Co-medalist Chun
in match play today

The Pearl City golfer ties
for first in stroke play at the
U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links

Mari Chun's scores during the stroke-play portion of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship don't mean much entering today's match-play competition.

But the confidence she gained in taming the Swope Memorial Golf Course in Kansas City, Mo., the past two days can only help.

"A lot of people say it's a totally different game and in a sense it is," Chun said of shifting from stroke play to match play. "But I am confident with the golf course, and I just hope I bring my game and I hope to play the same way. I'm pretty confident and I know I can shoot low at this golf course if I keep it in the fairways and hit the greens."

Chun, a 17-year-old from Pearl City, claimed co-medalist honors at the tournament with a two-round total of 6-under-par 136.

She was tied for second after the first round and shot a 69 yesterday to tie 16-year-old Angela Park of Torrance, Calif., for first place. Their two-day totals were one stroke off the WAPL stroke-play record set last year by Brittany Lang.

Chun was among only three players who shot under 70 yesterday and would have been alone in the top spot had she made a 10-foot birdie putt on her final hole. But she was pleasantly surprised to learn of her standing.

"I was thinking hopefully I'd be third or fourth or something around there," she said. "I totally did not expect it. It was a surprise."

The field of 144 was trimmed to 64 with the first round of match play beginning this morning. The 36-hole final is Saturday.

Chun was to face Patty Chawalitmetha of Bellflower, Calif., in a first-round match.

"Every day I start over, every hole I start over," Chun said. "I pretty much stay in the present right now and I have a really good mindset working for me."

Mariko Shimozaki of Kihei also qualified for match play and faces Sommer Scholl of Riverside, Calif.

Shimozaki was 7 over after 10 holes yesterday, but birdied four of the next five holes and finished at 5-over 76. She was tied for 25th place at 147.

Three Hawaii golfers did not make the cut. Kelly Nakashima of Wailuku shot 4-over 75 yesterday and finished three stokes below the cut line of 152. Honolulu's Cyd Okino, the youngest player in the tournament at age 11, finished at 157, and Jandee Kim shot 173.

Chun was a co-medalist at the U.S. Girls Junior Championship last year in Fort Worth, Texas, but lost in the first round of match play.

She was the second female to qualify for the state amateur match play championship at last month's Manoa Cup and was eliminated in a close first-round match. She hopes the lessons learned at Oahu Country Club will help her advance today.

"It was a really good learning experience," she said.

"My friends in Hawaii ... they're all telling me, 'you're still playing the golf course, you're not playing against the person. Don't play their game, just play yours and make them get accustomed to the way you play.' "

Chun had four birdies to make up for two early bogeys in her round yesterday.

"I got into a little trouble, because I made some dumb mistakes," she said. "I got a three putt from not too far away and I had an easy uphill chip and left it short."

Ya-Ni Tseng, a 16-year-old from Taiwan who defeated Michelle Wie in the finals last year, beat the 153 cutoff by one stroke.

Wie is playing this week in the U.S. Amateur Public Links, which could give the winner a berth in the Masters. The 15-year-old Wie advanced to match play in the men's event at Lebanon, Ohio.

After just one bogey Monday, Park had three in the second round, but she had four birdies. Park lost to Wie in the semifinals of the USGA event last year.

"In match play you've got to go a little aggressive," Park said. "It is one-on-one, so basically you've got to beat your opponent. I'm not going to change anything. I'm just going to play my own game and hit the ball like I've been doing, play like I've been doing. I'll be fine. I've experienced a lot of match play already, so I think I'm a little bit ahead of a lot of people."