Honolulu's Stephanie Kono was the final player to qualify yesterday for match play in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, but she pulled off the tournament's first big upset.

Kono, a 17-year-old Punahou School senior-to-be, defeated stroke-play medalist and top seed Tiffany Lua, 3 and 1, in the opening round of match play at Kearney Hills Golf Links in Lexington, Ky.

"It was an exciting match," Kono said in a story at the tournament's Web site. "I haven't won too many matches being the underdog or being the lower-seeded (player). This is big for me because this is probably the first time I've ever really won ... being the underdog. But today, I just tried to play steady."

Former Big Island resident Kimberly Kim, who is seeded second, and Mari Chun of Pearl City also won opening-round matches yesterday.

Early yesterday morning, Kono, Wahiawa's Britney Choy and six other golfers competed in a playoff for the final five spots in the 64-player match-play portion of the tournament. Kono earned the final berth with a birdie on the fourth hole.

Kono never trailed in her match against Lua, taking a 1-up lead with a par on the par-3 second hole. Lua, 16, of Rowland Heights, Calif., tied it with a par on the fourth hole.

On the par-5 seventh hole, Lua hit her tee shot in the rough and failed to get up and down and took a bogey. Kono hit her fourth shot within 4 feet and made the par putt to take the lead for good. At the par-3 eighth hole, Kono chipped in from 30 feet for birdie to go 2-up. A par at No. 9 pushed her lead to 3-up.

Lua closed to 2-up on the par-4 11th hole, but Kono ended it with a birdie on the par-4 17th.

In the stroke play playoff, Kono bogeyed the second playoff hole (No. 11) and parred the No. 12 to remain in contention for the final spot with Alexandra Phelps of Albuquerque, N.M.

On the 13th, the fourth playoff hole, Kono used a 9-iron from 120 yards to set up her birdie. Phelps' approach shot went to 35 feet of the flag and her birdie putt fell short by 5 feet.

Kono faces Felicia Espericueta of Edinburg, Texas, in the round of 32 today. Espericueta, seeded 33rd, beat Amber Littman of Stoney Creek, N.C., 4 and 3.

Kim, who now lives in Arizona, defeated 63rd-seeded Yu Lee of Orlando, Fla., 5 and 3. She will meet Tonya Choate of Mt. Vernon, Mo., today. Choate beat Lee Lopez of Whittier, Calif, 5 and 4. Kim, 15, was the the runner-up in this tournament last year.

Chun, who will be a junior at Stanford in the fall, birdied the 19th hole to defeat Juli Wightman-Erekson of Chicopee, Mass. Chun plays Ryann O'Toole, who beat Courtney Gunter of Matthews, N.C., 3 and 2.

Four other Hawai'i golfers lost their opening-round matches: