O‘ahu’s Michelle Wie may have gotten off to a bad start at yesterday’s U.S. Women’s Open, but two of Hawai‘i’s top female amateurs still appear to be in the race. Hilo’s Kimberly Kim got off to a rough start with
O‘ahu’s Michelle Wie may have gotten off to a bad start at yesterday’s U.S. Women’s Open, but two of Hawai‘i’s top female amateurs still appear to be in the race.
Hilo’s Kimberly Kim got off to a rough start with a bogey on the first hole, but brought herself back to even with a birdie. It wasn’t until Kim’s triple bogey on third which brought her to 3-over did she start to play steady golf.
Kim made the turn at that score and bogeyed twice on the back nine. A birdie on the 18th kept her at 4-over 77. She sits 10 shots back from leaders Ji Young Oh and Pat Hurst (67).
Honolulu’s Cyd Okino is 6-over 79. Okino shot 38 on the front nine and had three consecutive bad scores on the back. She bogeyed No. 10 and 11 and double-bogeyed No. 12.
She went on to hit six straight pars to finish tied for 124 — 12 shots from the leaders but two ahead of Wie.
Kim will tee off today at 8:47 a.m. HST with Julieta Granada and Wie. Okino tees of at 9:31 a.m. HST with pros Kim Hall and Bomi Suh.
At the Buick Open at Warwick Hills, Kane‘ohe’s Dean Wilson and Honolulu’s Parker McLachlin are not far off the leaderboard.
Wilson is one of 15 golfers sitting at 3-under 69. Wilson had three birdies on the front, two of them coming right before the turn, and one on the back.
Wilson is currently five shots off leaders Corey Pavin, Bo Van Pelt and Dudley Hart.
McLachlin had a roller coaster of a back nine, going birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie, bogey to finish at 2-under 70.
McLachlin tees off today with Richard S. Johnson and Craig Barlow at 6:18 a.m. HST and Wilson tees off with Brian Gay and Troy Matteson at 6:36 a.m. HST.
For more coverage on the Women’s Open and the Buick Open, see page C4.
