DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Michelle Wie was "frustrated" with her play yesterday after carding a 4-over 76 at Turtle Bay Resort.

Wie’s Open options
dwindling

After shooting a 76 in a qualifier,
the teen needs some breaks
to advance

Michelle Wie's round in yesterday's U.S. Open qualifying event at the Turtle Bay Resort left her a bit frustrated, but not completely without hope.

The Punahou sophomore's 4-over-par 76 on the 7,199-yard Palmer Course wasn't enough to guarantee her a spot in the next stage of qualifying. She did earn alternate status, however, and could still snag a berth in the sectionals if enough golfers ahead of her drop out.

"Hopefully a couple of people break their legs so I can get in," Wie joked after completing her round in the local qualifier, the first step for golfers hoping to play their way into next month's U.S. Open.

University of Hawaii golfer Pierre-Henri Soero overcame two double-bogeys to finish at 2-under 70 and place first in the tournament.

Soero, Regan Lee of Waipahu (72), Joe Phengsavath of Honolulu (73) and Shizuo Mori of Japan (73) earned berths in the sectional qualifier at Maui's Kaanapali Golf Course on June 6 by finishing in the top four yesterday. The winner of the 36-hole sectional tournament earns a trip to North Carolina to play in the U.S. Open at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club on June 16-19.

Hilo's Kevin Hayashi is the first alternate for the Kaanapali sectional after shooting a 74.

Wie finished in a three-way tie with Andrew Feldmann and Norman Asao, but the other two weren't present to participate in a playoff, giving her the second alternate spot.

Wie signed up for the sectional in Rockville, Md., and will be in the pool of players on standby for the June 6 event.

Wie, who is already set to compete in the U.S. Women's Open, is among three females attempting to qualify for the men's Open. The others are LPGA Tour professional Isabelle Beisiegel of Oklahoma and 14-year-old Carmen Bandea of Georgia.

Playing from the back tees, Wie routinely drove her shots past those of her playing partners yesterday. But her putter let her down early in the round as she completed the front nine at 5 over.

Following a par on the first hole, she watched a 5-foot par putt spin out of the cup at No. 2 to begin a string of four bogeys. She posted her fifth bogey when another short putt slid past the hole on the par-5 ninth.

"The greens were a little bumpy, so it was really hard for me to get a rhythm," she said.

"I was having a lot of problems because the practice green speed and the greens (on the course) were a little bit different. The first few holes I was trying to get the feel for the greens and I made a lot stupid bogeys out there, but I think I played well on the back nine."

After Wie carded her first birdie at No. 12 with a 6-foot putt, her shot on the 201-yard, par-3 13th landed in the bunker fronting the green. Her blast out of the sand nearly bounced into the hole, but she couldn't get the par putt to fall and again dropped to 5-over.

Kamehameha's Chun leads Jennie K. Kamehameha senior Mari Chun fired a 5-under par 67 to lead the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational by nine strokes after yesterday's first round at Mid-Pacific Country Club. Ayaka Kaneko was second with a 76, and defending champion Amanda Wilson and Marcie Rudich were tied for third at 77. The tournament determines the state women's stroke play champion. It continues today and concludes with a third round tomorrow. Star-Bulletin staff

A blast off the tee on the 450-yard 16th hole set up her second birdie of the day. She had birdie attempts on the final two holes but settled for pars to close her round.

"I'm still frustrated now, but I feel pretty good about how I played the back nine," she said. "I feel like I got stronger, my driver's going a lot farther, so I'm happy about that."

Soero got off to a rocky start as he double-bogeyed the first hole. But he recovered to post birdies on the next four. He made the turn at 1-under 35, and played it safe the rest of the way to maintain his lead.

"(The course) actually played pretty hard because it was pretty windy," said Soero, who will be a junior with the UH golf team next season. "When the wind's blowing that much you have to be patient and put the ball in good position to have a lot of birdies.

"I didn't try to go for everything. I knew I was under par and the scores weren't going to be that low, so I just wanted to play smart."

Lee had three straight bogeys on the back nine, but held it together enough to finish at even par and give himself a shot at playing in the sectional.

"I'm looking forward to at least playing in the second stage," he said. "It's been a while since I actually walked 36 holes in one day, and on a hilly course, so we'll see how it goes."

Three more local qualifiers in Hawaii will be held prior to the sectionals -- today at Kaanapali, Thursday at the Poipu Bay Resort on Kauai, and May 23 at the Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island.