Posted at 12:50 p.m., Thursday, June 28, 2001

Sixth-grader golfer enters women's championship finals

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Stephanie Kono, an 11-year-old, defeated three-time champion Bev Kim, 55, on the 19th hole today to advance to the final of the Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association Match Play Championship.

Kono, who will be a sixth-grader at Punahou School this fall, beat Kim, 1-up, with a par on the first playoff hole at the O'ahu Country Club.

Kono will play former University of Hawai'i player Desiree Ting in tomorrow's final. Ting defeated 2000 girls state high school champion Merynn Ito, 2 and 1.

In yesterday's quarterfinals, Kono beat Sybille Brinkman, 4 and 3, Ting ousted Sanae Vierra, 1-up on the 19th hole, Kim eliminated Kathy Tsukada, 2 and 1, and Ito overwhelmed Liz Breza, 8 and 7.

Vierra rallied from a 4-down deficit to tie her match with Ting, who won on the first extra hole.