One of 3 Medalists Knocked Off In First Round Of Match Play

Fort Worth, Texas – Mari Chun, 16, of Pearl City, Hawaii, one of the three medalists at the 56th Girls' Junior, was defeated in the first round of match play at the picturesque 6,256-yard, par-71 Mira Vista Golf Club course Wednesday.

The second-seeded Chun, who shot 4-under 138 to share the medalist award with 17-year-old Julieta Granada of Paraguay and 16-year-old Bee Park of Henderson, Nev., fell to 17-year-old Stephanie Sherlock of Canada, 2 and 1. Chun and Sherlock, the 63rd seed, were playing in their first Girls' Junior.

Julieta Granada had little difficulty in her first-round match early Wednesday. (Sam Greenwood/USGA)

It's the first time a Girls' Junior medalist lost an opening-round match since 1987, when Lisa Brandetsas fell to Maria Castellucci, 2 and 1.

The second round of match play is scheduled for this afternoon, in which the field will be pared from 32 to 16 players.

The match had been all square for six consecutive holes until Sherlock grabbed the advantage for good on the par-3 15th . Chun put her drive into the right greenside bunker, then couldn't get up and down. Sherlock recently won the Ontario Provincial Championship, a match play event, but that's the extent of her experience in the format she said.

With a two-day stroke-play score of 158, Sherlock was on the bubble to make match play. When she qualified, her focus turned toward Chun. Sherlock was aware Chun was a medalist, but shook off early nerves to tell herself she was just another player.

“I was excited to play her because I thought I'd gain good experience for it,” said Sherlock, who will next take on 16-year-old Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla.

The other medalists, Granada and Park, advanced. Granada won easily, eliminating Megan McChrystal, 16, of Stuart, Fla., 6 and 4. Granada, on the strength of nine straight pars, took a 5-up lead by the turn.

She closed out McChrystal on the 363-yard, par-4 14th. McChrystal hooked her ball toward an embankment, watching the ball roll close to a creek. When McChrystal couldn't get up and down, leaving Granada two chances to convert a 20-footer, the match was all but over.

“I felt good today, but really didn't feel like I was warming up until the back nine,” said Granada, scheduled to face 17-year-old Nannette Hill of Pelham Manor, N.Y., in the second round. Granada has made it to the last two quarterfinals.

After being given a scare, the 2002 winner Park disposed of 16-year-old Jennifer Cassidy of Dalton, Ga., 3 and 2. Cassidy had held a 1-up lead through the first 10 holes. But consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th opened the door for Park, who carded pars.

In perhaps the most exciting match of the morning, 17-year-old Mallory Hetzel of Summerville, S.C., knocked off Jacqui Concolino, 16, of Orlando, Fla., in the second extra hole. Hetzel, facing a 4-hole deficit after No. 12, won the next five holes to head to No. 18 with a 1-up lead. A 20-foot birdie on the 14th hole gave her confidence.

Losing the 18th, Hetzel caught a break when Concolino's tee shot on the 20th hole (No. 2) hit a tree. The ball bounced into the rough 80 yards from the hole. Both players were on in three, but Hetzel hit her approach to 4 feet while Concolino was 15 feet away. Concolino missed her par putt, but Hetzel didn't.

“You just keep plugging away and hanging in there,” said Hetzel. “I try not to think about how big the deficit is. I just sort of told myself, ‘How bad do you want it?' and I tried to dig deep and get something going.”

Seventeen-year-old Paula Creamer of Pleasanton, Calif., had little trouble in beating Kristen Schelling, 14, of Mesa, Ariz., winning 7 and 6. Creamer had gained a 6-up lead at the turn, affording her the opportunity to cruise in.

“At this tournament, it's all about trying to keep cool and staying off your feet, so if you play well in your matches and you get out early it helps a lot for the next match,” said Creamer. “It's all about pacing yourself.”

Of the nine players with U.S. Women's Open experience, only 14-year-old Sydney Burlison of Salinas, Calif., lost. Fourteen-year-old Marika Lendl of Goshen, Conn., and daughter of tennis Hall of Famer Ivan Lendl, beat her 2 up.

In other notable matches, this year's U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion Ya-Ni Tseng, 15, of Chinese Taipei defeated Stephanie Connelly, 16, of Pasadena, Calif., 4 up. And 15-year-old Megan Grehan of Mamaroneck, N.Y., who played in the Women's Open this year, easily beat 14-year-old Ayaka Kaneko of Honolulu, Hawaii, 7 and 6.

“I just look at the next opponent as the best player in the field. That's what I did in this match,” said Grehan.

The U.S. Girls' Junior is one of 13 national championships for individuals conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Ken Klavon, USGA Web Editor. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.

