2006 McDonald's LPGA Championship:
Long Live the Queen!

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

They both went to the 18th tee. Webb drove first, hitting a perfect, long drive to within about 135 yards of the pin. Then it was Se Ri's turn. She hit 3 wood off the tee, but did not get a clean hit. She landed in the fairway, but left it 201 yards from the flag. A major advantage to Webb. Kay Cockerill, following the twosome for the Golf Channel, opined that it would be foolhardy for Se Ri to hit right at the flag. Too dangerous. Fortunately, Se Ri did not listen to her. She first considered hitting an iron, then decided to hit her 4 iron rescue club instead. It was a wise choice. She hit her approach, and it was absolutely dead solid perfect. This time, she struck the ball cleanly, unlike with her drive. And perfectly on line. The ball landed on the green and rolled to within one inch of the hole!! From 201 yards to one inch. Absolutely awesome. The crowd went crazy with delight, having just witnessed one of the most magical shots in the history of golf. Even the normally taciturn Se Ri first let loose with a giant fist pump, then leapt with joy into her new caddie TJ Jones' arms. As she had been doing all day, when the pressure was on, and she most needed to come up with the goods, she had hit the perfect shot. Only this time, with the most pressure she had faced in two years, she had hit the best shot perhaps of her entire career. An unforgettable dagger right into Webb's heart. The kind of moment you watch golf for, hoping you will get to witness it. Darn near miraculous is what it was; Hollywood could not have scripted it better.

Webb later said she felt as if she was getting payback; at the Nabisco, it was Webb who hit the improbable approach on the final hole, hers actually going into the hole (but from wedge distance, considerably shorter than Se Ri's magic shot). On this day, she hit a decent approach about 25 feet short of the flag, but was not able to make the birdie she had to make from there. Se Ri then tapped in her birdie, and the Major title was hers. After getting sprayed in champagne by the ubiquitous Christina Kim, Se Ri was awarded her trophy, and spoke movingly of her hard times and how happy she was to be back. She choked back tears when she said her only regret was that her parents had not been there to see her win in person. All in all, the whole week was as glorious a comeback as her many diehard fans could have prayed for. She had answered her critics, won a fifth Major, and joined a small group of illustrious women who had collected three LPGA Championships. She would not have to worry about getting into any golf tournament for the rest of the year. No one would have to wonder whatever happened to Se Ri Pak any more.

Did Se Ri know she was going to win? After Webb won the Nabisco, Se Ri admitted to taking a lot of heart in her accomplishment. She told reporters that seeing Webb come back from her troubles gave her confidence that she could do the same. She even told Karrie, the next time that she saw her following her Nabisco triumph, that she was proud of her, and that she was intending to win the next one. And she did! When Webb told this story to reporters, it was clear the respect that both superstars have for each other. Se Ri also spoke how happy she had been to play with her and Annika on Saturday. No doubt she's looking forward to the old timers showing the kids a thing or two the rest of the year.

The LPGA Championship has been intimately tied in with the career of Se Ri Pak and Korean golf as a whole. Her first win there, in 1998, was also her first LPGA win, and started her on her Hall of Fame career. Her second win in 2002 came when she was just reaching the height of her powers, and allowed her to become the youngest woman to ever win four Majors. In 2005, she had her lowest moment ever in a Major here, when she missed her first ever Major cut. And now, 2006 saw her win the title for a third time, in the process completing a magnificent comeback from the brink of oblivion to the top of the game. Based on the evidence of this week, the magic is back, and the many Korean stars who are in a sense the children of Se Ri Pak, because they came here pursuing the dream she made possible to them, should shout out in unison: 'The Queen is back! Long live the Queen!'