2003 BMO Canadian Women's Open

When I got to the course on Sunday, this time with my wife, it felt as though the weather was going to be much improved over what it had been on Saturday. Alas, it was not to last. But the final day of the tournament brought out the crowds. There were easily twice as many people there on Sunday as on Saturday. And following each of the Korean players was an enormous mob, nearly all Korean. I have not seen such an enormous crowd following Se Ri in years. I swear, there must have been close to a thousand people following her at least; even on par 5s, there was scarcely any spot along the fairway where there weren't at least a few people standing.

I followed Se Ri for 11 holes, and then the weather got so bad, the crowds so tough, the ground so muddy, and the number of umbrellas blocking the view so onerous, that I left. Even though I had a behind the ropes pass, my wife did not, and I was afraid of losing her should I go inside the ropes, since you could not see past the crowds when in there. So I only did it when a good photo opportunity presented itself. Fortunately, there were a few good ones, as you shall see.

As I waited for the tee off, I noticed a jumbotron by the green that prominently featured Se Ri's press conference of the night before, the one I didn't know about until that moment. Eventually, several of the Korean groups teed off, and I got pictures of them, including Grace, Jeong Jang and Soo Yun Kang. Then it came time for Se Ri, playing in the penultimate group, to go.

Grace practices her swing before Sunday's
round
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Se Ri's interview on the jumbotron
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Hole 1:
A long par 5. She hit a nice drive with three wood. On her second shot, however, she pulled it right into the trees. She was left with nothing, no way to get it to the flag. This was the first time I had seen her in such a spot this week. Fortunately, she punched it out to just in front of the green. She hit a nice little pitch shot up to about five feet short of the hole, then clutchly saved par. Meanwhile, Kim Saiki, Se Ri's playing partner, got a fairly routine three shot birdie. Not a great start for Se Ri, but at least she didn't bogey!

Hole 2:
A par three with a little water danger on the left. Se Ri played her tee shot cautiously to the right, leaving her about twenty five feet for birdie. She put that putt just about a foot past the hole for a no problem par.

Hole 3:
Another par 5. She hit another great drive here, but we stopped for a bathroom break, so I missed everything til the end, when Se Ri drained a short birdie putt to move to 5 under.

Hole 4:
Se Ri's drive again split the fairway. She had a short iron in and nailed it, leaving the ball six feet below the hole. Easy birdie. Meanwhile, Saiki put her drive in some heavy rough, hit her iron so it bounced right near the flag but rolled ten - fifteen feet past, then made that putt. She was making everything; it was almost getting ridiculous. That made her three for four in birdies.

Hole 5:
Another good drive for Se Ri. Another great iron, this time about 8 feet left of the hole. Saiki's iron ended up 20 feet to the right of the hole. But again, Saiki made her birdie and Se Ri missed hers. Saiki seemed almost apologetic after that one. That gave her the lead at -11!

Hole 6:
Two more good drives. This hole has a two tiered green with the flag in the back. Neither woman got her shot on the correct tier, though Se Ri's hit at the edge of the tier and rolled backwards (in other words, was maybe two feet short). Both lagged their putts nicely and got easy pars.

Se Ri wore this sharp ensemble on Sunday
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming