Pueblo – There is nothing average about Tiffany Joh.
The UCLA sophomore was impressive Sunday while dispatching 14-year- old Hawaiian Kimberly Kim 6 and 5 at Walking Stick Golf Course in the championship match of the 30th United States Women’s Amateur Public Links.
Joh played 31 holes Sunday and blistered the course with 10 birdies, an eagle and just one bogey.
“Really, 11-under? I had no idea,” said Joh when she learned how well she actually played.
“I knew even par was not going to beat her, and plus I really didn’t expect to be here, so I’ll take it and run.”
After playing the first 18 holes in just more than three hours, Joh carried a 2-up lead into the final 18 holes. She wasted little time putting the pressure on Kim.
On the par-4 second hole, Joh stuck a short iron to within 6 feet and rolled in the first of four straight birdies. On No. 3, Joh’s birdie was conceded to her after she stopped a gap wedge to within 6 inches.
“I honestly knew that she was going to have six or seven really good shots today, and I was just going to have to sit back and say, ‘Wow, she’s really good,”‘ said Joh, who played the 13 holes of her second round in 7-under. “I just felt super-duper blessed today.”
Kim’s best shots came early in the first 18. Kim, who will compete at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I., chipped in for eagle at the par-5 fourth to square the match.
She also pitched in on No. 6 in the second round to end Joh’s run of four straight holes won.
“She just kept putting more birdies on me, and I missed a lot of opportunities,” said Kim, who drove the green on the 326-yard, par-4 ninth hole. “She just played an excellent round of golf.”
Kim cut Joh’s lead to 4-up turning for home the final time, but a three-putt bogey on No. 10 quickly moved it back to 5-up.
Then on the 401-yard, par-4 11th, Joh hit the shot of the day, a 116-yard gap wedge that took one hop and spun due left into the hole for an eagle. That gave her a 6-up lead with seven holes to play.
“Even still, you never know, she could still go out and make six birdies in a row,” Joh said. “I still wasn’t close to having it in the bag.”
Kim made an 8-foot par putt on No. 12 to keep the match alive, but with Joh dormie-6, she just needed to halve one more hole to end the match.
A 7-foot par putt sealed it on the next hole.
Joh earns a 10-year exemption to the women’s WAPL and two years to the U.S. Amateur. Kim gets a three-year exemption to the WAPL and is exempt for this year’s U.S. Amateur at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club near Portland, Ore.
At Walking Stick Golf Course
6,263 yards, par 72
Match-play championship (36 holes)
Tiffany Joh (138), San Diego, def. Kimberly Kim (149), Hilo, Hawaii, 6 and 5.
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-820-5446 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
