July 19, 2002

GLENVIEW, Ill. – The United States held on for a two-point win over an elite collection of golfers from Japan in the Fuji Xerox USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship at The Glen Club. The win marks the seventh-straight victory for the Americans, who lead the series 20-6.

Entering the final round trailing by four points, Japan tied the score at 29 with only one match to play. The Americans secured the victory when South Carolina’s Kristy McPherson closed out a nine-stroke win over Chiharu Tsunekawa.

Mikkelsen and McPherson garnered MVP honors by posting the low 54-hole totals for the tournament. Mikkelsen shot 204 (-12), highlighted by his record performance today, while McPherson carded a score of 217 (+1).

Georgia Tech’s Kris Mikkelsen continued the trend of setting the course record during the competition. Mikkelsen posted a 10-under-par 62, bettering the record set yesterday by Brandt Snedeker by three strokes.

Shintaro Kai was selected by the U.S. team as Mr. Ambassador. Mr./Ms. Ambassador is a sportsmanship award presented annually to a player from the visiting country who best represents his nation.

Final Round Singles Results
The Glen Club, Glenview, Ill.
Friday, July 19, 2002

Singles stroke-play – score of Japanese player vs. stroke-play score of American player Winner earns two team points, halved match worth one point for each team.

Women
JAPAN Hitomi Matsumura def. USA Kelli Kamimura, 75-83
JAPAN Kyoko Furuya def. USA Christi Cano, 73-79
JAPAN Izumi Narita def. USA Danielle Downey, 71-76
**USA Kristy McPherson def. JAPAN Chiharu Tsunekawa, 71-80

Men
JAPAN Satoshi Sakamoto def. USA Clint Colbert, 72-78
USA Gregg Jones def. JAPAN Riki Ikeda, 75-78
JAPAN Kunihiro Kamii def. USA Bryan Clarke, 74-75
USA Kris Mikkelsen def. JAPAN Haruo Fujishima, 62-73
JAPAN Toyokazu Fujishima def. USA Brock Mackenzie, 71-76
JAPAN Yuusaku Miyasato halved with USA Dustin Bray, 71-71
USA Chris Nallen def. JAPAN Taichiro Kiyota, 67-72
USA Brandt Snedeker def. JAPAN Shintaro Kai, 70-71

[** – Championship-Clinching Match]

Final Team Points: USA defeats Japan, 31-29