Kaneko eliminated from
Women’s Amateur

ROSWELL, Ga. » Ayaka Kaneko of Honolulu bogeyed the 17th hole yesterday, resulting in a third-round loss at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championships.

Maria Uribe of Colombia, who like Kaneko is 15 years old, parred that hole and matched Kaneko's par on No. 18 for a 1-up victory.

Kaneko opened the day with a 2-up win over University of Washington senior Paige Mackenzie.

Kaneko's match with Uribe was close throughout, with neither able to take more than a 1-up lead.

Kaneko struck first, parring the 160-yard par-3 No. 5 while Uribe bogeyed.

Uribe pulled even on No. 9 and then went ahead on No. 10 when Kaneko bogeyed both holes.

Kaneko was able to square the match on No. 15 with a par before the bogey on 17 and par on 18 sent her packing.

Others advancing yesterday at Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek course in suburban Atlanta were medalist In-Kyung Kim, Morgan Pressel, Jennie Lee, Angela Park, Alison Whitaker, Maru Martinez and Jenny Suh.

Pressel needed a playoff hole to win her second-round match, then had a solid win in the afternoon to reach the quarterfinals.

The 17-year-old Pressel, the runner-up in last month's U.S. Women's Open, had to go 19 holes to beat Mina Harigae in the second round. Both had six birdies and one bogey in matching 5-under 67s, but Harigae, who beat Pressel in the Girls' Junior Championship two years ago, bogeyed the first playoff hole.

"I don't think Mina missed a fairway or a green until her drive on the playoff hole," Pressel said. "We were making putts one on top of the other. The quality of golf was something you'd see in a final."

In the afternoon, Pressel won 4-and-2 over 14-year-old Jane Rah, who eliminated former U.S. Junior champion In-Bee Park in the second round. Pressel and Rah were all square after 10 holes, but Pressel birdied three of the next four holes to take a 3-up lead.

Kim went extra holes in both matches. She birdied the first playoff hole to win her morning match in 19 holes against Laura Matthews, the assistant women's golf coach at Georgia. In the afternoon, Kim needed 20 holes to get past defending champion Jane Park, again winning with a birdie.

Lee, who signed a letter of intent with Duke, beat recent U.S. Women's Public Links champion Eun Jung Lee 2-up in the second round, then outlasted 2004 Women's Amateur runner-up Amanda McCurdy in 20 holes.

McCurdy, who plays for Arkansas, birdied three holes to erase a 2-down deficit after 12 holes, but bogeyed 18 to send the match to extra holes, with Lee ending it with a birdie.

Park, who won her morning match 9-and-8, was 5-up after 10 holes in her afternoon match against Nannette Hill then won 3-and-1.