Volume 5, Number 5, July 18, 2007 | ||||||||||||||
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2007 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic:
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Pages 1, 2, 3, Gallery, Results | |||||||||||||
Se Ri Pak makes history yet again at the Jamie Farr Classic | ||||||||||||||
There
is a thing in golf they call 'horses for courses'. Certain players who
always seem to play well on specific courses get that nickname. But what
kind of a nickname do you call a player who is so good on a specific course
that they not only do well there often, they win there with an unbelievable
regularity, set scoring records there, and generally astonish all who
witness them as they play there? Perhaps the best thing to call such a
player may be 'Se Ri Pak'. Because in some ways, Se Ri has taken the idea
of a 'horse for a course' to a new level. And
she was hardly done. Over the next nine seasons, Se Ri has returned to
the tournament again and again, and has had many more amazing performances.
In 1999, she successfully defended her title by winning a six player playoff,
the largest in LPGA history. She came close to making it three in a row
in 2000, but made a crucial mistake late and had to settle for third.
But in 2001, after 11 straight pars to start her final round, she got
on a roll on the final holes and collected her third title in four years.
To celebrate, she jumped in the country club's pool with her friends with
whom she stayed each year. The current honoree, however, was not ready to give up her street just yet. Mi Hyun Kim (pictured) was one of the four women who fought a pitched battle for the title in 2006. By the middle of the fourth round, however, it looked like American bombshell Natalie Gulbis, who had taken a four shot lead, was going to run away with her first ever title on tour. Kim did not flinch, however. She focused, started making birdies, and kept the pressure on Gulbis. Finally, on the 17th hole, Kimmie made birdie to tie Gulbis, and they ended up going to a playoff, which Peanut won. Kim was a little disappointed that the crowd was not rooting for her a little more; they were overwhelmingly partisan for Gulbis. But she could understand why they would support the home country star over her. In any event, she was hoping that the crowds would be a little more on her side now that they had gotten a chance to know her better. And considering how well she had played in 2007, contending multiple times and grabbing her eighth career win at the SemGroup Championship, she sure looked good to repeat. In 2006, the weather had played a huge part in the tournament. The rain
was relentless, even forcing the cancelation of the pro-am, something
that had never happened before. Huge puddles and new lakes formed all
over the course. It got so deep at times that players had to be shuttled
across these new water hazards rivers in golf carts, and several of the
holes were endangered by rising floods. But the grounds crew did an excellent
job of cleaning up, and the event finished only a few hours later than
it otherwise would have. Fortunately, in 2007 the weather was perfect,
with only a persistent wind plaguing the players. This did not prevent
them from playing, but it sure made scoring a lot more difficult than
it was in 2006. But difficult courses are Se Ri Pak's bread and butter, and she played fantastically in round one to seize control of the tournament right out of the gate. Indeed, calling the round fantastic might be doing it a disservice. Pak had not been able, since her comeback had begun at the start of 2006, to shoot a round better than 66. She had shown she can contend on tough courses, but one of the things that had always made her special was her ability to go mega-low when her putting was on. That was something she had not been able to do in years. Until the first round at the Farr. Being on that familiar course brought out all the brilliance from her that was once so familiar. She was teamed with two American stars, Brittany Lincicome and Gulbis, for her first two rounds. So, as you can imagine, the crowds following them were enormous. But Se Ri is most definitely a star in Toledo, and the crowds loudly supported her as she began to kick major butt. She actually started her round with a bogey, but immediately bounced back with three straight birdies. After that, she did not have another birdie until the par 5 18th (she started on the 10th hole), when she hit her approach to six feet and dunked her birdie putt. On the front nine she continued her blistering round, making birdie on 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 to end up with an 8 under par 63 (this is a par 71 course). That gave her a two shot lead over Canadian Alena Sharp and a four shot lead over everyone else. It was the lowest round of golf she had shot since the final round of her win at the Betsy King Classic back in late 2002. Se Ri couldn't really explain to the press why she is so good on this
course. "I feel great about this golf course. Everyone asks why?
I don't know for that. But I always feel great and really comfortable,"
she said. "It seems like because I've won so many times, and having
so much great memories about it, maybe that's why my game is a lot more
solid on the golf course." |
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