Second-seeded Kimberly Kim advances in the opening round of match play today at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links at Kearney Hill Golf Links in Lexington, Ky. AP library photo | June 2007   Mari Chun of Pearl City birdied the 19th hole to defeat Juli Wightman-Erekson of Chicopee, Mass., in the first-round match. Advertiser library photo | December 2004

Second-seeded Kimberly Kim defeated 63rd-seeded Yu Lee of Orlando, Fla., 5 and 4 in the opening round of the match play today at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links at Kearney Hill Golf Links in Lexington, Ky.

Kim, a former Big Island resident living in Arizona, will meet Tonya Choate of Mt. Vernon, Mo., tomorrow in the round of 32. Choate beat Lee Lopez of Whittier, Calif, 5 and 4.

Earlier, Honolulu's Stephanie Kono, seeded 64th, upset top-seeded Tiffany Lua of Rowland Heights, Calif., 3 and 1. (Click link above for separate story.)

In other first-round matches involving players with Hawai'i ties:

— Mari Chun of Pearl City birdied the 19th hole to defeat Juli Wightman-Erekson of Chicopee, Mass. Chun plays Ryann O'Toole, who beat Courtney Gunter of Matthews, N.C., 3 and 2 in the opening round.

— Emily Powers of Quincy, Ill., won the 19th hole with a par to eliminate Miki Ueoka of Lihu'e, Kauai.

— Britney Choy of Wahiawa lost to Wonjoo Choi of Korea, 2 up.

— Xyra Suyetsugu of Honolulu lost to Aimee Neff of Carmel, Ind., 4 and 2.