2007 McDonald's LPGA Championship:
Passing the Torch

On Sunday, things didn't go too well for those two golfers, at least out of the gate. Min made a birdie on 4 and seemed to be in cruise control, but then she started missing short putts. She missed a quite short par save on the 6th hole, and made two more bogies on the next two holes. At the same time, Pettersen and Webb were making birdies and climbing up the leaderboard past Min. Angela, meanwhile, was making all pars, followed by a bogey on 9. At the turn, Pettersen was at 10 under, Webb at 8 under, Min at 8 under, and Park at 7 under.

Pettersen made another birdie at 10, as did Park, while Webb birdied the 11th. Pettersen seemed incredibly confident, and Min, playing with her, seemed like she was out of sorts. But Min was about to battle back in a big way. Pettersen birdied the 13th to move to 12 under total, but Min also birdied that hole to move to 9 under. This was the start of an amazing charge by the young Korean. Seemingly out of it a few holes earlier, she found new resolve, and made another birdie on 14. She then birdied the par 5 15th, as did Pettersen. Pettersen was simply not making any mistakes, but still Min was closing the gap. Na On made another fantastic birdie putt on the 16th hole to move to 12 under total, just a shot behind Pettersen. The little rookie whom no one had heard of was pushing Pettersen, forcing her to play excellent golf to even maintain her lead. If Pettersen made even the slightest mistake, it looked like Min would make her pay.

By this point, with just a few holes to go, Webb and Min were both at 12 under, Pettersen at 13 under. It was still anybody's game. Park had made it to 9 under but was able to climb no farther; she finished the round at that level, which eventually gave her a solo fifth place finish. That's a fantastic finish for a Rookie in only her second Major as a tour member, but on this day it was not enough to make history. Sarah Lee and Jee Young Lee both finished tied for tenth, while Mi Hyun Kim shot a 69 on the final day to finish in a tie for 15th. But only Min could still win the event.

The pivotal hole came on the par 3 17th. Min and Pettersen both hit great irons, but Min was closer. Pettersen putted first, however, and drained the birdie to take a two shot lead. Min had been playing about as well as was possible, and still was two shots behind. She now had to make her fifth straight birdie just to keep pace and have any chance. But she missed it. Pettersen now had a two shot lead as they reached the final hole. Up on the green, Webb made a long birdie to finish at 13 under. Min could only get to 13 under with a birdie. All Pettersen needed was a par to win. And that's exactly what she got, cozying her birdie putt up to an inch for a tap in par and the victory. Webb finished second and Min third. It was a fantastic weekend for Na On, first the 65 on Saturday, then the amazing four birdie run on Sunday. But she simply got beaten by two golfers playing some of the best golf on a back nine in a Major in recent memory. Perhaps the next time, Min will be the one holding the trophy, but for now, she gained valuable experience and a ton of cash. When asked later what she had learned from the week, she humorously replied, "English". But doubtless, there was a lot more she gained by being put into that tough situation on Sunday.

So the torch was not quite passed. It would have been an amazing story if, on the week when Se Ri Pak officially entered the Hall of Fame, one of the young guns who had been inspired by her to dream of glory in America had taken the title of the very event Pak herself had first won. It didn't happen (sometimes the best stories don't), but Se Ri was doubtless very proud of Angela and Na On and the things they accomplished. Se Ri is far from done in her own career, but it's nice to know that the future is in very good hands.