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They are calling Meg Mallon "Captain America" as the 14th Solheim Cup gets closer. Michelle Wie might simply want Mallon to call when the U.S. team is named before the cup is played, Aug. 16-18 at Colorado Golf Club, south of Denver.
The top eight U.S. players based on Solheim points automatically qualify. This week, that would be Stacy Lewis, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lincicome, Lexi Thompson, Lizette Salas and Jessica Korda. Wie is 14th.
From there, the next two spots are given to the Americans highest in the Rolex Rankings not already qualified — now Brittany Lang and Gerina Piller. Wie has plummeted to 96th in the world and is 18th among U.S. players — just ahead of Natalie Gulbis and six spots behind Morgan Pressel, two other struggling Americans.
Mallon selects the final two, and knows precisely what she is looking for. It is hard to put into words.
"We have a lot of young players playing really well," Mallon said by phone, "but there’s a difference between playing well and finishing 10th to 20th and actually competing in a tournament and winning.
"There’s nothing like Solheim Cup, nothing you could ever compete in like it. I’m looking for two players who can handle being a pick and playing their best at that time. If that’s Michelle Wie that’s great, a bonus. Michelle knows what she has to do. Other veterans like Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis have been there before and are on the outside looking in now, too."
Wie has played in the past two Solheim Cups, going 3-0-1as a rookie and 1-3-0 in 2011. The Punahou and Stanford graduate desperately wants to play again, and realizes what a huge turnaround it will take. The two-time LPGA winner made just 13 cuts in 2012. This week’s Mobile Bay LPGA Classic will be her 10th start of 2013. She has made five cuts and $33,000 — 72nd on the money list.
Mallon is clearly not counting her out.
"The hardest part of this is who you are picking and who does not make the team," she said. "I was in that position before in 2009 as an assistant and it was a really tough experience. I love all those guys and I’m cheering for them.
"On the other hand, I was on eight teams and I was never a captain’s pick so I have no sympathy. You have two years to make it on points and that’s how it should be."
Maui player helps USC win
Former Maui resident Kyung Kim, Southern California’s No. 5 player, closed the NCAA Women’s Golf West Regional on Sunday with a 63 to help the Trojans win the team title. Kim tied for third individually.
Former state high school champion Cassy Isagawa, also from Maui, tied for fifth to help Oregon finish sixth and advance to its eighth NCAA Championship.
Men’s regionals begin today, with Justin Keiley (Brigham Young) and Saengjae Maeng (Pacific) joining Taeksoo Kim (Boise State) — who earned an individual spot — at Pullman, Wash. David Fink will be at the Tallahassee, Fla., regional with Oregon State.
University of Hawaii Hilo missed qualifying for the NCAA D-II nationals by one shot, but sophomore Dalen Yamauchi was one of two individuals selected to advance. The Waiakea graduate finished fifth.
The national championship is Monday-Friday at Hershey Country Club in Pennsylvania.
U.S. Women’s Open qualifier Monday
Four golfers from Japan, two each from Chinese Taipei and the mainland and 25 from Hawaii will play Monday’s U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier at Waialae Country Club. The winner gets a slot in next month’s tournament, at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
There are fourHawaii state high school champions in the field — Kristina Merkle, Eimi Koga, Kacie Komoto and Mariel Galdiano, who qualified for the Open two years ago, at age 12. USGA champ Kimberly Kim, State Open champ Tamara Surtees and state high school runner-up Ciera Min are coming over from the Big Island. James Madison graduate Nicole Sakamoto and Punahou freshman Allisen Corpuz, who have won state women’s majors, are also playing. So are 12-year-old Aneka Seumanutafa and 22-year-old JLPGA pro Mina Nakayama, who won the qualifier last year.
Golfers play 36 holes, starting at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. They play from white tees, at 6,465 yards.
EXTRA DIVOTS
» St. Anthony graduate Taeksoo Kim won the U.S. Open local qualifier at Nampa, Idaho, last week, shooting 66. Kim is a senior at Boise State. Leilehua graduate Kevin Warrick advanced to sectionals last Thursday, firing a 69 in the local qualifier at Lake Wales Country Club in Florida. Moanalua graduate Tadd Fujikawa birdied the last hole to shoot 69 Friday at Wallace, N.C.. It turned out to be one shot short as Fujikawa finished seventh in the field of 120. The top six advanced. The 113th U.S. Open is June 13-16 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.
» Entry deadlines are approaching for the U.S. Amateur Public Links (May 22), girls and boys U.S. Junior Amateur events (May 29) and the U.S. Senior Open (June 5). Applications are available at usga.org.
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