Weblog

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Good Bye Erin Hills

What a week we had at Erin Hills! The golf was spectacular, the weather was ideal and the course lived up to all the hype. Tiffany Joh is the 2008 WAPL champion, becoming the fifth golfer to multiple titles in this championship. But the winner this week was Erin Hills. The staff and volunteers were as hospitable as they come. Owner Bob Lang made us feel like family as did his professional staff. If you have not had an opportunity to visit this venue, do so. It will host the 2011 U.S. Amateur and there is speculation that a U.S. Open could come to this place as early as 2017. It is a wonderful piece of property. I want to thank everyone who read our blog and we hope you enjoyed our live hole-by-hole coverage of the final match. It's always nice to get a little color with all those numbers on the scoreboard. Next year this championship moves to Massachusetts and Red Tail Golf Club. I am off to New Jersey for one night to re-charge my batteries for next week's U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen. That should also be a great week on a historic golf course. To those WAPL competitors headed to Interlachen, which includes runner-up Jennifer Song, good luck. To the others, good luck the rest of the summer and we hope to see you at one of our other USGA championships.

Posted By David Shefter At 6:21 PM • Comments (204) Trackbacks (0)

Live Championship Match Blog

3:57 p.m In comeback fashion, Joh defeated Song, 2 and 1, to become the fifth two-time WAPL champion. Both golfers conceded par putts at the 35th hole on the par-4 17th. Song missed her birdie try from 25 feet and Joh coaxed her 8-footer to within a couple feet. The afternoon round took 3 hours and 27 minutes. 3:43 p.m. Just as Joh is heating up with her putter, Song seems to be cooling off. Through 34 holes of the championship match, Joh is dormie-2. On the par-3 16th, Joh two-putted from 21 feet, hitting a 3-footer for par while Song three-putted, missing a 4-footer off the left edge to lose a critical hole. 3:35 p.m. After a sluggish start, Joh has taken her first lead of the match after the 33rd hole on the par-4 No. 15. Joh made 15-foot birdie putt and Song could not answer, missing 12-footer just to the right. 3:24 p.m. Joh's putter seems to be warming up now. The match is all-square with just four holes left in regulation. On the par-5 14th, Joh two-putted from 60 feet, sinking a 5-footer for birdie. Song hit the flag stick on her birdie attempt and sank an 8-footer for par, but it was not enough. 3:05 p.m. The 31st hole of the championship was halved with both players making par on the par-3 No. 13. Song's 30-foot birdie putt raced by the hole and had to make a 6-footer coming back for par. Joh's 18-foot birdie opportunity also went by the hole and had to settle for a 3-foot par putt. 2:56 p.m. It looks like we are coming right down to the wire. After 30 holes Song leads 1-up. On the par-4 No. 12 Joh left a 50-foot putt for birdie just 3 feet short and tapped in for par. Song three-putted, missing a 5-foot par putt to the right. 2:44 p.m. Song and Joh halved the 29th hole at the par-4 No. 11. Joh hit a 7-footer for birdie while Song sank a 4-foot birdie putt. 2:35 p.m. On the 28th hole of the championship match Song regained her 2-up advantage at the par-5 No. 10. Song chipped out of the right rough to within 2 feet of the hole and was conceded the birdie. Joh chipped to 35 feet, but missed the birdie putt. 2:24 p.m. At the turn Joh has battled back to cut Song's lead to 1-up on the par-3 No. 9. Joh made a 4-foot birdie putt while Song's tee shot found the back bunker and the birdie attempt came up 3 feet short. 