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| Kristen Park, 14, of Buena Park, Calif., became the fourth-youngest winner of the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship Saturday with a 4-and-3 triumph over Japanese-born Ayaka Kaneko, 17, of Honolulu, Hawaii. (Robert Walker/USGA)
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Park Wins The 2007 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship
Lakewood, Wash. – Kristen Park, 14, of Buena Park, Calif., had never played in a match-play event before heading to the 59th U.S. Girls’ Junior this week at the par-72, 6,931-yard Tacoma Country and Golf Club.
Now, she is the 2007 Girls’ Junior champion after earning a 4-and-3 victory Saturday over Ayaka Kaneko, 17, of Honolulu, Hawaii.
“It’s just so surprising,” said Park, who was playing in her first USGA championship. “It’s so much bigger than my goal. I’m really honored.”
The two played evenly in the morning round – both players hit nine of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens and both had 30 putts (with the usual match-play concessions) – and were all square after the first 18 holes of the scheduled 36-hole final.
Interview With 2007 Girls' Junior Champion Kristen Park
A Look At The 2007 Girls' Junior Quarterfinalists
Age Relative Term For 14-Year-Old Champion Park
Lakewood, Wash. — Most people know the Olympic motto is “Faster, High, Stronger.” Now if the USGA had such a slogan, considering the ages of some of the recent champions, it might be “Younger, Better and More Talented.”
For the second consecutive year at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, a player under the age of 15 walked away with the trophy. Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif., defeated Japanese-born 17-year-old Ayaka Kaneko of Honolulu, Hawaii, 4 and 3, Saturday in the 36-hole final at Tacoma Country and Golf Club. Park, at 14 years, 7 months and 1 day, became the fourth-youngest Girls’ Junior champion.
| Championship Facts |
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U.S. Girls' Junior PAR AND YARDAGE – Tacoma Country and Golf Club will play at 6,363/6,391 yards with par of 72. WHO CAN PLAY? – The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship is open to female amateur players who will have not reached their 18th birthday on or before July 23, and who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4. COURSE RATING AND SLOPE – The Course Rating for Tacoma Country and Golf Club is 77.1; Slope is 137. ARCHITECT – The club originally opened in 1894, which makes it one of the oldest private clubs west of the Mississippi River. It relocated to its present site in 1904, and since that time a number of people have worked on the course. Former head professional Jim Barnes, the 1921 U.S. Open champion, was influential in the course layout. It was most recently redesigned by John Steidel in the 1980s. COURSE LAYOUT – The fairways will measure a little more than 0.55" in height. The intermediate rough will measure 1 inch with a width approximately 6 feet. Depending on density, the primary rough will stand between 2 and 2½ inches high. TICKETS – Admission for all six days of the championship is free of charge. Spectators are invited to walk the fairways behind the players, but no cameras are allowed during the days of competition.
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