Wren Takes Wing in Amateur

Tim Wren of Oxnard shot 71-71--142 on Monday at Bakersfield Country Club and earned one of three berths available in sectional qualifying for the 99th U.S. Amateur Championship on Aug. 16-22 at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Tim Hogarth of Chatsworth, who won the California Amateur last month at Pebble Beach, wasn’t as fortunate.

Hogarth shot 70-72--142 but lost on the fourth hole of a playoff with Wren, John Pate of Santa Barbara, who totaled 70-72--142, and Randy Cross of Bakersfield, who finished at 74-68--142.

After all four made pars on the first two holes, Pate and Hogarth made bogeys on the third playoff hole while Wren and Cross made pars to qualify.

Pate, who recently won the 100th Southern California Amateur, and Hogarth continued on to a fourth extra hole, where Hogarth made another bogey and Pate qualified with a par.

Hogarth and Anthony Marciano of Simi Valley, who finished fifth at 75-68--143, are listed as alternates.

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Krystal Shearer of Northridge is going to the 99th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship after all.

Shearer, a senior at Alemany High, tied for 17th place in sectional qualifying at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa on July 19, where the top 16 players received berths in the Women’s Amateur.

After winning a three-way playoff with a 20-foot birdie putt, Shearer was listed as first alternate, but most alternates never get the call.

However, United States Golf Assn. officials phoned Shearer last Friday with the news that a qualifier withdrew and she was in.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur will be played Aug. 9-14 at Biltmore Forest Country Club, designed by famed architect Donald Ross and opened in 1922, in Asheville, N.C.

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Medalist Sonny Nimkhum of Cerritos eliminated Anthony Kim of Studio City on Thursday in the first round of match play of the 52nd annual U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Country Club of York in York, Pa.

Kim, 14, youngest player in the championship, earned the final spot in match play when he survived a playoff with 10 others on Thursday.

Daniel Wallis of Los Gatos and Kim were the only players to birdie the first playoff hole and Kim, who shot 74-73--147 in qualifying, advanced with a par on the second hole.

Brian Edick of Valencia shot 74-73--147 and lost out in the playoff.

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Scott Fulkerson of Simi Valley finished second in a five-way playoff Tuesday in the Southern California PGA’s Junior Tour Toyota Cup Series at PGA West in La Quinta.

Fulkerson, 16, shot 74-72--146 and finished behind Daniel Kush of Tustin, who finished at 70-76--146 and won on the third playoff hole.

Also in the playoff were John Poucher of Santa Barbara, who totaled 70-76--146, Travis Johnson of Bellflower, who wound up at 71-75--146, and Peter Tomasulo of Long Beach, who shot 72-74--146.

Brian O’Flaherty of Westlake Village finished at 81-74--155, Chris McLaughlin of Simi Valley was at 79-77--156, Jeffrey Osborn of Glendale shot 79-78--157, Mark Modglin of Simi Valley totaled 77-75--162 and Brent Flickinger of Agoura Hills came in at 83-88--171.

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Hana Kim of Encino shot 73-71-75--219 and tied for ninth in the American Junior Golf Assn.’s McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls’ National Championship at Wilmington, Del.

Ina Kim of Encino finished at 77-74-74--225 and Saki Uechi of Panorama City totaled 86-88-83--257.