LANIKAI — They've traded one-stroke leads after the first two days of the 57th Jennie K. Wilson Invitational. Now Jaclyn Hilea and Kristina Merkle meet in the winner-take-all final round today at the Mid-Pacific Country Club.

This time, Merkle leads by a shot after scrambling to a 73 yesterday for a 36-hole total of 145. Hilea is one back at 146 in what comes down to only a two-player battle in the first local women's major of the year. And it's between two former members of the Moanalua High School golf team.

Merkle has a lot more riding on it as she is trying to become only the second back-to-back Jennie K. champion in 53 years, joining Anna Umemura who was the last to do it in 1997 and '98.

"Hoo, I would be the happiest person ever," Merkle said about the prospect of successfully defending the title she won as a Moanalua High freshman last year.

Showing a poise belying her youth, Merkle came up with great up-and-down saves with 8-foot par putts at the sixth and seventh holes before sinking a slippery right-to-left 10-footer for birdie at eight for the lead.

"I was kind of surprised it fell in on the left side," said Merkle, who played her second nine in 1-under despite bogeying the first hole after the turn.

Even that bogey could be counted as a "save" as Merkle's approach went over the green. She got careless on her first pitch but got the second try to within a foot for a tap-in 5.

The bogey felt like a par, said Merkle, whose otherwise solid round was marred by a triple-bogey 7 at the par-4 15th when she hit her tee shot out of bounds.

That got her mad, said Merkle, who followed up with birdies at 16 and 17 to pull even with Hilea at the turn.

Meanwhile, Hilea was mad at herself, too, for double-bogeying 17 after nearly going OB and bogeying 18, wiping out a seemingly comfortable four-stroke lead. Pumped up, she drove it to the front fringe at No. 1, a 353-yard par-4, for a birdie.

But she couldn't match Merkle's two-putt birdie from almost the same distance (around 45 feet) at the par-5 third. Merkle gained a tie for the lead when Hilea bogeyed the next hole, failing to go up and down at the par-3, and took the one-up lead with the birdie at the 271-yard eighth.

"I'm going to try my best (today)," said Hilea, who likes the idea of playing with the tournament leader going into the final day.

A 2006 Moanalua High graduate, Hilea spent last year at the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, S.C.

"I learned so much, not only with my golf game but everything in life," said Hilea, who impressed the Furman golf coach enough to get a scholarship this fall. It's one of the reasons she won't be able to defend her title in the Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association Stroke Play Championship later this year.

"She's improved a lot. She's gained a lot of distance. She has a lot of control over her shots," Merkle said about her former Na Menehune teammate who was a senior when she was a freshman on the team.

"I want to just try and keep my lead and play my game. And think about some of the holes I messed up on today," Merkle said.

Traci Kashiwabara-Ayabe, an elementary school teacher who felt like a mother hen in playing with the two youngsters yesterday, came away impressed.

"They're really good and they're strong with their iron play," she said.

Merkle and Hilea are paired to go off in the final group around 9:15 this morning.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.

U.S. OPEN QUALIFYING

CHING SHOOTS 69 TO REACH SECTIONALS

Alex Ching of Honolulu captured medalist honors with a 69 at the last of the four U.S. Open Local Qualifiers in Hawai'i yesterday on Makena's South course in Kihei, Maui.

Ching was the only player in the field to break par. Dugal Milne, of Makena, also advanced to sectional qualifying with a 74.

TJ Figueroa and Bryce Iwasaki of Maui both shot 75 and are the first and second alternates.

ELSEWHERE

Francis Brown: Steve Ohira and Marshall Uchida will face Michael Sato and Jared Sawada in the title match in the championship flight of the Francis Brown Four Ball Tournament today at the Ala Wai Golf Course. Ohira and Uchida beat Bryan Edwards and Kevin Goto 1-up on the 20th hole yesterday and Sato and Sawada beat Bobby Matsui and Andy Geiser, 3 and 1, in the other semifinal.

Kona Open: Norman-Ganin Asao and Joe Phengsavath each shot 2-under -par 70s yesterday to share the lead after the first round of the Kuma Contracting Corp. Kona Open at the Kona Country Club's Ocean Course. Ron Castillo Jr. and Patrick Clary are both one shot behind the leaders.