Wie advances to quarterfinals of U.S. Women's Publinx

Associated Press

LONG GROVE, Ill. — Eleven-year-old Michelle Wie of Honolulu beat Hilary Homeyer, a U.S. Curtis Cup player twice her age, 1-up yesterday in the second round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.

Wie, who will be a Punahou School seventh-grader in the fall, became the youngest player to qualify for a U.S. Golf Association women's amateur event when she made the Public Links field last year, losing in the first round.

She bettered that finish yesterday with a 4 and 3 victory over Kathi Eutzler of Atlanta.

Wie then had 17 pars and one bogey in the match against Homeyer, of Edina, Minn., at the 6,110-yard, par-72 Kemper Lakes Golf Club course.

Wie used her advantage off the tee to beat Homeyer, who graduated from Stanford last Sunday.

"She's really impressive," Homeyer said of the 5-foot-9 Wie, who hits 270-yard drives. "She hits it hard and far. I didn't see any flaws in her game. Her swing is just unbelievable.

"She's a great player and she's going to do a lot of good things," Homeyer added. "Her bad shots are only 20 feet from the hole. Why, I didn't even start playing golf until I was 13."

Three other golfers from Hawai'i were eliminated. Leah Whiting, who will be a senior in the fall at Waiakea High, beat Meghan Ingalls of Fallbrook, Calif., 3 and 1, in the first round then lost in 19 holes to Annie Kirkland of Seale, Ala.

Lisa Kajihara of Maui fell to Jennifer Tannehill of Oklahoma City, 2 and 1, and Sally Soranaka of Honolulu lost to Thuhashini Selvaratnam of Sri Lanka, 3 and 2.

Homeyer was down three holes to Wie before winning the par-5 15th with a birdie and the par-3 17th with a par after Wie three-putted for her only bogey.

Leading by one at the 354-yard, par-4 18th, Wie flirted with water on the left with her tee shot but carried the hazard and wound up some 50 yards past Homeyer's ball.

Both players hit the green with their second shots, Homeyer with a wood, Wie with a short iron, and both made 4, ending the match.

Wie was told Homeyer was a member of the 2000 U.S. Curtis Cup team and the 2000 U.S. Women's World Amateur team.

"Really?" she said. "I didn't know any of those facts, only that she went to Stanford. She's a really nice girl, fun to talk to."

The tournament continues with the quarterfinals and semifinals today and the 18-hole final tomorrow.