Wise is the oldest (18) and the least visible of the three Hawai'i golfers who won matches yesterday at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club's Green Course. The two Honolulu 14-year-olds, Michelle Wie and Stephanie Kono, also were victorious.

A sophomore at New Mexico State University, Wise hasn't competed in the Women's Publinx tournament since she was a freshman in high school.

She is playing a national circuit this summer "to be ready when I go back to college (this fall)," she said after defeating Eva Yoe of the People's Republic of China, 3 and 2.

Her goals coming into the Publinx were simple.

"I wanted to make it in the top 64 (qualifiers for match play), then see where I go from there," Wise said.

Where Wise goes next is the round of 32 today where she meets In-Bee Park of Eustis, Fla. Park won the U.S. Junior Girls title two years ago and lost in the final of the U.S. Women's Amateur last year.

Park survived after losing the first four holes of her match against Tiffany Tavee of Gilbert, Ariz. Park made the only bogey between the two players on the first hole, then the pair combined for 11 birdies the rest of the day. Park tapped a 1-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the match 1-up after Tavee had lipped out a 12-foot birdie attempt.

Kono, the fourth-seed, whipped Stephanie Godare, 5 and 3, in the match that played directly behind Wise and Yoe.

The upset of the day belonged to Brianna Broderick of Richmond, Mo., who eliminated third-seeded Courtney Mahon, 1 up.

The real tournament grind begins today with two 18-hole matches. The quarterfinals and semifinals are tomorrow and the scheduled 36-hole final is Sunday.

Wie, the defending champion, dispatched Brooke Goodwin of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., 3 and 1. Wie wasn't worried about the outcome.

"I didn't miss a green today. All my putts were pretty short to medium. If I had made all my putts, it would have been an easier match," Wie said. "I worked on my putting stroke (Wednesday), and it feels a lot better. I just feel I didn't get the speed and break right."

Wie was 4 up through 12, then lost the 13th and 16th before closing out the match with a par on the 17th.

"My game feels a lot better, and match play is fun," Wie said. "Tomorrow is a whole different day."

Kono continued her sterling play. She won the first hole, was 4 up through the front nine and 5 up after 12. The only minor glitch was a bogey on the 14th. The match ended when she hit a wedge inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie on the 15th.

Last year, after winning her first-round match, Kono lost in the second round when her opponent chipped on the 23rd hole.

"I really want to take it a step further," she said. "When I got three up, I got a little more comfortable and more aggressive. I wasn't afraid to hit the shots."

Wise, who was the Hawai'i State Female Player of the Year in 2003 and won the Sun Belt Conference individual title this past spring, was 2 down after four holes, but won five of the next six holes for a 3-up lead. She built the lead to 4-up, let it slip to 2-up, then closed out the match with a par on the 16th.

A birdie on the fifth hole, a par 5, helped swing the momentum.

"I hadn't done well on the par 5s this week, then I made the birdie on the first par 5," Wise said.

While Wie continues to make a name for herself nationally, Kono and Wise are part of a talented group of youngsters, including Amanda Wilson (who just missed qualifying for match play), that continues to move forward at their own pace.

"We're all trying to get to be better players. We're all different, but we have the same goal," Kono said.

U.S. Women's Public Links Championships

At Green Course at Golden Horseshoe GC
Williamsburg, Va.

Yardage: 6,159; Par: 72

Round of 64

Upper bracket

• Brittany Lang, McKinney, Texas (1) def. Amber Jean Kuss, Koontz Lake, Ind. (64), 5 and 4.
• Jenny Suh, Fairfax, Va. (32) def. Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif. (33), 2 and 1.
• Janet Dyer, Starkville, Miss. (49) def. Taylor Barrett, York, S.C. (16), 3 and 2.
• Lauren Doughtie, Suffolk, Va. (48) def. Karyn Stordahl, Prior Lake, Minn. (17), 6 and 5.
• Carling Cho, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (8) def. Erica Battle, Columbia, S.C. (57), 4 and 2.
• Hwanhee Lee, Los Angeles, (25) def. Maria Gallegos, Argentina (40), 21 holes.
• In-Bee Park, Eustis, Fla. (9) def. Tiffany Tavee, Gilbert, Ariz. (56), 1 up.
• Lehua Wise, Lihu'e, Hawai'i (41) def. Hoi Ning Eva Yoe, China (24), 3 and 2.
• Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, (4) def. Stephanie Godare, Houston, (61), 5 and 3.
• Hannah Jun, San Diego, (36) def. Mayumi Motoyama, Littleton, Colo. (29), 2 and 1.
• Ko-Chen Yeh, Taiwan (13) def. Violeta Retamoza, Mexico (52), 2 and 1.
• Karla Kalian, Brush Prairie, Wash. (45) def. Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (20), 2 and 1.
• Ya-Ni Tseng, Taiwan (5) def. Megan Godfrey, Homewood, Ill. (60), 3 and 2.
• Kelly Jacques, Longmont, Colo. (37) def. Ashley Leonard, Rocky Mount, N.C. (28), 1 up.
• Ashley Grier, Hagerstown, Md. (12) def. Wendra Liang, San Francisco, (53), 2 and 1.
• Sara Brown, Tucson, Ariz. (44) def. Jooyoung Yang, South Korea (21), 4 and 3.

Lower bracket