Won Moves Into Spotlight With Success

Angela Won prefers to maintain a low profile, so you can imagine her discomfort when complete strangers approach and say they saw her on TV.

Or when college coaches ask for information. Or any of the other attention she has received over the past four days.

But after advancing to the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship last week at Pumpkin Ridge in North Plains, Ore., she’s going to have to get used to it.

“I don’t even know them and they come up to me and say, ‘Congratulations,’ ” said Won, who will be a junior at University High in the fall. “I don’t know what to do. I just say, ‘Thank you.’ ”

Won, playing in a national event for the first time, shot 78-82--160 and made the cut for match play by one stroke. She was down three holes early in her first match with Stanford-bound Angela Rho of Fullerton, ranked No. 17 in the nation, before finding her swing.

“I said, ‘Oh, she’s a good player and I’m already three down,’ ” Won said. “I just relaxed and tried to have fun and then I started hitting it well. All of a sudden I won four holes in a row and she got the pressure.”

The two were all square after 18 and Won made a par on the first extra hole to win. She went on to defeat Yunny Cho of Florida, ranked No. 9, Christy Larrimore of Maryland and Erica Blasberg of Corona, the stroke-play medalist and ranked No. 7.

Her run came to an end in the televised semifinal when Lisa Ferrero of Lodi, ranked No. 11, defeated Won, 4 and 2.

“It was hard,” Won said. “I just wanted to win one or two matches.”

Won, who plans on making her AJGA debut this month in Alabama, laughed about the attention she’s getting. She said the only way it is going to affect her is on the course.

“I think I have more confidence now,” she said.

FUTURES VICTORY

Heather Zakhar of Coto de Caza won on the Futures Tour for the second time in three weeks, shooting 68-67-74--209 last week in the York Newspaper Company Futures Classic at Briarwood Golf Club in York, Pa.

Zakhar had a three-shot lead entering the final round, but trailed by one with two holes to play. She won by a stroke when Dodie Mazzuca of Santa Cruz made a double bogey on the last hole.

Zakhar earned $8,400 for the victory and moved into seventh place on the Futures Tour money list with one tournament left to qualify for the LPGA Tour. The top three earn automatic exemptions on the LPGA Tour next year, and the fourth through 10th golfers earn a berth in the final stage of qualifying school.

Zakhar is $4,963 away from third place and needs at least a third-place finish in the Betty Puskar Classic, Thursday-Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va.

Zakhar has finished in the top 15 in six of the last nine Futures Tour events.

BATEMAN SECOND

Ahmad Bateman of Huntington Beach earned the largest paycheck of his career, winning $54,000 for finishing second Sunday to David Berganio in the Buy.com Omaha Classic at the Champions Club in Nebraska.

Bateman, who earned $36,000 when he won an event on the tour in 1997, had a chance to win with a six-foot par putt on the final hole of regulation, but missed and the two went into a playoff tied at 20-under-par 268. On the second playoff hole, Bateman missed a similar putt for par that gave Berganio the victory.

LEE RALLIES

Stella Lee of Irvine erased a one-shot deficit heading into the final round and won an AJGA tournament by eight shots last week at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

It was the first AJGA victory for Lee, who shot 75-75-71--221. Lee, who will be a senior at Irvine High, had a previous best AJGA seventh-place finish two weeks ago in Abilene, Texas.

NOTEWORTHY

Michael Wanamaker of Costa Mesa, Rick Nolan of Aliso Viejo and Steve Martin of Brea qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship Monday at Eagle Glen in Corona. . . . Daniel Kush of Tustin, who will be a junior at Newport Harbor High, shot three-under-par 69 Tuesday and has a two-stroke lead after the first round of an AJGA tournament at Kansas City (Mo.) Country Club. . . . Jennie Lee of Huntington Beach shot one-over-par 72 and has a one-shot lead in the AJGA Junior All-Star Classic at Angel Park in Las Vegas. Joseph Kim of Laguna Niguel is in second place in the boys’ division after a one-under-par 70.