Kim Goes Very Low in First Round of U.S. Girls' Junior Championship

Kimberly Kim, 15, of Hilo, Hawaii, shot a record-tying 10-under-par 62 to take a commanding lead after the first round of stroke play at the 2007 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, now underway at the 6,363-yard, par-72 Tacoma Country & Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash.

Kim already gained widespread recognition after she won the 2006 U.S. Women's Amateur at age 14 to become the youngest winner in that championship's 111-year history. Her 62 ties the previous record set by Christina Kim in 2001 at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan., which was shot on a par-70 layout.

Kim's expectations coming into this year's Girls' Junior weren't as high as one might expect. She's struggled a bit recently, including missing the cut after rounds of 78-74 in the U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

"I was telling my dad that I've been hitting really bad and putting really bad, so don't expect anything," said Kim, who was also runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links. "But today I played really good. I just played really solid the whole round. I don't know what it was, but everything just seemed to work out."

Kim made a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-4, 399-yard fourth hole to start her birdie parade. "I was shocked that went in," said Kim, whose 62 was a personal best and broke the previous competitive course record of 65 at Tacoma Country & Golf Club. The prior mark was set by 2002 U.S. Women's Amateur champion Becky Lucidi during the 2002 Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, a women's college tournament.

Kim, who birdied all four of the par-5s, admitted she was worried she would lose her focus during the round. "I have the attention span of a 5-year-old," she said. "I'll be putting for two minutes and I'll be kind of bored."

She kept it together long enough to record a bogey-free round that included four birdies on the front nine and six on the back, including three in a row on Nos. 14-16. She made a 6-footer for birdie on the par-5, 499-yard 18th hole to record her 10th birdie and put the round in the record books.

Kim didn't seem too impressed with her outstanding round. "Tomorrow I can shoot like 10 over but I'd make the cut still, and that would be fine with me," said Kim. "I just want to make the cut first, and then it doesn't matter what you're shooting, because in match play, nothing matters."

Three players are tied for second, including 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion Mina Harigae, 17, of Monterey, Calif., who is trying to become just the sixth golfer to win two USGA championships in the same year. Joining Harigae at 4-under 68 are Kristen Park, 14, of Buena Park, Calif.; and Evan Jensen, 17, of Bellair, Fla.

Courtney Ellenbogen, 16, of Blacksburg, Va., was one of eight players who shot 3-under 69. She said conditions are ideal. "The greens are very soft, so you can be as aggressive as you want," said Ellenbogen, who missed the cut at the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open by a stroke. "And they are not too fast, so you can make a lot of putts. The birdies were out there to be had. It was a good day to play."

Defending champion Jenny Shin, 14, of Torrance, Calif., finished at 1-over 73. Shin is trying to become the first player to repeat as Girls’ Junior champion since Hollis Stacy won three consecutive titles from 1969-71.

After a second day of stroke play Tuesday, the field will be reduced to 64 players for match play. The first and second rounds of match play are scheduled for Wednesday, the third and quarterfinal rounds will be played Thursday, the semifinal matches are on Friday, and the 36-hole championship final will be on Saturday.

Results after First Round of U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship

Kimberly Kim, Hilo, Hawaii, 31-31--62
Evan Jensen, Belleair, Fla., 34-34--68
Kristen Park, Buena Park, Calif., 34-34--68
Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif., 32-36--68
Cheyenne Hickle, Gilbert, Ariz., 36-33--69
Courtney Ellenbogen, Blacksburg, Va., 35-34--69
Demi Frances Runas, Torrance, Calif., 36-33--69
Ha Na Jang, Korea, 35-34--69
Jennifer Johnson, La Quinta, Calif., 34-35--69
Madison Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla., 33-36--69
Sally Watson, Scotland, 34-35--69
Stephanie Kim, Bayside, N.Y., 35-34--69
Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii, 34-35--69
Alexandra Groetsema, Palo Alto, Calif., 35-35--70
Diane Kwon, Fremont, Calif., 32-38--70
Jennifer Hirano, Pinole, Calif., 35-35--70
Kristina Wong, Bradenton, Fla., 36-34--70
Mary Michael Maggio, Conway, Ark., 33-37--70
Michelle Shin, Cape Coral, Fla., 37-33--70
Ashley Edwards, Antioch, Calif., 38-33--71
Jessica Wallace, Canada, 35-36--71
Taylore Karle, Scottsdale, Ariz., 34-37--71
Tessa Teachman, Baton Rouge, La., 33-38--71
Tessa The, Los Altos, Calif., 33-38--71
Alexis Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla., 36-36--72
Brittany Altomare, Shrewsbury, Mass., 35-37--72
Cassandra Blaney, Davenport, Fla., 35-37--72
Cyna Marie Rodriguez, Philippines, 35-37--72
Danielle Frasier, Encinitas, Calif., 35-37--72
Danielle Kang, Oak Park, Calif., 36-36--72
Elyse Okada, Kahului, Hawaii, 35-37--72
Felicia Espericueta, Edinburg, Texas, 33-39--72
Hailey Koschmann, Lake Forest, Ill., 34-38--72
Jaclyn Jansen, Effingham, Ill., 33-39--72
Jane Rah, Torrance, Calif., 35-37--72
Lila Barton, Dallas, Texas, 36-36--72
Shanshan Feng, China, 34-38-72v Sorelle Sedej, Poway, Calif., 36-36--72
Stacey Kim, Columbus, Ga., 35-37--72
Sue Kim, Canada, 36-36--72
Suzie Lee, East Northport, N.Y., 37-35--72
Tzu-Chi Lin, Chinese Taipei, 35-37--72
Brittany Henderson, Canada, 37-36--73
Cyd Okino, Honolulu, Hawaii, 36-37--73
Emily Childs, Alameda, Calif., 35-38--73
Jenny Shin, Torrance, Calif., 36-37--73
Karisa Akin, Elizabethtown, Ky., 36-37--73
Kiara Hayashida, Peru, 34-39--73
Lindy Duncan, Daytona Beach, Fla., 37-36--73
Nikki Koller, Lewisburg, Ky., 36-37--73
Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif., 35-38--73
Abby Cotter, Noblesville, Ind., 37-37--74
Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif., 37-37--74
Anne Ormson, Granger, Ind., 36-38--74
Ayaka Kaneko, Honolulu, Hawaii, 38-36--74
Haley Wilson, Fort Mitchell, Ala., 36-38--74
Hillary Packard, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 36-38--74
Jennifer Song, Korea, 37-37--74
Kaitlyn Rohrback, Crofton, Md., 37-37--74
Kristen Schelling, Mesa, Ariz., 35-39--74
Michelle Ahn, Chapel Hill, N.C., 35-39--74
Mitsuki Katahira, Japan, 37-37--74
Natalie Reeves, Euless, Texas, 41-33--74
Seohee Moon, Mukilteo, Wash., 37-37--74
Vicky Hurst, Melbourne, Fla., 34-40--74
Chessey Thomas, Spokane, Wash., 36-39--75
Doris Chen, Chinese Tapei, 38-37--75
Ginger Howard, Bradenton, Fla., 36-39--75
Haley Sanders, Rogers, Ark., 36-39--75
In-Ah Park, Las Vegas, Nev., 38-37--75
Margarita Ramos, Mexico, 36-39--75
Maria Juliana Loza, Colombia, 37-38--75
Maria Uribe, Colombia, 35-40--75
Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Canada, 36-39--75
Sarah Brown, Lopatcong, N.J., 36-39--75
Wonjoo Choi, Korea, 34-41--75
Alyssa Randolph, Knoxville, Tenn., 38-38--76
Amy Ruengmateekhun, Garland, Texas, 38-38--76
Andrea Watts, Lone Tree, Colo., 38-38--76