2:14 p.m. The 26th hole of the championship match was halved at the par-4 No. 8. Joh two-putted from the fringe for par while Song missed a 16-foot birdie putt. 1:57 p.m. Song increased her lead to 2-up on the 25th hole of the match at the par-4 No. 7. Song's approach shot was to within 3 feet of the hole and she was able to tap in for birdie. Joh's putting slump continued as her 15-foot birdie attempt grazed the left edge of the hole. 1:45  p.m. Inconsistent putting remains the theme of this match. On the 24th hole at the par-3 No. 6 Joh missed a 9-footer for par and Song three-putted from 25 feet, making a three-and-a-half foot putt for bogey to halve the hole. 1:36 p.m. Putting difficulties continue for both players as the match remains with Song 1-up after 23 holes. On the par-4 No. 5 Joh lipped out her birdie putt out while Song left her birdie attempt just short. 1:23 p.m. The match remains close after 22 holes. Song is 1-up after both players conceded par on the par-4 No. 4. Joh hit a 15-foot putt to within a couple of feet of the hole and Song's 30-foot putt came up 3-feet short. 1:15 p.m. Song remains 1-up through 21 holes as both players halved the par-5 No. 3. Both players hit their drives into the fescue and reached the green in four. Joh chopped out of the fescue, hit a 3-wood to the edge of the green and pitched to within a foot of the hole to recieve a par concession. Song then sank a 6-footer for par. 12:55 p.m. On the 20th hole Joh was able to cut into the lead. Song now leads 1-up after conceding a birdie to Joh on the par-4 No. 2. Joh hit her approach shot to within 7 feet of the hole while Song missed the green to the left. Song's 12-foot putt for par missed to the right. 12:44 p.m. Song remains 2-up through 19 holes after both players made par on the par-5 No. 1. Song's 35-foot birdie putt went right while Joh's 30-foot birdie attempt was just short.  A decent size gallery has gathered for the WAPL final with 200 people out to enjoy the afternoon final round. 12:30 p.m. The second round of 18 holes is just underway with Song leading Joh 2-up after the morning session. The clouds and wind have picked up since the morning. Our on-site weather man is calling for a 40 percent chance of late afternoon thunderstorms. Let's hope mother nature holds off for a few hours.  11:44 a.m. The putting woes continued for both players at No. 18. Song missed a 10-footer for birdie and Joh lipped out a 7-footer for birdie. Song will take a 2-up lead into the afternoon session. The wind also looks like it is picking up out there as has the clouds. The morning round took approximately 3 hours and 44 minutes to play. 11:28 a.m. Song has regained a 2-up lead after 17 holes thanks to a routine par and another bogey by Joh. Joh missed a 10-foot par putt. Song ran her 20-foot birdie putt close enough to the hole to have the par conceded. 11:12 a.m. Song remains 1 up through 16 after both missed birdie putts. Joh just missed from 20 feet and Song could not convert from 12 feet. Just two holes remaining in the morning 18 of the 36-hole final. 11:05 a.m. Joh missed a 4-foot par putt at the 15th hole to go 1 down in the match. Song made a routine two-putt par. They now head to the final par-3 hole, the 16th. Looks like the players are on a nice pace. Just more than 3 hours for 15 holes. 10:53 a.m. Both Song and Joh halved the par-5 14th hole with nice birdie putts. Each got onto the green in three shots, with Song draining a 20-footer and Joh responding with a 15-footer. It will be interesting to see if each player will now start to warm up on the greens. The match remains all square going to the par-4 15th hole. 10:37 a.m. Joh has squared the championship match with a par at the 13th hole. Song just missed the green with her tee shot and lagged a putt to 7 feet, and then lipped out the par putt. Joh  holed her 4-footer for par. The two now move to the reachable par-5 14th hole. Could see some fireworks here. 10:27 a.m. Song bombed a drive on the short par-12th hole, leaving herself just 68 yards for the approach. She stuck the wedge shot within 