Magazine 2003 Office Depot

Volume 1, Number 3 April 9, 2003

Office Depot 2003: Peanut's Promise

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

Mi Hyun's game is showing signs of life

Make no mistake, the littlest Seoul Sister (sounds like a good title for a book, doesn't it?) has not had what you would call a bad season so far. Two top 20s in her first two events (and she was just a scootch away from a top ten at the Ping) allow you to do more than just pay the bills. But she had a disappointing Nabisco, so she was doubtless hoping to give her many Korean fans in the Los Angeles area something to be a little happier about at the Depot.

Mi Hyun showed up for work on Friday dressed impeccably. As far as I recall, this is the first time she had gotten air time in 2003, and thus was our first look at her new fashion contract with Kim Young Joo Golf Fashions. Well, if you thought Peanut was a cutey before, you must have really enjoyed her new look! She was very sharp looking in her new duds, and seems to have once again slimmed down from her already svelte 2002 look. In short, Peanut was more Peanutty than ever!

Alas, like most everyone else, Mi Hyun had her struggles on the front nine at El Cab. She managed to come out of that better than Se Ri or Grace, but was still at 2 over after three holes. Luckily she found her putting stroke early, and was able to cash in with two birdies to get to even par by the turn. But the back nine was more torture: bogeys on 11, 12 and 14, matched by a lone birdie on 16. Thus she started +2 for the week, which on this course left her in good but not great position.

Peanut drives in round 2
Reuters/ Lucy Nicholson

Driving in round 3
Reuters/ Lucy Nicholson

On Saturday, Mi Hyun got a break I'm still not sure I understand. Here she was, the #4 player in the LPGA in 2002, and she was given the very last tee time of the day. It was always my understanding that the top players got preferred tee times, and thus didn't have to play at such odd times. As it turned out, this break might have been the most significant thing that happened to her all week.

She started on the back nine, and just smoked the course. On a day where par was a very very good start, Peanut gave a little demonstration of what value good putting has. She birdied the 10th, 13th, 14th and 17th, and came darn close on the 18th as well. The 17th was one of the few putts they showed. Although it was a tricky curving shot from about ten feet, she dropped it in the bottom of the cup perfectly.

Alas, after another birdie on 1 to move to 3 under and within just a shot of the lead, Mi Hyun began to play less impressively. She bogeyed 5, and then the darkness started to set in. Unfortunately, her group was unable to finish their very last hole. What this meant is, Mi Hyun, who was at the time tied for second, would have to get up very early, play one hole, then wait more than four hours before her final round would start. A terrible break caused by her late tee time.

And sure enough, when she did play that final hole, she bogeyed it. Four hours later, she double bogeyed her first hole as well, and what had looked like a promising run at the title came completely off the tracks. She ended up shooting a 3 over 75 on Sunday, which was good enough for 8th place. Not bad; her best result of the year, surely. But one can't help wonder what might have been had the schedulers been a little kinder to her.