2007 Mizuno Classic

The Mizuno Classic is the only LPGA event that takes place in Japan every year. The Korean golfers have never won this event. For many years, Annika Sorenstam dominated here, winning the title several years in a row at one point. Last year, Karrie Webb collected the victory here, defeating JLPGA player Kaori Higo by four shots.

In round one, several Korean stars had decent starts, but once again found themselves looking up at a player after she shot a sensational opening round. That player, for once, was not Pettersen or Ochoa, both of whom were taking the week off. Rather, it was Laura Davies, who had come within a shot of winning the Honda Thailand tournament the previous week. Davies produced a 7 under par 65 in round one. Three of the four others in the top five were JLPGA players. The top Koreans, all shooting 69s in round one, were Jeong Jang, Joo Mi Kim (pictured) and In-Kyung Kim.

There were a surplus of Japanese players on the leaderboard, but the Korea golfers were also doing decently. In tenth sat Yun Joo Jeong and Bo Bae Song, both Koreans who play full time in Japan, as well as long hitting LPGA star Jee Young Lee. But also tied for tenth was top JLPGA star Momoko Ueda. Ueda had been leading this event after two rounds in 2006, only to see Karrie Webb blow past her in the final round to take the title. No Japanese player had won an event on the LPGA since the nineties, but Ueda was definitely one of the ones who was capable of doing it.

The familiar situation this year on tour has been that the Korean players have not been able to put themselves within touch of the leaders heading into the final round. It was thus imperative for the Sisters to have a good day on Saturday if they wanted to be a factor on day three. Jeong Jang did her part. JJ had not yet won in 2007, although she came close at the Evian Masters, losing in a playoff to Natalie Gulbis, and had also played well in Korea at the Kolon-Hana Bank. In addition, JJ was the defending champion at the Japan Ladies Open, so she clearly liked playing in that country. She shot a 2 under par 70 to move to 5 under par total, which made her the top Korean going into the final round.

Luckily for her, Davies did not have a strong day two. She was only able to shoot an even par round, and remained at seven under par. She wound up tied for the lead, thanks to a great day by top ranked Ueda. Ueda shot a 5 under par 67, and for the second straight year, she was at the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday. JJ (pictured at the Honda Thailand) was only two shots back, though, and certainly was well in the contest.

Several other Koreans were still in the hunt, although they had a lot more work to do if they were going to take the crown. Jee Young Lee shot a 71 to move to 3 under, tied for 9th. Also tied for 9th were Bo Bae Song, In-Kyung Kim and Joo Mi Kim. Meanwhile, Mi Hyun Kim shot a 70 and was at 2 under, just out of the top ten and five shots behind the leaders. It was certainly possible that any of those ladies could win if they played brilliantly on Sunday. At last, the Korean women seemed to have a real chance to end their drought.

But once again, it was not to be. Three players near the top of the leaderboard had great Sundays and quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the field, and none of those players was Korean. They were American Reilly Rankin, Swede Maria Hjorth, and Ueda. Davies was only able to shoot a second even par round, and so finished her week at 7 under. Ueda ended up winning the event thanks to a double eagle on one of the par fives; her eventual winning total was 13 under par.

JJ, alas, had a lackluster day, shooting one over par to fall out of the top ten, but a few other Korean women did well. Kimmie was the best, shooting a 67 to finish at 7 under total, the only Korean in the top five (she finished tied for fifth). Angela Park, Hye Jung Choi, Jee Young Lee and Bo Bae Song finished tied for 9th at 5 under, while Joo Mi Kim, JJ and In-Kyung Kim all just missed the top ten. Bo Bae Song is a name longtime readers of this site may recognize. A few years ago, she was the top player on the KLPGA tour, and looked primed to move to the LPGA. She even won a European Tour event, and for a time played a few events over there. But she struggled with injuries in 2006, and decided after that to come to the JLPGA, where she has been quite successful. This top ten announced to those who don't follow the JLPGA regularly that she is still a great prodigy with a lot of potential to become a superstar.

So Ueda, in winning the event, became the first non-Korean who is not a member of the LPGA to win an LPGA event since Se Ri Pak's rookie year of 1998. She earned membership on tour much like Jin Joo Hong did last year. Will she accept it and play over here, thus giving up her lucrative league leading status in Japan? Time will tell. But meanwhile, the Koreans still looked for their first win on tour since the summer.