10 feet, but again missed the birdie putt, leaving it just short. Joh two-putted from 20 feet to halve the hole. Song still 1 up going to the par-3 13th hole. 10:16 a.m. Joh watched her 15-foot birdie putt at the par-4 11th hole lip out, while Song rolled her 8-foot birdie putt 2 1/2 feet past the hole. She made the par putt to maintain a 1-up lead going to the 12th. 10:05 a.m. Maybe Tiffany Joh's putter will begin to heat up on the second nine of the morning 18. She just holed a 16-foot birdie putt at the par-5 10th hole to trim her deficit to 1 up. Song had a chance to halve the hole, but missed a 7-footer. Song doesn't seem to have a hot putter, either, but she is playing steady golf. On to the short par-4 11th. 9:47 a.m. Joh gives back the hole she just won by knocking her tee shot on the 137-yard, downhill par-3 ninth into a back bunker. She hit a beautiful recovery shot to 7 feet on the edge of the fringe, but could not hole the par putt. Song, meanwhile, missed her 10-foot birdie putt to the left and made the 3-foot come-backer to win the hole. The crowd has now swelled to around 75 as more and more folks trickle out to the course. We should see an even bigger gallery this afternoon. It's another ideal day for golf with nary a cloud in the sky. There is, however, a chance of a scattered thunderstorm later today. 9:39 a.m. Joh sticks her wedge uphill approach from 70 yards to 4 feet for a winning birdie to cut the deficit to 1 up. Song putted first from 20 feet and missed. Joh then finally registered her first birdie since the second hole after using the back of the green as a backboard and spinning back her second shot that nearly went into the hole. 9:27 a.m. Song now leads 2 up as Joh's putter continues to remain icy cold. Joh three-putted from 35 feet at the seventh, missing a 5-footer for par to halve the hole. Song made a routine par. 9:13 a.m. Both players three-putted the sixth green. Each had about 10-footers for par and missed. Song still owns a 1-up lead going to the par-4 seventh hole. It also appears that Joh's putter has cooled considerably since Friday afternoon when she made birdie on six of the first seven holes and only one was considered a tap-in. 9:05 a.m. The players halved the par-4 fifth hole. Joh had an excellent chance to square the match again, but missed a 12-footer for birdie. They now move to the first par-3 hole on the course. 8:51 a.m. Song has regained a 1-up lead through four holes after Joh's tee shot found the high fescue and her attempt to get out only went 15 feet into the primary cut of rough. Joh eventually made a double-bogey 6 and conceded Song's par. 8:37 a.m. The match remains all square after three holes after Joh and Song missed relatively short birdie putts at the par-5 third hole. Joh missed a 15-footer and Song barely failed on her 8-footer. No more par-5 holes until the 10th. 8:25 a.m. The match is now all square after Joh hit her approach to the small second green within 10 feet and holed her birdie putt. Song's approach missed the green and her third shot hit the flagstick, but did not drop. They now move to the final par 5 on the first nine. 8:15 a.m. Jennifer Song takes an early 1-up lead on Tiffany Joh with a routine par at the par-5 first hole. Joh missed a 10-foot par putt to halve the hole. 8 a.m. A small gathering of some 25 people surrounded the first tee this morning for the start of the 36-hole final between Tiffany Joh and Jennifer Song. Louise Hughes of the WAPL Championship Committee served as the public-address announcer, giving details of the referee, observers and contestants for the match at Erin Hills. Jennifer Song, wearing a lime green top and navy blue Korea hat, played first, striping a drive down the middle of the par-5 hole. Tiffany Joh, sporting her UCLA colors (navy blue hat and navy shirt), was next and she also hit a perfect drive into the fairway. More updates in a bit.

