2007 Wegman's Rochester LPGA:
Teen Dream

The last few years, the rookie classes on the LPGA tour have increasingly come to be dominated by talented (and, seemingly, ever younger) Korean golfers. 2004 saw the arrival of Shi Hyun Ahn and Aree Song on tour. In 2005, there were four talented young Korean golfers, all in their very early twenties, who produced magic on the LPGA tour, although that year it was an American, Paula Creamer, who won the Rookie of the Year prize. Meena Lee, a former KLPGA Player of the Year, was the breakout star, but two other rookies, Sung Ah Yim and Joo Mi Kim, were soon to join her in the winner's circle early in their second years. In 2006, two "veteran" pros (who had been earning a living at golf for years despite only being in their early twenties) joined an equally young but very inexperienced player of the same age to increase the depth of talented Korean youngsters on tour even more. The two longtime pros were Kyeong Bae and Seon Hwa Lee (pictured), and the latter went on to win the Rookie of the Year award that season. The newbie was Jee Young Lee, who qualified for the tour by winning an official event as a 19 year old. She finished 20th on the money list that season.

But the 2007 rookie class of Koreans was so impressive looking on paper that it made even those previous assemblages of talent pale in comparison. This class not only featured far more Koreans than any other in history, with 13 from Korea itself and four more women of Korean descent, it also was one of the youngest ever seen. Whereas in the past the rookies were in their early twenties, in 2007 there were several talented rookies who were nineteen and even eighteen years of age. Yet despite their youth, there were a bunch of women in this group who had already accomplished great things in their careers. It really looked like this would be an unforgettable year for fans of the Korean golfers on the LPGA.

At first, the rookies got off to a somewhat slow start (with a couple of exceptions), but before long, this talented group began to dominate the Rookie of the Year race, and this was despite the fact that several of the more accomplished youngsters had yet to play up to their considerable potential. The player who grabbed most of the early press was Brazilian Korean Angela Park (pictured), who had not missed a single cut coming into the heart of the season. She had already put herself into contention on several occasions, most notably at the season's second Major, the LPGA Championship, where she had taken the first round lead and wound up finishing in fifth place. Another Korean teenage rookie, Na On Min, had done even better, putting herself into contention right up until the last couple of holes; she wound up in third. It was not her first top five of the year, either; in fact, she had finished fifth in her very first event as an LPGA player in Mexico.

Another rookie who had come into the season with a lot of potential was yet another of the talented teens on tour: In-Kyung Kim. Kim, who also goes by the name I.K., made a name for herself the first time she ever came to this country in 2005. Before then she had been an obscure amateur who had spent most of her time playing in her home country. She came over to the States that summer to train and try her luck playing American tournaments. It proved to be an auspicious decision. She promptly won three events after her arrival, then stunned everyone by winning one of the most prestigious events of them all for amateurs: the US Girls' Junior. In the final, she beat another girl who wound up as a rookie on the LPGA in 2007, In-Bee Park. After a decent performance at the US Amateur that year (she lost to, amazingly, another prominent 2007 rookie in the quarterfinals, Angela Park!), she returned to Korea. But she had certainly made her presence felt! In 2006, she returned, played a few more events, then decided to try her luck at the Futures Tour Qualifying School. As it turned out, she won the event, qualifying for the Futures Tour in the process. Still an amateur, she then decided to play the LPGA Q-School. Most of the week, she led there as well, and going into the fifth and final round she had an impressive five shot lead over the rest of the field. In that last round, however, she was caught by fellow Korean Hye Jung Choi, with whom she shared medalist honors. Now an exempt golfer on the most important women's golf tour in the world, I.K. took the plunge and became a pro, ready for her rookie season in 2007.

In 2007, I.K. (pictured) was having a decent season the first few months of the year, but was being thoroughly outclassed in the Rookie of the Year race by Angela Park. In May, however, she started to pick up the pace, first with a 16th place finish at the Sybase Classic, then an impressive tie for 4th, her career best finish, at the Corning Classic. Kim was making up ground on Park fast, but at the next event, the LPGA Championship, both Park and fellow rookie Na On Min notched top five finishes, and Kim suddenly found herself in third place in the Rookie of the Year standings. Still, the Korean young guns had truly arrived, and it seemed like every week another one of them did something impressive.

The Wegman's Rochester LPGA tournament was the next event on the schedule after the year's second Major. This event is one of the most popular on tour, attracting enormous crowds every year, and even featuring a live webcast from the tournament all four days. The defending champion was none other than Korean superstar Jeong Jang. JJ had found herself in a pitched battle with rookie Julieta Granada on the final day in 2006, but a late birdie on the 17th hole allowed her to seal the deal. After the win, JJ made a truly memorable gesture that shows just how much heart the Little Giant has. After the tournament, a local Korean American woman approached her father. At a local memorial, the Rochester area Korean war veterans group was going to have a commemoration ceremony honoring the anniversary of the start of the Korean war, and the woman asked if JJ would be so kind as to stop by for a few moments. Her father enthusiastically agreed, and he, his wife and JJ later showed up to pay their respects after all her champion's duties were completed. At the end of their time there, JJ gave the veterans a thousand dollar donation and promised she would return the following year to again pay her respects. And true to her word, she did. A few days before the event started, JJ and her parents again journeyed to the memorial park to pay their respects to the war dead along with the veterans. For JJ, it was a little way she could show how much their sacrifice meant to her. The veterans, who often feel that their sacrifice has been forgotten by the American public, definitely appreciated the gesture.

JJ was also hoping that this tournament could help spring her back to the top of her game. 2007 had not been a strong year for her to that point. The main culprit had been her putting, which was definitely not at the high level it had been the two previous years, when she had been one of the top ten players in the world. But coming back to the scene of her most recent triumph had definitely gotten her psyched, and it looked like she might have a good chance of repeating her win in Rochester.

Like many tournaments this year on tour, this one was hampered somewhat by bad weather. On the first day, thunderstorms would halt play for several hours in the afternoon; fortunately, thanks to the long days at this time of year, everyone was able to finish their first round before light ran out. On this day, the top score was shot by American star Cristie Kerr, who had not been having so wonderful a season to this point, but who really returned to form starting in this event. She shot a 6 under par 66 to lead the field. Virtually unknown Canadian golfer Alena Sharp posted the second best round, a 5 under par 67, while LPGA Championship winner Suzann Pettersen continued her great play with a 68 that left her by herself in third place. The best Korean on this first day was Mi Hyun Kim. Kimmie shot a 3 under par 69 consisting of 5 birdies and two bogies. She had a bit of a history at this event. Her best chance to win it came in 2002, when she took a commanding lead into the final round, only to see Karrie Webb relentlessly whittle it down. It was not until Kim missed a putt on the final hole that she dropped out of the lead, allowing Webb to take the title. Kimmie had also finished second here in 2004. She certainly was a player who liked the course and the atmosphere in Rochester, and doubtless had a little motivation to try to get the title this time. Tied with her at 3 under were a couple of players including the world's #1 player, Lorena Ochoa.