BREMERTON, Wash. — Kaua'i's Casey Watabu could be a match-play victory away from an invitation to one of golf's premier events — the Masters.

Watabu, 22, of Kapa'a defeated Tim Feenstra of Lynden, Wash., on the 20th hole yesterday to advance to the final of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Watabu faces Anthony Kim of Traverse City, Mich., in the 36-hole match-play final today.

The U.S. Publinx winner typically gets an invitation to the Masters as long as the player remains an amateur.

"My ball striking has gotten better as the week went on," Watabu said in a story at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Web site. "I guess it's just up to my putter. I've just got to make some putts out there (today)."

The semifinal between Watabu and Feenstra was close throughout. Neither was able to take more than a one-hole lead. Watabu was 1-up as late as the 17th hole, but the match went back to all-square when Feenstra birdied the par-4 18th hole.

"Tim hit three good shots on 18," Watabu said. "He hit it in close and I knew that his putt was pretty tough from above the hole and I wanted to make him win the hole. I didn't want to give him the hole. So that's what I did and he made the putt."

Both players parred the 19th hole, the first extra hole of the Gold Mountain Golf Club.

On the 20th hole, the par-4 second, Feenstra hit his approach shot into the rough above the green. His first chip failed to get out of the rough and and his second failed to reach the green. Feenstra conceded the hole to Watabu, who was safely on the green.

Kim defeated Kevin Larsen of Santa Barbara, Calif., 6 and 5. Kim took a 1-up lead on the par-3 fifth hole and built it to 6-up with a birdie on the par-3 12th hole. The players halved the 13th hole, giving Kim the victory.

Kim is a 21-year-old All-America golfer at the University of Oklahoma. He reached the quarterfinals in last year's Public Links tournament.

In yesterday's morning quarterfinals, Watabu defeated Daniel Im, of Fullerton, Calif., 3 and 1.

Watabu never trailed, ending the match by winning the 17th hole with a birdie, putting him three holes up with one hole remaining.

Watabu is playing in his third U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. He missed the cut in stroke play in 2000 and 2004. He won the 2006 NCAA West Regional individual title as a senior at Nevada.

Four Hawai'i golfers have won the U.S. Public Links Championship. Charles Barenaba Jr. shot a four-round 290 to win by two strokes at Brookside Golf Course over Frank Mazion in 1974 — the final year the tournament solely used a stroke-play format.

The following year, Randy Barenaba, Charles' brother, beat fellow Hawai'i golfer Alan Yamamoto on the 37th hole for the championship when it was played at Wailua Golf Course on Kaua'i.

In 1978, Maui's Dean Prince, then living in California, defeated Tony Figueredo, 5 and 3, at Bangor (Maine) Municipal G.C.

Hawai'i's last winner was Guy Yamamoto, who beat future PGA players Matt Gogel (third round), Notah Begay (semifinals) and Chris Riley for the championship in 1994.

Yamamoto ousted Riley on the 37th hole at Eagle Bend G.C., at Bigfork, Mont.

Last year's champion Clay Ogden defeated Hawai'i's Michelle Wie in the quarterfinals on the way to the title.

Ogden and 2005 runner-up Martin Ureta lost in the first round of match play this year.

Wie was the first female to qualify for a USGA championship, which traditionally only had male players.

A total of 4,739 golfers entered this year's championship; 155 advanced to play at Bremerton.

After two rounds of stroke play the top 64 advance to match play. Kim finished tied for 12th at 143, while Watabu was tied for 43rd at 148 in stroke play.