Posted By David Shefter At 9:05 AM • Comments (158) Trackbacks (0)

Final Day

Good morning and welcome to the final match of the 2008 WAPL. It's USC versus UCLA with incoming Trojan freshman Jennifer Song facing UCLA senior-to-be Tiffany Joh in a scheduled 36-hole match. Last night we had a few thunderstorms roll through, but everything looks OK this morning. There are some lingering clouds and it's a little humid. Let's hope we can get through the final without any interruptions from Mother Nature. With the help of our summer media relations intern, Kent Zakour, we're going to try to blog the championship match with running updates. So if you can't get to the course or live outside the Milwaukee area and are interested in following the final, we'll try to bring it as close to you as possible. Well I am off to the first tee to watch our competitors fire the first shots of the championship match.

Posted By David Shefter At 8:45 AM • Comments (168) Trackbacks (0)

Friday, June 20, 2008

Day 5 Wrap

Well, we got all the golf in today without any weather delays. Things definitely cooled down in the afternoon as a front began making its way toward Erin Hills. There was even a rumbling of thunder as the Jennifer Song/Stephanie Kono match concluded. Tomorrow, the weather should be similar: humid, hot and a chance of an isolated thunderstorm in the afternoon. Let's hope the only roars we hear are from the gallery for good shots. We have a UCLA-USC matchup with Bruins senior-to-be Tiffany Joh facing incoming Trojan Jennifer Song. Song eliminated Stephanie Kono in the semifinals, killing off the possibility of an all-UCLA final. Kono will be a freshman at UCLA in the fall. Tiffany Joh eliminated future Bruin Tiffany Lua in the semifinals. Lua will be on campus in 2009 after Joh has used up her eligibility. "We're different," said Tiffany Lua when talking about the other Tiffany. "She draws birds on her ball and I just have a straight line. She has a much different sense of humor." Joh said she has been having dinner at the same local restaurant all week: Fox and Hound since they have a 2-for-1 special. She wasn't sure if the same special would be available on Friday night. "We're a permanent fixture there," she said. "We get there and it's like, 'Tiffany for two?' And we're like, 'Yeah.'" You also had to feel sorry for Kono, who has come so close to getting to a USGA final. This was her 13th USGA championship and she now owns two semifinal bronze medals. She was in the final four at the 2007 U.S. Girls' Junior and at the 2007 WAPL, she reached the quarterfinals, only to see eventual champion Mina Harigae birdie the last two holes in regulation and the first extra hole to win the match. You have to figure the time will come for Kono, who would have gotten a U.S. Women's Amateur exemption with a win over Song. She will not compete in next week's Women's Open, an event she qualified for in 2006.

Posted By David Shefter At 5:51 PM • Comments (117) Trackbacks (0)

Educating Jennifer

Most of the elite golfers from Korea who come to the U.S. to play often turn professional by the time they reach college age. But Jennifer Song is not going that route. The 18-year-old decided to matriculate at the University of Southern California, where she'll be a member of the school's nationally ranked women's golf team. USC won the NCAA Division I title last month in New Mexico, edging rival UCLA by six strokes. Song said her parents wanted her to attend college and get an education. Her father is a professsor of fluid mechanics at Hongkin University. Her dad also received his phD from the University of Michigan, which is where Jennifer was born, giving her dual citizenship (Korea and U.S.). Her father returned to the University of Michigan for a sabbatical while Jennifer was in the third grade. During that U.S. stay, Jennifer first started playing golf, spending winters indoor in the dome. When the family returned to Korea, she stopped playing briefly but took it up seriously again six years ago. Last year, she made her USGA debut in the U.S. Women's Open, sharing low-amateur honors at Pine Needles with Jennie Lee, a member of the last two USA Curtis Cup teams. Song also reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Women's Amateur and competed in the U.S. Girls' Junior. And on Saturday, Song will be facing her second straight Bruin. UCLA and USC have a bitter rivalrly, but the women's golf teams seem to get along just fine. UCLA senior-to-be Tiffany Joh, Song's opponent in the WAPL final at Erin Hills, said it's not uncommon for the teams to go out for Korean barbeque on a weekly basis. If anything the final is an interesting dichotomy. Song is very serious, while Joh loves to crack jokes. This is not to say Joh doesn't get serious on the golf course. She just has a different demeanor. This should be an outstanding 36-hole final. Hope to see a lot of people out at Erin Hills on Saturday.

Posted By David Shefter At 5:51 PM • Comments (67) Trackbacks (0)

Minor Detour

Tiffany Lua said Friday that she won't be going directly from Erin Hills to Interlachen C.C. for the U.S. Women's Open. Lua instead will fly back to southern California to attend a special birthday for her grandfather and then return to the Midwest in time for the Women's Open, which will be Lua's second consecutive appearance at that championship. "I can't wait because there's going to be some good food," said Lua. Lua listed on her media bio sheet that she loves food, especially Japanese cuisine, creme brulee and yogurt.

