Kim second at Publinx

Tiffany Lua tops Kimberly Kim by 1 in stroke play

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She didn't win the stroke-play portion yesterday, but Kimberly Kim still has the rest of the week to work on defending her title at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in Lexington, Ky.

TOP HAWAII FINISHERS Kimberly Kim -- 138 Mari Chun -- 144 Miki Ueoka -- 147 Kristina Merkle -- 149 Xyra Suyetsugu -- 151

Kim, a former Hilo resident, finished a stroke behind California's Tiffany Lua for medalist honors on the 6,094-yard, par 72 Kearney Hill Golf Links. Kim carded a 69 for the second consecutive day to finish at 138.

The match-play portion of the event is today, when Kim will face one of the five golfers surviving out of a group of eight in a sudden-death playoff earlier today. Among others involved in the playoff are Honolulu's Stephanie Kono and Britney Choy of Wahiawa.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. » Tiffany Lua shot a 2-under-par 70 yesterday for a 7-under 137 total to win the stroke-play title at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.

Reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion and Hilo native Kimberly Kim finished second, one stroke back, after another 69 on the 6,094-yard, par-72 Kearney Hill Golf Links.

"I think it's an honor to be medalist," said Lua, competing in her seventh USGA championship. "(But) tomorrow, everything is gone. I am pretty much starting over all over again. Tomorrow is when the real fun begins."

Korean Wonjoo Choi had a 71 and left-hander and Marci Turner, of Tompkinsville, Ky., shot 70 to tie for third at 141.

The 64-player match-play cut came at 9-over 153, with eight players scheduled to return this morning to play for the final five spots into the 64-player match-play draw. First-round matches will be played today, with the 36-hole final scheduled for Saturday.

The oldest to make match play was the Philippines' Ana Imelda Tanpinco, who turns 24 on Sunday; the youngest was 12-year-old Annie Park of Levittown, N.Y. Korean-born Julie Yang, 11, of Phoenix, the youngest in the field, missed by one stroke.

Play was suspended twice for a total of 122 minutes in the afternoon due to thunderstorms.

Kim believed the pressure of being the reigning Women's Amateur champion raised other people's expectations of her.

"Yeah because people just expect me to do good and I don't think they should," said Kim. "It makes me feel not so great because people expect something.

"I just want to play more consistently. If I lose my first match and I know I played well, then that's fine."

The Women's Amateur Public Links is one of 13 national championships conducted by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.