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JUNE 25, 2012
Kim Wins WAPL In Battle Of Teens
Corpuz, 14, Sets Another Record
NESHANIC STATION, NEW JERSEY | Allisen
Corpuz, a 14-year-old from Honolulu, got to the
round of 16 at the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public
Links, losing 2 and 1 to Kim Kaufman of Clark, S.D.
She was the youngest player in the field and holds the
record for being the youngest competitor to compete
in the WAPL ( 10 years old in 2008).
“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about that (being the
youngest),” Corpuz said while playing with her hair.
“I was just trying to see how far I could advance in
the matches. This was my first time playing after the
first round, so I was pretty happy about that.
“I was so nervous. It wasn’t just about my age,”
she continued. “I was just really impressed with
everyone and everything at the tournament.”
“I made the semifinals last year, so it’s giving me
a bit more confidence going into (Friday) knowing
that I’ve advanced this far before,” she said.
At age 20, Kaufman is a WAPL veteran compet-
ing in her fourth championship. “(Thursday) I played
(Corpuz), who was going to be a freshman in high
school, and I was like, ‘Are you kidding?’ ” Kaufman
said. “Yes, I am the older one, but I don’t feel old.
They’re just so good, so young now.”
Kaufman, though, was able to draw on whatever
experience advantage she may possess in rebound-
ing on the inward nine of Neshanic Valley Golf
Course for a 2-and- 1 victory over Chirapat Jao-
Annie Park returned to the WAPL after having lost
to the eventual winner in the past two championships.
NESHANIC STATION, NEW JERSEY | Kyung
Kim put up 10 birdies in 34 holes and came out
the winner in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public
Links on Saturday, winning 4 and 2 over Ashlan
Ramsey at Neshanic Valley Golf Course.
It marks the first time since 2007 that a
non-collegiate player has won the title. The
18-year-old Kim enters the University of
Southern California as a freshman in the fall.
“I just can’t believe it,” Kim said. “It was a
long week, but to be finally done and to win,
it’s pretty amazing.”
Kim, who was born in Korea and lives in
Chandler, Ariz., was in her first match-play
final, as was the 16-year-old Ramsey of
Milledgeville, Ga. The match was a birdie-fest,
as Ramsey made eight birdies on her own.
“I didn’t know I had 10 birdies,” said Kim.
“That’s so much.”
Even with such a high number of birdies,
Ramsey said she never got any momentum
going.
“Kyung obviously played better than me,
but I think the difference was she made more
putts than I did,” Ramsey said.
After a slow start, both players birdied
the fourth and Ramsey took her first and
only lead in the match, 1 up, with birdies at
the sixth and seventh. Ramsey was delayed
checking out of her hotel this morning and
arrived at the course later than usual.
“I was a little bit rushed coming to the
course and just didn’t really have that great
of a warm-up,” Ramsey said. “It took me
three holes to find my game, settle in and
not be nervous.”
At the par- 5 ninth Kim caught fire, making
the first of four straight birdies and jumping
into a 2-up lead. During that run, Kim made
putts totaling more than 100 feet, sinking a
25-footer at the ninth and draining a 40-footer
at the 10th. On the 11th, she birdied from 30
feet. Her last was a five-footer on the 12th.
“I thought, ‘Dang, I guess my putts can go
in,’ ” Kim said. “I had been lipping out a lot.”
Both players made birdies on the par- 5 14th.
Kim’s dad, Douglas, caddied and worked to
keep his daughter calm during the final match.
“He just told me to breathe, slow down my
tempo and hit the ball like I practiced,” Kim said.
Before the match, Ramsey and Kim had
both declared a strategy of “fairways and
greens.” Their encounter took on a more dramatic shape. With the usual match-play concessions, Kim was 4-under par and Ramsey
3-under par after a smattering of bogeys in
the morning 18.
RESULTS: STROKE PLAY | MATCH PLAY
Staff and Wire Reports
Allisen Corpuz
