Neisen, Danielson Squeak Through to Match Play at U.S. Women's Am

View full size image

CLEVELAND -- Hyo-Joo Kim, a 17-year-old from Korea, shot 68 for the second day in a row at The Country Club on Tuesday, and the resulting 36-hole total of 136 was good enough to make her the medalist in the stroke-play qualifying portion of the U.S. Women's Amateur.

The first-round leader, 15-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand, hit all 18 greens in regulation but had 36 putts and couldn't make any birdies on the back nine, which meant a 71 and second place at 137.

They and the next 62 qualifiers will move on to the match-play portion of the tournament. It begins Wednesday.

Two players -- 16-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and 17-year-old Californian Alison Lee -- tied for third with 139's. Jutanugarn, the 2011 U.S. Junior Girls medalist/champion (she repeated as medalist this year, but lost in the semifinals), earned her share of third with a second-round 68.

Amy Anderson, the North Dakota State star (she's won 15 tournaments in three years with the Bison), followed an opening 74 with a 72, and her 136 tied for 32nd place. 

Meanwhile, two area high school girls barely got through.

McKenzie Neisen, who nearly capped off her sophomore year at New Prague with a state Class AAA championship (she made a double bogey on the last hole and lost by two), was tied for fifth after Round 1, but a 79 in Round 2 put her at 149 and in a 15-way tie for 51st.

What a 15-way tie for 51st means, for the uninitiated, is that 15 players played off for the last 14 spots.

Casey Danielson, the three-time Wisconsin high school champ from Osceola, shot a 75 and also wound up at 149.

Both Neisen and Danielson survived the playoff.   

U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION

U.S. Women's Amateur

At The Country Club

Par 72, 6,416 yards

Cleveland

Final Stroke-Play Qualifying results (the top 64 players after 36 holes advance to match play)

1. Hyo-Joo Kim, Korea                                         68-68--136

2. Lydia Ko, New Zealand                                   66-71--137

T3. Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif.                           68-71--139

T3. Ariya Jutanugarn, Thailand                          71-68--139

T32. Amy Anderson, Oxbow, N.D.                   74-72--146

T51. McKenzie Neisen, New Prague               70-79--149 (survived 15-for-14 playoff)

T51. Casey Danielson, Osceola, Wis.             74-75--149 (survived 15-for-14 playoff)

Did not qualify

T66. Maria Gabriela, Mexico                             74-76--150 

T99. Steffi Neisen, New Prague                       78-77--155

T146. Susan Kirschenman, Huxley, Iowa     82-81--163