Volume 1, Number 16 October 22, 2003
 

Other notes from Sacramento

 Pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Results

Hee-Won Revenge Tour ends

Hee-Won Han finished second three times in 2002; one of those second place finishes came at the Longs Drugs Challenge. In 2003, due to the way the schedule had changed, the Longs ended up being the last of those three events she played. As it turned out, she got her first two career LPGA wins at the two events she had just missed winning in 2002: the Sybase Big Apple Classic and the Wendy's Championship for Children. This promoted talk of Hee-Won's 'Revenge Tour', and made everyone wonder if she could make it three for three by capturing the Longs. Alas, a change in venue hurt Han. The old 12 Bridges Course set up well for a medium hitter with accuracy like Hee-Won. But the new Lincoln Hills course rewarded long bombers, and Hee-Won got lost in the shuffle. She ended up with a 63rd place finish. So no trifecta, but I doubt she is too disappointed with the way things have gone.

Courtesy: Robert K

Gloria Park and Jimin Kang at the Longs Drugs
Courtesy: Robert K

Kang finishes well

Jimin Kang had one of her best finishes of the year, a 41st place, this week. It has not been a great first professional year for her, starting with missing her exempt card at Q-School by one shot in late 2002. Doubtless she will be heading back this year to try to right that wrong. The other Kang, Soo-Yun, also had a good week, ending up 14th on the strength of back to back 69s on the weekend. All told, only two Korean golfers, Young-A Yang and (surprisingly) Young Kim, missed the cut in Sacramento, while Minny Yeo, Jimin and Christina Kim all made the cut.

 
Another player who made the cut was Aree Song, although she did not light up the field as you might have expected. Aree turned pro last month, which surprised most everyone, as she had previously committed to playing for Florida State this year. Even more surprising was the fact that her sister Naree stayed at school; this is the first time they have separated for any significant length of time. Aree made her pro debut in a Korean event, where she notched a top ten. This was her first LPGA paycheck, although it was only a 53rd place. Now she can focus on Q-School, where she no doubt expects to get an exempt card in time to make her debut as an automatic threat for Rookie of the Year in 2004.
Results