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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, June 10, 2007

Three teens chase one berth

Advertiser Staff

Miki Ueoka

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Kaua'i's Miki Ueoka, Maui's Kyung Kim and Australia's Amy Yang each have a 1-in-3 chance at earning a coveted slot in the U.S. Women's Open tomorrow, in the 36-hole sectional qualifier at Turtle Bay's Palmer Course.

The threesome goes out at 7:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. The winner earns Hawai'i's lone spot. The 2007 U.S. Women's Open begins June 28 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina.

Ueoka, who just graduated from Kaua'i High, is the oldest of the threesome at 18. The four-time KIF champ is headed to Pepperdine on a golf scholarship. She was third at Hawai'i's local qualifier last month at Turtle Bay's Fazio Course, and second to Stephanie Kono at Hawai'i's sectional last year.

Kim, a 13-year-old Maui Waena seventh-grader, was second to South Korea's Jennifer Song at this year's local. Song elected to play in tomorrow's Daly City, Calif., sectional — only because she didn't know Hawai'i had one.

Yang, 17, was born in South Korea but now lives in Australia and is a student at Robina High School and member of the Ladies European Tour. She joined last year after winning the ANZ Ladies Masters as an amateur, becoming the youngest LET champion in history.

Yang turned pro in October and has won more than $50,000 since — nearly half from her fourth-place finish at the Dubai Ladies Masters in October, where she was beaten only by Annika Sorenstam, Helen Alfredsson and Karrie Webb. Yang was low amateur at last year's Weetabix Women's British Open and finished 16th in her last start at the BMW Ladies Italian Open.

Four Hawai'i teens played in the 2006 U.S. Women's Open. Michelle Wie, who just graduated from Punahou, ended up third. Kimberly Kim, who grew up on the Big Island and was then 14, became the youngest to ever make the cut. Both are exempt into this year's Open.

Kono and Ayaka Kaneko missed the cut last year. Kaneko qualified at a 136-player sectional in Baltimore. Kimberly Kim was seventh at the Michigan sectional last year, beating out some 80 others.

Kono and Kaneko, who will be seniors at Punahou and Sacred Hearts in the fall, will be at the 136-player Maryland sectional tomorrow. Their 2006 U.S. Open appearance gave them a local exemption this year.

Kono will play in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links championship the following week in Kentucky. Kaneko will tee off in the Rolex Girls Junior Championship Wednesday in Colorado. Kimberly Kim and Kahului's Elyse Okada are also in the AJGA invitational.