COURTESY OF THE PGA OF AMERICA Stephanie Kono leads the Westfield Junior PGA Championship after shooting a 5-under 66 in yesterday's first round.

---

Chun, Shimozaki advance
at Women’s Publinx

The golfers from Hawaii can advance
to the event's match-play quarterfinals
if they each win twice today

» Wie advances to next round

Mari Chun had already advanced farther than she did the previous year after yesterday's first round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.

By the end of play today, the recent Kamehameha graduate hoped to be among the final eight golfers vying for the championship.

Chun got through the first round at Swope Memorial Golf Course in Kansas City, Mo., by beating Patty Chawalitmetha of Bellflower, Calif., 4 and 3.

She was scheduled to play Renee Skidrow of Everett, Wash., in this morning's round of 32. If Chun won the 2:30 a.m. Hawaii time match, she would play the winner of a match between Hanna Jun of San Diego, Calif., and Rachel Smith from Powell, Tenn., also today.

Mariko Shimozaki of Kihei also advanced with a first-round win yesterday. She beat Summer Scholl of Riverside, Calif., 3 and 2, and was to meet Jenny Suh of Fairfax, Va., in the round of 32.

Chun never trailed in her match against Chawalitmetha, building a five-hole lead during the first 10 holes.

"My confidence is a little better (than last year)," said Chun, who didn't make it to the second round last year. "I'm excited to keep playing. Hopefully I'll make it through the 36 holes. I've never played 36 holes in one day yet."

Chun said she struck the ball well yesterday.

"My driver was going well, hitting the fairways, which allowed me to stick more pins," she said. "My putting wasn't that great today, though. I was missing quite a few putts that I would expect to make. I tried to play the course. I didn't get caught up in how the other person played and what they did, on 'they did that, I have to do this.' I didn't do that (yesterday), which is good for me."

Kono leads Westfield

Honolulu's Stephanie Kono shot a 5-under 66 yesterday to take the first-round lead at the 2005 Westfield Junior PGA Championship at Westfield, Ohio.

Kono, 15, held a two-stroke lead heading into today's second round at the PGA of America's national championship for boys and girls 17 and under.

"Last year I led the first round, but then gave it up because I wasn't hitting as many greens or making any putts in the final two rounds," Kono said. "Today my putter was the best part of my game."

Kono finished fourth last year after sharing the lead the first two rounds. She said she hopes to commemorate her father's birthday by winning her first national title.

The field is filled with the junior division champions of the PGA of America's 41 sections, plus special invitees.

Hilo's Kimberly Kim was six strokes off the lead and in a tie for fifth place yesterday after shooting 36-36--72. South African Ashleigh Simon -- who is the youngest ever to win an event on her country's pro tour, at 14 -- is part of a six-way tie at fifth, also with a 72.

In the boys field, Honolulu's Chan Kim shot even par to stand at 12th place after the first day.

The tournament is stroke play for 72 holes, and concludes Saturday. The girls play for the Patty Berg Trophy, while the boys winner takes home the Jack Nicklaus Trophy.

---