Booth Stays Calm, Wins 2 Matches : Golf: She survives tough test, advances to semifinals for second year at USGA Girls’ Junior.

COSTA MESA —  Watching Kellee Booth on a roll in a golf tournament is an impressive sight. It’s as if she can’t wait to hit her next shot.

She walks so quickly up the fairway her caddie is often left in the dust.

Her opponents usually suffer a similar fate on the scorecard, but Thursday in the quarterfinals of the USGA Girls’ Junior Championship at Mesa Verde Country Club, Booth’s gait wasn’t quite so purposeful.

Jody Niemann of Rigby, Ida., was giving Booth of Coto de Caza her toughest match of the week.

Niemann, 16, who made the Girls’ Junior cut for the first time, had pulled even with five holes to go.

Booth, nine-under in her previous four rounds, was above-par and none too happy with her play.

But Booth, 17 and a semifinalist in this championship last year, made enough crucial shots to outlast Niemann, 2-up, and move into the final four again.

Booth will face Kelli Kuehne of McKinney, Tex., this morning. Kuehne beat Skyli Yamada of Sandy, Utah, 5 and 3, in the quarterfinals.

Erika Hayashida of Lima, Peru, ousted medalist Cristie Kerr of Miami, 2 and 1. Hayashida was medalist in the Junior Championship last year. In the other semifinal, Hayashida will meet Honolulu’s Anna Umemura, 14, who beat 14-year-old Grace Park of Phoenix with a seven-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole.

Booth said she was drained by her morning match against Keridwen Cornelius of Scottsdale, Ariz. Booth finally prevailed, 2 and 1.

“That took a lot out of me,” Booth said. “Having to shoot three-under to win only 2 and 1 was tough.”

So as she struggled through her afternoon round, she was grimacing.

Even so, her opponent was impressed. “I’m totally amazed what a good player she is,” Niemann said. “She played extremely well today even when she was upset with herself.”

Niemann helped Booth by three-putting 16 and 17.

“That turned around the whole thing,” Booth said. “It took some pressure off me.”

Booth moved one-up when Niemann missed a five-foot par putt on 16. But Booth really dodged a bullet on the 379-yard 17th.

Niemann, in the right rough after her drive, used a five-wood to clear the trees lining the fairway and dropped the shot on the green 20 feet from the pin.

Booth knocked her approach 20 yards beyond the green. Because of a tree in the way of her first shot, it took her two chips to get 15 feet from the flag.

After Niemann’s first putt went about five feet past the hole, Booth stepped up and made hers for a bogey. Then Niemann missed her par putt, and Booth remained a hole ahead with one to go.

Booth made par on the par-three 18th; Niemann missed the green with her tee shot and made four.

Afterward, Booth said she was relieved to advance.

“Had I played well, I think it would not have been such a tough match,” Booth said. “Since I struggled with everything, it made it much tougher on me mentally. I’m just absolutely pooped right now.”

Notes

Erika Hayashida and Anna Umemura will tee off at 8:30 a.m. today in the first semifinal. Kellee Booth and Kelli Kuehne will follow at 8:45.