ASSOCIATED PRESS Tiffany Joh smiled after beating 14-year-old Kimberly Kim of Hilo in yesterday's Women's Publinx final.

Kim falls in final

The 14-year-old from Hilo next plays in this week's U.S. Women's Open in Rhode Island

PUEBLO, Colo. » After her loss in yesterday's final of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, Kimberly Kim just wants some rest.

Kim will have to wait a little while to relax; next up is the U.S. Women's Open, which begins Thursday in Newport, R.I.

"I think I have like a three-day break the rest of the summer," Kim said after yesterday's loss to Tiffany Joh of San Diego. "I am a little tired and wish I had a little break. I definitely have had a good start this summer. I hope that I can keep going."

Joh, a first-team National Golf Coaches Association All-America selection as a freshman this year at UCLA, beat the 14-year-old Kim 6 and 5 in the 36-hole final on the Walking Stick course.

"Honestly, I can't even really believe it yet," said Joh.

"I'm just kind of going to, like, sit here and let it soak in. I couldn't tell you because, in my mind, it doesn't even feel like I've won yet."

The 19-year-old Joh was 11 under for 31 holes yesterday, counting the usual match-play concessions.

Joh's brilliant play was punctuated by a hole-out from the fairway for an eagle 2 on the par-4 11th hole, the 29th hole of the match. She went 6 up at that point and closed out Kim two holes later with a 6-foot birdie putt to halve the 31st.

Kim, whose family recently moved to the Phoenix area to make travel to golf tournaments easier, was trying to become the second-youngest champion in WAPL history behind Michelle Wie, who won the 2003 tournament at 13.

Wie and fellow Hawaii residents Ayaka Kaneko and Stephanie Kono will join Kim at Newport Country Club this week for the LPGA's third major of the year.