Kim Ousts Defending Champ Harman in Quarterfinal Match at Junior Amateur

 

Fourtenn-year-old David Chung of Fayetteville, N.C., one-putted four of the last six holes in his comeback win.  (John Mummert/USGA)

San Francisco - Korean-born Sihwan Kim, 15, of Fullerton, Calif. won the 16 th hole of his quarterfinal match with a 10-foot birdie putt and it was enough to oust defending champion Brian Harman, 17, of Savannah, Ga., Friday morning. Kim is one of four who advanced to the afternoon's semifinal round of the U.S. Junior Amateur at The Olympic Club.

 

Neither player held more than a 1-hole advantage in the match. Harman was seeking to become only the second golfer to win back-to-back Junior Amateur titles. The other was Tiger Woods, who won the Junior Amateur from 1991-93.

 

"I didn't think I could beat Brian Harman ," said Kim, who moved to California from Seoul, Korea, four years ago.

 

"I got the medalist medal, but it doesn't look near as good as that big trophy I had last year," said Harman. "It's hitting me pretty hard right now," he continued, fighting back tears.

 

"I played poorly, and I knew if I didn't play well it was going to be a close match."

 

Others who advanced to the semifinal round were Jon Curran, 17, of Hopkinton, Mass. ; David Chung, 14, of Fayetteville, N.C. ; and Sung Kang, 17, of Korea .

 

Curran, who survived a playoff Tuesday just to advance into match play, won three of four holes with pars to take a 3-up advantage through 12 holes on Juan Pablo Candela, 16, of Colombia, before escaping with a 2-up win.

 

Robert Riesen, 17, of Pinehurst, N.C., won four consecutive holes to pull away from Chung, a 5-foot-5 105-pounder who sports a bucket hat for good luck Riesen held a 5-up lead after 11 holes before Chung rallied to win five of the last seven holes of regulation. He squared the match with a 12-foot downhill birdie putt on the 18 th and won it by making a 15-footer for birdie on the first extra hole. He one-puuted four of the last six holes in his match.

Kang made his move with a winning birdie on the sixth hole. He went 2-up with a par on the eighth hole and won going away, 4 and 3, over Tim McKenney, 16, of Scottsdale, Ariz.

 

"I want to win," said Kang. "I had a good experience last week (he reached the semifinal round of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship). I lost to Ryan Moore, the NCAA champion. This is my last chance here." Kang will be too old to compete in the Junior Amateur next summer.

 

Play continues with the semifinal rounds on Friday afternoon. The 18-hole championship final is scheduled for Saturday. The winner receives an exemption into the 2004 U.S. Amateur in August at Winged Foot (N.Y.) Golf Club plus an exemption from local qualifying for the next three U.S. Opens.

 

The Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

 

  

Story written by Craig Smith, director of media relations at the USGA. E-mail him with questions or comments at csmith@usga.org.

 

 

San Francisco - Results of Friday's quarterfinal round of match play at 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, at the par 35-35--70, 6,790-yard Olympic Club (Lakeside Course)

 

Sihwan Kim, Fullerton, Calif. (149) def. Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga. (133), 1 up.

Jon Curran, Hopkinton, Mass. (152) def. Juan Pablo Candela, Colombia (149), 2 up.

David Chung, Fayetteville, N.C. (148) def. Robert Riesen, Pinehurst, N.C. (151), 19 holes.

Sung Kang, Korea (142) def. Timothy McKenney, Scottsdale, Ariz. (148), 4 and 3.

 

 

Semifinal Pairings (Friday afternoon) (All times PDT)

1:30 p.m. - Kim vs. Curran

1:45 p.m. - Chung vs. Kang