July 26--Angel Yin of Arcadia lost to South Korea's Eun Jeong Seong, 3 and 2, in the 36-hole final of the U.S. Girls' Junior golf championship Saturday in Tulsa, Okla.
Yin, a 16-year-old who is ranked eighth in the world among amateurs, was eliminated on the 34th hole at the Tulsa Country Club when Seong made a par putt at the 533-yard, par-five 16th hole.
Yin took the lead with a birdie on the first hole of the day before Seong, a 15-year-old ranked No. 41 in the world, took control of the match by winning four of the next five holes for a 3-up lead.
Seong led 5-up with back-to-back birdies on the par-four 11th and 12th holes and a par on the par-three 14th. Yin immediately answered with a birdie at the par-four 15th, but she could get no closer in the morning round.
In the afternoon round, Yin cut Seong's lead to 3-up on the front nine with a pair of birdies and 2-up with a par at No. 10, but that's as close as Yin could get on the back nine before Seong clinched the victory.
"The first 18 was tough," Yin said. "I don't think I played that well, and I kind of just -- estimating my score, I was like three over. I can say that was like the worst round I played all week."
Yin admitted the heat might have gotten to her.
"I know I have the game because I've been fixing it, and then I came here, and then the heat took me," Yin said. "I'm physically not up with this, especially with the weather."
Seong, who finished second in last year's U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links tournament, said her mother gave her some advice earlier in the week.
"I'm happy. I'm very happy," Seong said. "I thank my mom, who is in Korea. She cannot sleep because she's watching the cellphone. She said every day, 'Cheer up, cheer up and enjoy playing.'"
Wire and Internet reports contributed to this story.
