Leon, Dallas, Texas vs. Julieta Granada, Paraguay
8:40 a.m. Kim Shin, Shoreline, Wash. vs. Ashley Knoll, The Woodlands, Texas
8:48 a.m. Paula Creamer, Pleasanton, Calif. vs. Ashley Rollins, Austin, Texas
8:56 a.m. C J Kim, Diamond Bar, Calif. vs. Hannah Jun, San Diego, Calif.
9:04 a.m. Catalina Marin, Colombia vs. Allison Martin, Bakersfield, Calif.
9:12 a.m. Brittany Lincicome, Seminole, Fla. vs. Eileen Vargas, Colombia
9:20 a.m. Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. vs. Ellyn Leonard, Zionsville, Ind.
9:28 a.m. Jane Park, Oak Valley, Calif. vs. Brittany Lang, McKinney, Texas
9:36 a.m. Amie Cochran, Torrance, Calif. vs. Alice Kim, Los Angeles, Calif.
9:44 a.m. Nicole Hage, Coral Springs, Fla. vs. Eom Ji Park, Canada
9:52 a.m. Chris Brady, Apex, N.C. vs. Amanda Blumenherst, Fort Wayne, Ind.
10:00 a.m. J Tangtiphaiboontana, Long Beach, Calif. vs. Tiffany Tavee, Gilbert, Ariz.
