Small Frames … Huge Games

Mina Harigae, Esther Choe Coming Up Big At Girls’ Junior

 

By David Shefter, USGA

 

Fairfield, Conn. – Don’t let their small frames fool you. Mina Harigae and Esther Choe might look like 8-ounce soft-drink bottles, but they devour opponents like 32-ounce Big Gulps.

 

Mina Harigae, of Monterey, Calif., used her brilliant short game to eliminate Brittany Lang in the third round of the Girls' Junior at the 19th hole. (Steve Gibbons/USGA)

These pint-size 13-year-olds from California play with veteran-like gumption. There’s literally no fear in these two. The results from day two of match play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior proved that theory.

 

Harigae, already a two-time winner of the California State Women’s Amateur where she has twice defeated good friend and fellow 13-year-old Sydney Burlison, was the biggest giant killer at Brooklawn Country Club. Facing Brittany Lang, arguably one of the best 17-year-olds in the U.S. and headed to Duke University this fall on a golf scholarship, Harigae matched her long-hitting opponent with a brilliant short game.

 

Lang, who came into this championship having already won two prestigious women’s amateur titles this summer (Western and North and South), outdrove Harigae on virtually every hole, sometimes by 60 or more yards. Yet when the numbers added up, it was Harigae who moved on to the quarterfinals with a 19-hole victory.

 

Harigae put on a Dave Pelz short-game clinic, especially at the first extra hole, the 404-yard par-4 first. Her tee shot found the right rough and her second shot, a 7-wood, rolled to within 60 yards of the green where she used a wedge to knock her third shot within a foot of the hole. Meanwhile, Lang blasted her tee shot over the left fairway bunker and had a relatively short approach shot. But she wound up three-putting from 30 feet, including a miss from 5 feet for par that gave Harigae the match.

A similar occurence happened at the uphill par-4 13th hole when Harigae came up short with her approach shot before pitching to within a few feet of the hole for a par save to halve the hole.

Lang had an opportunity to win the 16th hole, but three-putted from above the hole and both players missed par putts at the 17th hole with Harigae lipping out her 6-footer.

 

“I know if she would have played a little better, she would have kicked my butt,” said Harigae, who lives in Monterey where her Japanese-born parents run a sushi restaurant. “I practice my short game more than before. I used to only work on it for 20 minutes, but now I spent 45 minutes to an hour on it.”

 

Harigae, who finished second last week at the Junior World tournament in San Diego (13-14 age division) said she was unaffected by Lang ’s length. While the McKinney, Texas, resident routinely hit irons into the greens, Harigae often had a fairway metal.

 

“When she was hitting it so far past me everyone was saying, ‘Wow, that’s so far,’ ” Harigae said. “But I’m like, ‘Give me a break, I’m only 13 and I’m a foot shorter than her.’ If my short game is really good, I have so much confidence in myself.”

 

Earlier in the day, Harigae defeated fellow northern Californian Ki-Shui Liao of Alameda, 4 and 3, but she knew how difficult it would be to eliminate Lang .

 

“I was so worried this morning,” Harigae admitted. “If I beat Ki-Shui, I’ll have to play Brittany Lang. Oh my god … But I like playing older people. It gets me pumped up.”

 

This is the farthest Harigae has ever advanced at a USGA championship. She has reached the second round of the Women’s Amateur Public Links each of the last two years, losing to Stanford star Kim Rowton in 2002 and incoming UCLA freshman Hannah Jun this past June. This is her first U.S. Girls’ Junior.

 

“This is my biggest win,” said Harigae, who has already qualified for the upcoming Women’s Amateur at Philadelphia Country Club. “A week before, I thought I could only get to the second match. But then as I started playing here, I said, ‘Yeah, I could maybe get to the quarters.’ ”

 

Added Lang : “I know I broke 70 for the first time (when I was 13). I didn’t win my first AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) tournament until I was like 15. She told me she had qualified for the Women’s Am. and I will be playing in my first Women’s Am. She’s very good. I wish her good luck.”

 

Esther Choe, of La Quinta, Calif., joined Mina Harigae as the only 13-year-olds to advance to the quarterfinals. (Steve Gibbons/USGA)

Choe earned her first AJGA win short before coming to the Girls’ Junior, taking a tournament in Tucson, Ariz. She beat Kelly Louth in the morning, 2 up, and then eliminated Laura Luethke, 5 and 3. A year ago, Choe missed the match-play cut at Echo Lake Country Club.

 

“I only had one day to adjust to the (bent grass) greens,” said Choe. “I am used to slow bermuda (grass) greens. It was tough for me. Of course, I didn’t hit the ball as far and I wasn’t ready.”

 

Armed with an additional 20 more yards off the tee and a new swing coach, Choe arrived at Brooklawn C.C. much more confident. She recently began working with Chris Walkey at her home club at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., and she credits him for making her swing more consistent. Walkey works with LPGA player Mhairi McKay and amateurs Irene Cho and Alice Kim, both of whom qualified for this year’s Women’s Open.

 

“I wasn’t expecting all that much with all the swing changes, but I am really happy I got this far,” said Choe, who will be a freshman this fall at La Quinta High. “Now I’m exempt for next year.”

 

Last year, Choe had the privilege of playing a few holes with PGA Tour star Charles Howell III, who came out to the Palmer Course at PGA West to play a practice round before the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Howell had called the pro shop to find a playing partner and he got Choe’s older brother, Ben . Seeing that Esther was following, Howell asked if she wanted to join in.

 

“It was awesome,” recalled Choe. “It makes me want to be just like him. He’s very thin, but he hits the ball a long way. My strongpoint isn’t the long game. I save all my shots with a good short game.”

 

This fact is something PGA Tour player Fred Funk found out on the putting green at PGA West . Funk was vacationing with his family in the area and was out practicing in early January prior to the Hope . Esther Choe was also on the putting green and the two squared off in a putting contest. Choe beat Funk, 4 up, in the nine-hole match. Funk immediately asked for a rematch.

 

“And I beat him again,” said Choe, beaming. “He told me he would blame me if he had a bad year. But he played really well.”

 

Choe was involved in figure skating long before picking up a golf club. But she used to tag along with her father and brother to the driving range. “My dad never would let me hit balls because it was too expensive,” said Choe.

 

Eventually, Choe turned in her blades for blades as golf took over for skating. By the age of 10, she was breaking 80. “I really liked it,” Choe said of golf.

 

This week, Choe is using an old Stanford University golf bag that has a small tear near the bottom of the bag. She used to live in northern California (Mountain View) until the family moved to La Quinta two years ago. But she’s always loved Stanford, so she has kept using the bag, saying it’s not a good-luck charm.

 

“I’m just waiting to play in an invitational tournament so I can get a new bag,” she said.

 

Then again, if she wins three more matches, she’ll be carrying a lot more than that old bag back to California . After all, that championship trophy is mighty big.

 

David Shefter is a staff writer for the USGA. He can be reached at dshefter@usga.org.