ROSWELL, Ga. (AP) -- Medalist In-Kyung Kim and fellow teenager Morgan Pressel were among the 64 players who advanced Tuesday into the first round of match play in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.
Kim, 17, who won the recent U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, had a 3-under 71 Tuesday and led the 36-hole stroke competition with a 139 total. The native of Korea, who is attending the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, S.C., will be the top-seeded player in match play that starts Wednesday.
Pressel, also 17, finished at 2-under 142 after a 70 in the second round at Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek course. She was the runner-up in this year's U.S. Women's Open, losing when Birdie Kim holed a shot from a bunker on the 72nd hole.
Tuesday's low score was a 69 by Amanda McCurdy, the runner-up in last year's U.S. Women's Amateur. But only five players broke par, as Settindown Creek's greens began to firm up. Liz Janangelo and Anna Grzebian of NCAA champion Duke were among the most prominent players who failed to advance to match play.
Michelle Wie, the most prominent of the current amateurs, is not competing after playing in LPGA events in Europe the last two weeks. The 15-year-old from Hawaii tied for second at the Evian Masters and tied for third at the Weetabix Women's British Open.
Three players were tied at 141, including Duke signee Jennie Lee, Ashley Knoll of Texas A&M and Annie Thurman-Young, who recently completed her career at Oklahoma State and was a member of the victorious U.S. Curtis Cup team last year.
Young, 22, is among the older players left in the field. Only three are over 25.
"I kind of do feel old,'' Young said after a 71, one of just five sub-par scores Tuesday. "It doesn't seem like there's a lot of college players out here this week.''
This will be Young's last amateur appearance, as she turns pro next week and will compete on the LPGA Futures Tour.
"I needed to get better,'' she said of her decision to delay turning pro until after the Women's Amateur. "I wasn't ready to turn pro. I wanted to give this one more shot. I didn't make match play last year.''
Pressel has match play experience but admits she prefers stroke play.
"I've done pretty well in match play events, but there's a little bit of luck with the draw, and you have to win six matches,'' she said. The farthest she has advanced in the Women's Amateur is the quarterfinals.
The top 64 players in the stroke-play portion advance to match play, but that field won't be finalized until Wednesday morning. Eight players at 10-over 154 were fighting for five spots in the match play, but darkness forced the suspension of play.
Taylor Leon and Mallorie Underwood were eliminated on the first playoff hole. The six remaining players will return to Settindown Creek at 7:05 a.m. ET Wednesday to round out the field of 64.
Kim tallied four birdies and three bogeys in her round on Tuesday and, playing in her fifth women's competition, won't change her strategy once the match play starts.
"I'll play no differently than I did in stroke play," said Kim, who swept six matches en route to victory last month at the Girls' Junior Championship at BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho. "I like match play."
"Obviously, anything can happen so I've got to be ready to get through those six matches," Pressel said. "It's a long week. Well, hopefully it's a long week."
Defending champion Jane Park carded a 3-over-par 75 on Tuesday, but easily qualified for match play. She finished two rounds at 2-over-par 146 and tied for 15th.
"I feel good, but my putting was very defensive today and I've got to putt a lot more aggressively tomorrow because that's what match play is all about," said Park.
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