Volume 1, Number 1 March 12, 2003
 

Season Preview 2003

 Pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Hall of Fame Watch
There is one other thing to watch out for in 2003. Se Ri Pak now has 22 Hall of Fame points; next to Laura Davies, she is the player closest to getting into the Hall of Fame (Davies has 25). 27 points are required (as are ten years on tour, but like Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam, it seems likely that Se Ri will get into the Hall long before she has been in the league ten years). Majors are worth two points. If Se Ri has the same season this year as last year, five wins, one Major, she will get six more points and enter the Hall. When will it happen? It seems likely sometime this year. The Hall of Fame watch is on!

Stated goals: Se Ri Pak's goal for 2003 is to win seven times. She is also focusing on taking the Nabisco to complete her career Grand Slam.

 

Bottom Line: Things are looking pretty good for Se Ri right now. If the signs continue to be this great, look for a strong start from Se Ri and a real run at the top honors in the league this year. If Annika keeps playing at 2002 levels, even seven wins will not be enough to win Player of the Year in all likelihood. But assuming for a moment that we won't be seeing another season like that from Annika, she can still probably count on five - seven wins herself. I like Se Ri's chances to make this a real competition and maybe even take the top prizes. Go Se Ri!

 

Mi Hyun Kim
Kimmie has stated her desire to win three times this year. Another goal must be to win a Major, something she has yet to do, but certainly has the talent to do. What do her chances look like?

Mi Hyun is the hardest to read of the three Seoul Sisters. When she gets on a streak, she plays well literally for weeks at a time. Last summer, she managed a stretch of six events where she finished in the top two four times, including two consecutive wins. But so far at least there has seemed to be something in her psyche that prevents her from notching an easy win. Seriously, think back, and you can't recall a single Mi Hyun Kim victory that would qualify as easy. Whereas Se Ri has had several romps to victory in her past, wins by five, six, even nine strokes, Mi Hyun's wins always seem to come down to the last hole. 2002 was no different.

Her first great chance for a win came at the Rochester tournament. Let's face it, with a five shot lead going into the final round, this should have been a breeze, even with Karrie Webb chasing her. But she just made it so hard on herself, knocking several shots into the woods, making questionable decisions such as going for a nearly impossible shot through the trees. Yes, Webb had her share of unbelievable luck, including a badly hit pitch shot that hit Peanut's ball and stopped dead near the hole, and a shot into the woods that bounced off a tree into a perfect lie. But this was one Mi Hyun gave away, pure and simple.
Even during her two wins in 2002, there was plenty of drama. The Giant Eagle was nip and tuck the whole way, but this time Mi Hyun came up with the goods: a great approach on 17 to take the decisive one stroke lead. But at the Wendy's, the tide turned. Once again a big lead with two holes to play evaporated when she hit a tee shot into the water, and she had to hit a clutch four foot par on 18 to save her win. Then came the State Farm, where, despite having a tie for the lead with a player who had never won on the LPGA, she could not make three consecutive short birdies, then started hitting approach after approach into bunkers. Again, she got some bad luck, notably on 18, where a perfect drive hopped into a horrible patch of rough, while her opponent's rightward shot bounced off a tree into the fairway (again!). But you cannot escape the conclusion that Peanut's biggest problem is this: she is not a closer.

Mi Hyun had a lot of 'oh no' moments
in 2002
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