Posted By David Shefter At 5:51 PM • Comments (96) Trackbacks (0)

Tearing It Up

Tiffany Joh birdied six of the first seven holes of her semifinal match to build a 6-up lead, but Tiffany Lua has rallied to cut the deficit to 3 up, including an eagle at No. 10 and a birdie at the 12th, but Joh has since gone back up to 4 up.
Posted By David Shefter At 12:11 PM • Comments (71) Trackbacks (0)

Loving L.A.

Where is Randy Newman when you need him? At the 2008 WAPL, we have an all-Los Angeles semifinal, sort of. Korea's Jennifer Song will be attending the University of Southern California in the fall, while three current and future UCLA Bruins make up the other three semifinalists: senior-to-be Tiffany Joh, incoming freshman Stephanie Kono and 2009 freshman Tiffany Lua, who has made a verbal commitment to Coach Carrie Forsyth. The only thing we're missing now is freeway traffic, smog and In-N-Out Burger. Come to think of it, I am missing In-N-Out. Anyone want to send me a Double-Double?

Posted By David Shefter At 12:11 PM • Comments (85) Trackbacks (0)

Hanging Around

Usually when players get eliminated at USGA events, they hustle to change plane reservations and get out of town as quickly as possible, most likely to the next competition. But a few players have hung around Erin Hills this week to either take in the action or get some extra practice time in (they can use driving range and putting green). Sydnee Michaels, who was beaten in the second round by Tiffany Joh, was working on her putting this morning. Michaels is headed to Edina, Minn., next week for the U.S. Women's Open. It will be her third consecutive trip to the Open. Co-medalist Lizette Salas was out watching Lee Lopez. Salas, who will be a sophomore at the University of Southern California, grew up in Azusa, Calif., not far from Lopez's hometown of Whittier. Lopez will play for Long Beach State in the fall. And Ani Gulugian of Irvine, Calif., was also seen watching play. Yesterday, a handful of players were on the course. Jenny Lee and Rebecca Kim were taking in golf. Lee was wearing her earmuffs, which help protect against the wind and act as a good luck charm. The 18-year-old is still undecided about school. She graduated last year from La Canada High and spent the past year helping out her parents at their sushi restaurant in Westwood, Calif.

Posted By David Shefter At 12:11 PM • Comments (145) Trackbacks (0)

Joh In A Battle

Just came back from my favorite viewing spot -- above the eighth hole and near the ninth and 10th tees -- and 2006 WAPL champion Tiffany Joh is in a real battle with 18-year-old Lee Lopez. Joh had a 2-up lead but saw it evaporate by the turn. She failed to get up and down from the greenside bunker at the ninth. Both players missed birdie chances at No. 11 as well (you can view the 11th green from that spot too). Looks like this match will go right down to the final holes.

Posted By David Shefter At 12:11 PM • Comments (110) Trackbacks (0)

Sticker Today

For the first time since I arrived on Monday, we have some humidity in the air. There's a chance we could get an afternoon thunderstorm, but we're hoping Mother Nature will hold off until after play. Temperatures are expected to rise into the 80s today. The last three days, we've had ideal conditions and it's been a pleasure to walk the course. Hopefully, we'll see more spectators today and tomorrow. The crowds so far have been a little sparse. Part of it could be the location since we are 30 miles from downtown Milwaukee. Part of it also is we're playing matches during the middle of the week and a lot of people work. Maybe this afternoon if the weather holds up, we'll see a nice gallery for the semifinals. For those thinking about coming to Erin Hills, the admission is free, the parking is free and the golf is outstanding. These females definitely can play.

Posted By David Shefter At 10:15 AM • Comments (14) Trackbacks (0)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Day 4 Wrapup

We're beginning to wind things down here in the media room after another perfect day of golf. There are just eight players remaining, which is the only sad thing when you cover USGA amateur championships. You start with 156 players and all these storylines and then you just whittle away the field until there are just two remaining. It's great to crown a champion, but it's also tough to say good bye to so many friendly and nice competitors. That's the beauty of amateur golf. The players are always accessible and are more than willing to give up a few minutes to chat. The first quarterfinal should be a dandy between Stephanie Kono and Michelle Shin. This Kono's 13th USGA championship. Mina Harigae was also playing in her 13th last year in Lexington, Ky., when she won. Good karma? Maybe. Michelle Shin is no stranger to USGA competition, either. She has reached at least the quarters in three of her last four USGA championships. A win tomorrow would get her a third semifinal appearance as well, having advanced to the final four in the 2007 WAPL and U.S. Girls' Junior. Lauren Doughtie faces Jennifer Song in the second quarter. Song has the experience, but Doughtie has just slowly cruised along without much fanfare, despite being the No. 4 qualifier from stroke play. Tiffany Lua was the medalist last year at the WAPL and now she is into the quarterfinals against fellow 17-year-old Stacey Kim. And 2006 WAPL champion Tiffany Joh brings up the rear in the last quarterfinal against Lee Lopez. It's supposed to get more humid here tomorrow and there's a chance of rain. But so far this week, it's been downright perfect for golf.

Posted By David Shefter At 9:08 PM • Comments (80) Trackbacks (0)

Return Engagement

While many of the marquee players have been eliminated from the 2008 WAPL, two quarterfinalists from 2008 have made it back to the round of eight. That would be Stephanie Kono and Michelle Shin, who will now play each other Friday for a spot in the final four. Shin reached the semifinals before losing to eventual runner-up Stephany Fleet. Kono, who was the No. 64 qualifier into match play, was 2 up with two to play against Mina Harigae and watched the eventual champion go birdie-birdie-birdie to win the match on the 19th hole. Both are playing well through three rounds at Erin Hills. It should be a heavyweight battle between two of the better teenage golfers in the country. Kono is headed to UCLA in the fall and Shin has verbally committed to attend Wake Forest next fall.

Posted By David Shefter At 6:45 PM • Comments (90) Trackbacks (0)

Green As Gold

Jaye Marie Green continues to show maturity beyond her years. Green advanced to the round of 16 with a 1-up win over Rebecca Kim, who just recently announced she is leaving Duke University. Green has a major task this afternoon against 2006 WAPL champion Tiffany Joh. Joh was the individual runner-up at the recent NCAAs in New Mexico and helped the USA retain the Curtis Cup for a sixth consecutive time. This will be a classic veteran vs. rookie matchup. At 14, Green is the youngest remaining player in the field. Julie Yang, 12, was the youngest to qualify and 14-year-old Aurora Kan also made the draw. Both of those players were eliminated in the first round.

Posted By David Shefter At 3:37 PM • Comments (741) Trackbacks (0)

Cup Of Joh

Make mine a hot chocolate. That was the friendly wager between UCLA teammates Tiffany Joh and Sydnee Michaels. Neither really wanted to face each other, but that's how the match-play draw played out. Joh, the2006 WAPL champion, pulled out a 3-and-2 victory to advance to the round of 16. She will collect her prize when the two return to summer school in a few weeks. Joh actually was crying when the match was over. She said half of her wanted Sydnee to win. Joh also is the last remaining member of the USA Curtis Cup left in the field. Five from the 2008 squad competed at Erin Hills this week and when Jennie Lee lost her second-round match Thursday to Tiffany Lua, Joh remained the last one to carry the banner. Meanwhile, Michaels does have a nice consolation prize. She will head from here to the U.S. Women's Open next week at Interlachen C.C. outside of Minneapolis. It will be her second consecutive Women's Open start. She said playing Erin Hills was ideal preparation for the conditions she will see next week. And you can bet Joh will be rooting her on from afar.

Posted By David Shefter At 2:47 PM • Comments (101) Trackbacks (0)

Do En Fuego

Brianna Do of Lakewood, Calif., who will attend UCLA in the fall, is on fire right now on the course. She was 4 down to Stacey Kim of Columbus, Ga., through six holes, but has since rallied to square the match after 11, making four birdies in a five-hole stretch, one of which was for a halve on the par-5 10th. Yesterday, we saw Katie Kempter rally from 4 down on the second nine to force extra holes, only to lose at the 20th hole. It's the ebb and flow of match play.

Posted By David Shefter At 12:45 PM •