Ani Gulugian, Irvine, Calif., 37-39--76
Caroline Powers, Bowling Green, Ohio, 38-38--76
Chihiro Ikeda, Philippines, 38-38--76
Dottie Ardina, Philippines, 39-37--76
Gabriella Dominguez, Waco, Texas, 36-40--76
Hunter Ross, Manakin Sabot, Va., 38-38--76
Kalyn Dodge, Irvine, Calif., 34-42--76
Katy Nugent, Wichita, Kan., 38-38--76
Kayla Mortellaro, Phoenix, Ariz., 39-37--76
Samantha Formeck, Northern Cambria, Pa., 36-40--76
Annie Park, Levittown, N.Y., 38-39--77
Becca Huffer, Denver, Colo., 36-41--77
Betsie Johnson, Nicholasville, Ky., 36-41--77
Brittany Weddell, Buzzards Bay, Mass., 37-40--77
Candice Wiley, Shelbyville, Ky., 40-37--77
Cheyenne Woods, Phoenix, Ariz., 40-37--77
Hannah Yun, Bradenton, Fla., 38-39--77
Joy Kim, Pinole, Calif., 38-39--77
Nicole Agnello, Longwood, Fla., 38-39--77
Sadena Parks, Puyallup, Wash., 38-39--77
Tracy Martin, Tyngsboro, Mass., 38-39--77
Andrea Messer, Largo, Fla., 36-42--78
Bethany Buchner, Loveland, Colo., 37-41--78
Caroline Prebul, Signal Mountain, Tenn., 41-37--78
Christine Song, Fullerton, Calif., 38-40--78
Katie Sylvan, San Diego, Calif., 37-41--78
Kelsey Conway, Ventura, Calif., 38-40--78
Kyle Roig, Puerto Rico, 40-38--78
Leigh Henderson, Knoxville, Tenn., 37-41--78
Meghan Chapman, Seminole, Fla., 37-41--78
Nicole Zhang, Canada, 39-39--78
Valentina Fontaine, Chile, 41-37--78
Amy Beth Simanton, Lake Oswego, Ore., 40-39--79
Ashley McKenney, Scottsdale, Ariz., 38-41--79
Darlea Carr, Pinehurst, N.C., 41-38--79
Julia Thead, Poway, Calif., 39-40--79
Katie Craig, Kingwood, Texas, 38-41--79
Kelsey Podlesny, Green River, Wyo., 40-39--79
Paula Andrea Hurtado, Colombia, 39-40--79
Samantha Esguerra, Alameda, Calif., 39-40--79
Sarah Almond, Albemarle, N.C., 38-41--79
Stacy Kim, Yorba Linda, Calif., 40-39--79
Tanya Wadhwa, India, 37-42--79
Blair Bonner, Saint Paul, Minn., 39-41--80
Courtney McKim, Raleigh, N.C., 43-37--80
Gretchen Huhnerkoch, Burnsville, Minn., 40-40--80
Katrina Delen-Briones, San Francisco, Calif., 40-40--80
Kelly Shon, Port Washington, N.Y., 42-38--80
Maria Ronderos, Colombia, 41-39--80
Avery Sills, Portland, Ore., 37-44--81
Beverly Vatananugulkit, Cerritos, Calif., 42-39--81
Christina Stringham, Pasadena, Texas, 39-42--81
Emily Tubert, Burbank, Calif., 39-42--81
Joy Trotter, Chino Hills, Calif., 41-40--81
Kalynd Carson, The Woodlands, Texas, 41-40--81
Kyung Kim, Wailuku, Hawaii, 38-43--81
Ali Nelson, Moorhead, Minn., 38-44--82
Eleana Collins, Pinehurst, N.C., 44-38--82
Lauren Greenlief, Oakton, Va., 41-41--82
Lauren Smith, Crofton, Md., 38-44--82
Brittany Penny, Peoria, Ariz., 41-42--83
Carry Barbee, Cartersville, Ga., 45-38--83
Daffodil Sanchez, Mesa, Ariz., 40-43--83
Erin Sharpee, Green Bay, Wis., 41-42--83
Hanule Seo, St Louis, Mo., 38-45--83
Maria Battaglia, Uniontown, Pa., 45-38--83
Julia Strandberg, Greensboro, N.C., 42-42--84
Stephanie Corey, Burien, Wash., 41-43--84
Beth Sellers, San Diego, Calif., 43-42--85
Stephanie Wagstaff, Asheville, N.C., 42-43--85
Kaitlin Coons, Wilbraham, Mass., 42-44--86
Olivia Weber, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 43-43--86
Stephanie Smith, Nashville, Tenn., 42-44--86
Lindsey Thomka, Springfield, Mass., 40-47--87
Lauren Varnas, Chatham, N.J., 46-42--88
Jordan Essman, Angola, Ind., 42-48--90
Ellen Ceresko, Scranton, Pa., 46-48--94

The above story was provided by Beth Murrison of USGA Media Relations. For questions or comments, contact her at bmurrison@usga.org.