Choe, Lee, Thurman, Wie Advance To Semifinals

Sunriver, Ore. -- Three college sophomores and an eighth grader advanced to the semifinals of the 2002 United States Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship Friday at the 6,189-yard, par 71 Meadows Course at the Sunriver Resort.

Annie Thurman, 19, of Highland, Utah, faces Yvonne Choe, 19, of Temple City, Calif., in Saturday’s first semifinal match. Michelle Wie, 12, of Honolulu, Hawaii, takes on Hwanhee Lee, 19, of Long Beach, Calif., in the second match.

Wie’s match against Amanda Wilson, 14, of Hilo, Hawaii, drew a crowd of some 100 spectators to a seesaw battle.

The gritty Wilson was outdriven on nearly every hole by 40 to 60 yards but never faltered during the scheduled 18-hole match. With two birdies and no bogeys, Wilson was either one hole ahead or even until the 19th hole.

Wie was down one hole at the 449-yard, par-5 17th hole when she pushed her drive into the right rough. Safely in the fairway Wilson hit her approach shot into a greenside bunker. Wie hit a towering 7-iron 160 yards over some trees, but her ball took two bounces and rolled over the green. She chipped to within 3 feet of the hole She made the birdie putt to even the match when Wilson made a par.

The two tied the 18th hole, both missing birdie putts of less than 10 feet.

Downwind, Wie nearly drove the green of the 357-yard 19th hole and faced a pitch shot of about 30 yards. Wilson also hit a big drive. From some 100 yards from the green, Wilson hit her approach shot to within 15 feet of the hole.

Wie then made her only long putt of the day, a 35-footer from the fringe with a big break to the left. When Wilson missed, Wie won the match.

“If I was going to read one putt right,” said Wie, who putted poorly in the match, “it had to be this one. What the heck.”

Thurman, a student at Oklahoma State, defeated Ina Kim, of Los Angeles, 2 and 1. Yvonne Choe, a student at UCLA, has the most experience among the remaining players as a semifinalist in the 2000 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Choe defeated Kimberly Rowton, of San Antonio, Texas, 4 and 3.

Hwanhee Lee, a student at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, eased past Aimee Cho, of Orlando, Fla., 3 and 2.

Thurman faces Choe in Saturday’s semifinal and Lee is up against young Wie, who has enhanced her competitive reputation this week by defeating all of her older opponents.

“I don’t care who she (Wie) is,” said Lee. “I just want to play well on this golf course.”

The U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, one of 13 national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association, winds up with a 36-hole final on Sunday.

Story written by Rhonda Glenn, USGA.

Friday's Results

Sunriver, Ore. -- Results of the quarterfinal and third-round matches in the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship at the 6,189-yard, par 71 Meadows Course at the Sunriver Resort.

Quarterfinal

Upper Half

Annie Thurman, Highland, Utah (149) def. Ina Kim, Los Angeles, Calif. (151), 2 and 1
Yvonne Choe, Temple City, Calif. (150) def. Kimberly Rowton, San Antonio, Texas (145), 4 and 3

Lower Half

Michelle Wie, Honolulu, Hawaii (150) def. Amanda Wilson, Hilo, Hawaii (155), 19 Holes
Hwanhee Lee, Long Beach, Calif. (148) def. Aimee Cho, Orlando, Fla. (151), 3 and 2