Kim, Reavie prevail in Founders’ Legacy

Victoria Sun

Friday, June 16, 2000 | 9:46 a.m.

One sister wanted desperately to win her first American Junior Golf Association tournament.

The other simply wanted to take home her first trophy -- in the form of an Oreo cookie awarded to the junior who shoots the final low round.

Both achieved their goals in grand fashion Thursday at the Legacy Golf Club.

Ina Kim shot a final round 4-under-par 68 for a tournament total 207 to win the Las Vegas Founders' Legacy Junior while older sister Hana Kim fired a course record 64 to finish five strokes back in second place. Kim's 64 tied an AJGA record for low round under par and tied for second low round of all-time.

In the boys' division, Chez Reavie, who entered the final round with a 10-stroke lead over Jesse Mueller, shot a 2-under-par 70, good enough for his first tournament victory. Reavie finished at 12-under-par 204, while Mueller's final-round 69 put him in sole possession of second, two strokes behind Reavie. Kevin Na of Diamond Bar, Calif., was next at 210.

"I was kind of nervous because a lot of times in the past, I kind of choked," Ina Kim said of closing out a tournament. "Even though I knew I had a seven-shot lead and all, I was still worried.

"But I wanted this week to prove to myself that I could shoot three consistently good rounds and to have confidence in myself."

Kim, of Encino, Calif., set a tournament record with her three-day total 207.

In the final round, she had five birdies and one bogey.

She started the day by sinking an 8-foot putt to birdie the par-4 first hole, then birdied No. 5 before bogeying the sixth hole after her tee shot landed in the bunker.

On the back nine Kim birdied 13, 14 and 16 before a case of anxiety caught her on the final hole.

"I wanted to finish the tournament with a par or a birdie," she said. "Then I missed the green on my approach and flubbed a chip shot, so I had a really long putt to make par, which I thought I'd never make.

"Then I hit it from about 20-25 feet and it somehow went in, and I was like, 'Whew.' "

A great sense of relief came over Reavie when he, too, realized that he had won his first AJGA event.

Reavie, of Mesa, Ariz., took over the lead by shooting a 6-under-par 66 the second day of the tournament.

On the final day he said he tried to block out what Mueller was doing and concentrate on playing the course the way he did the first two days.

Reavie had three of his four birdies on the front nine, then had two bogeys on the back to finish at 2-under 70.

"I slowed down when I started to get nervous and started taking deep breaths to calm myself down," Reavie said after the initial shock of winning wore off. "I've never been here (the winner's circle) before.

"It's the best feeling in the world right now."

Hana Kim was certainly feeling good after making eight birdies en route to the lowest round of her career. The recent graduate of Brentwood High School will be attending Northwestern University in the fall on a full golf scholarship.

After struggling the first two days with scores of 73 and 75, Kim said she was inspired by the play of her younger sister and decided to be more aggressive.

"The first couple of days, I just left a lot of loose ends out there that I couldn't tie up," Kim said. "I think maybe the fact that Ina was playing so good, I just felt I had to go for it.

"It's so great for her. I just try to support her out there because everything she's going through, I've already gone through."

The lure of adding her first Oreo cookie trophy to her massive collection was another motivating factor. Although Hana has won numerous tournaments, the most recent being the AJGA Arizona Classic in April, this one was special.

"I've never taken one home," she said. "So before the round I was joking that I was going to steal it and put it in my bag.

"Luckily, I earned it."