Results

Fort Worth, Texas – Results from the first round of match play Wednesday at the 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at the 6,256-yard, par-71 Mira Vista Golf Club:

Round of 64

Upper Bracket

Julieta Granada, Paraguay (138) def. Megan McChrystal, Stuart, Fla. (155), 6 and 4

Nannette Hill, Pelham Manor, N.Y. (150) def. Sommer Scholl, Riverside, Calif. (150), 1 up

Laura Luethke, Clovis, Calif. (146) def. Stefanie Page, The Woodlands, Texas (154), 4 and 3

Sooji Cho, Glendale, Calif. (154) def. Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii (146), 1 up

Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz. (143) def. Lucy Nunn, Lawton, Okla. (155), 5 and 3

Esther Choe, La Quinta, Calif. (148) def. Allison Goodman, San Diego, Calif. (152), 1 up

Jennie Lee, Huntington Beach, Calif. (143) def. Kristina Wong, Vestal, N.Y. (155), 1 up

Mallory Hetzel, Summerville, S.C. (148) def. Jacqui Concolino, Orlando, Fla. (152), 20 holes

Paula Creamer, Pleasanton, Calif. (140) def. Kristen Schelling, Mesa, Ariz. (155), 7 and 6

Taylore Karle, Scottsdale, Ariz. (149) def. Jenny Kim, Los Angeles, Calif. (151), 5 and 3

Grace Woo, Burbank, Calif. (145) def. Sophia Choi, Chandler, Ariz. (154), 3 and 2

Mallory Blackwelder, Versailles, Ky. (154) def. Sydnee Michaels, Temecula, Calif. (147), 4 and 2

Jennie Arseneault, Grinnell, Iowa (141) def. Kendra Little, Eugene, Ore. (155), 1 up

Selanee Henderson, Apple Valley, Calif. (149) def. Lorie Warren, Hendersonville, Tenn. (151), 1 up

Jennifer Hong, Windermere, Fla. (154) def. Ashley Freeman, Belleville, Ill. (144), 4 and 2

Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif. (148) def. Kelsey Meyer, Chesterfield, Mo. (154), 6 and 4

Lower Bracket

Stephanie Sherlock, Canada (155) def. Mari Chun, Pearl City, Hawaii (138), 2 and 1

Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. (150) def. Taylor Siebert, Selma, Calif. (151), 4 and 2

Megan Grehan, Mamaroneck, N.Y. (146) def. Ayaka Kaneko, Honolulu, Hawaii (154), 7 and 6

Maria Jose Uribe, Colombia (147) def. Songyi Yi, San Diego, Calif. (154), 5 and 3

Taylor Leon, Dallas, Texas (142) def. Jennifer Osborn, Huntington Beach, Calif. (155), 3 and 2

Angela Oh, Maple Shade, N.J. (148) def. Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (152), 3 and 2

Jane Park, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (143) def. Emily Mason, Highland, Calif. (155), 6 and 5

Lila Barton, Dallas, Texas (148) def. Whitney Neuhauser, Barb oursville, Va. (153), 19 holes

In-Bee Park, Henderson, Nev. (138) def. Jennifer Cassidy, Dalton, Ga. (155), 3 and 2

Hsiao-Ching Lu, Chinese Taipei (150) def. Sarah Salvo, Glendale, Calif. (151), 6 and 4

Amanda Wilson, Hilo, Hawaii  (146) def. Alexandrea Schulte, Broken Arrow, Okla. (154), 4 and 3

Marika Lendl, Goshen, Conn. (154) def. Sydney Burlison, Salinas, Calif. (147), 4 and 3

Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff, Toms River, N.J. (142) def. Sofia Janer, Colombia (155), 5 and 4

Lauren Espinosa, Hickory Creek, Texas (152) def. So-Hyun Park, Bradenton, Fla. (149), 2 up

Ya-Ni Tseng, Chinese Taipei (144) def. Stephanie Connelly, Pasadena, Md. (155), 6 and 4

Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif. (148) def. Lauren Mielbrecht, Gulf Stream, Fla. (154), 3 and 2

Pairings

Fort Worth, Texas – Pairings for the second round of match play Wednesday at the 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at the 6,256-yard, par-71 Mira Vista Golf Club:

Round of 32

Upper Bracket

1:00 p.m.   Julieta Granada, Paraguay (138) vs. Nannette Hill, Pelham Manor, N.Y. (150)

1:10 p.m.   Laura Luethke, Clovis, Calif. (146) vs. Sooji Cho, Glendale, Calif. (154)

1:20 p.m.    Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz. (143) vs. Esther Choe, La Quinta, Calif.

1:30 p.m.   Jennie Lee, Huntington Beach, Calif. (143) vs. Mallory Hetzel, Summerville, S.C. (148)

1:40 p.m.   Paula Creamer, Pleasanton, Calif. (140) vs. Taylore Karle, Scottsdale, Ariz. (149)

1:50 p.m.   Grace Woo, Burbank, Calif. (145) vs. Mallory Blackwelder, Versailles, Ky. (154)

2:00 p.m.   Jennie Arseneault, Grinnell, Iowa (141) vs. Selanee Henderson, Apple Valley, Calif. (149)

2:10 p.m.   Jennifer Hong, Windermere, Fla. (154) vs. Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif. (148)

Lower Bracket

2:20 p.m.   Stephanie Sherlock, Canada (155) vs. Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla. (150)

2:30 p.m.   Megan Grehan, Mamaroneck, N.Y. (146) vs. Maria Jose Uribe, Colombia (147)

2:40 p.m.   Taylor Leon, Dallas, Texas (142) vs. Angela Oh, Maple Shade, N.J. (148)

2:50 p.m.   Jane Park, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (143) vs. Lila Barton, Dallas, Texas (148)

3:00 p.m.   In-Bee Park, Henderson, Nev. (138) vs. Hsiao-Ching Lu, Chinese Taipei (150)

3:10 p.m.   Amanda Wilson, Hilo, Hawaii  (146) vs. Marika Lendl, Goshen, Conn. (154)

3:20 p.m.   Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff, Toms River, N.J. (142) vs. Lauren Espinosa, Hickory Creek, Texas (152)

3:30 p.m.   Ya-Ni Tseng, Chinese Taipei (144) vs. Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif. (148)

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