Volume 1, Number 11 August 6, 2003
 
Pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Gallery, Results
Part I: Saturday (continued)

Hole 1: par 5 523 yards
This course starts with par 5s on two of the first three holes. Here she hit a straight drive with a 3 wood. Her second shot was only so so, and it ended up in the left rough. But from there she hit a great iron to about 8 feet, then nailed the birdie. Good start!

Hole 2: Par 3 with water in front left

Today the flag was on the right and the water was not a factor. Se Ri hit her shot right of the flag, maybe 12 feet, onto the fringe. It was a makeable but not easy birdie, and she hit it just past the hole and had an easy par.

Hole 3: Par 5 455 yards
This hole was straight but narrow. She killed her drive, dead straight, and used her driver this time. Absolutely the middle of the fairway, about 260 yds. Where her ball landed, there was a weird ground under repair pattern on the ground. It was hard to tell if her ball was in the GUR or her stance was, because the pattern was so strange, but she did a drop, then hit a nice shot with a 7 wood (perhaps 195 yards). There was cheering from the green, but I couldn't see from where I stood what had happened. When I got there, she had left herself a 25 footer for eagle. She nailed it; no doubt it was good from the minute it left her club. 3 under on the day, with a ton of momentum.

Se Ri hits a drive in round 3
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Se Ri on the green in round 3
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Hole 4: par 4 dogleg
Her drive was in the middle of the fairway, but again she had to do a drop of some sort. Her iron was great, to maybe 12 feet, but she just missed this birdie and tapped in for par.

Hole 5: Par 4 over water. Elevated tee.

Her drive leaked a little right into the rough. The hole doglegs left, so it looked like she might still have a good look at the green. When I got there, the ball seemed to be in the first cut. But she didn't hit a good second shot (a wood). It was very short and too right, landing between two bunkers; she was probably playing for it to run after it landed, but didn't get the aim right. A high chip from rough went about 6 feet past the hole. Her par putt just lipped out; one of those agonizing ones where you are all but sure she has it, but it doesn't go in. 1 footer for bogey, which put her back to 2 under for the day.

Hole 6:
Great drive to the middle of the fairway again, but she pulled her second shot to the left. There was an easy flag position today, and a good iron would have left her with a routine birdie. No reason to miss that green that I could see. She was maybe ten feet off the green, then ran her chip five - six feet past and again missed par. Both of these last two mistakes were avoidable bogeys. -1. As she walked to 7th tee, she slapped her glove against her thigh and exhorted herself to 'Come on!'. About the angriest I've seen her in a while, but it was hardly what you would see from, say, Grace Park when she gets mad.

Hole 7: Another par 4 with a dogleg
Se Ri hit a great straight drive but it looked like it would run out of fairway. Nope, she was on the left side in good position. Her iron flew to 12 feet. Not a big reaction from the greenside crowd, although it was a pretty great shot I thought. The putt itself was a tricky one, so when she missed it and had an easy par, it wasn't a big disappointment. And at least she got off the bogey train.

Hole 8: 383 yard par 4 with another dogleg
I missed Se Ri's tee shot to take a photo of Mi Hyun Kim hitting her drive on one of the par 5s. When I rejoined Se Ri, she was again in good position, but her iron went clear over the green and was in the fringe behind the flag. She whacked her club on the ground after that one (just a light hit). Se Ri had 20 feet, not really a birdie chance. She cosied it up to the flag for another easy par.

Big crowds followed Se Ri all weekend
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Hole 9: This hole is mostly straight with a slight turn left at the end
It also goes straight uphill from 150 yards in, so Se Ri hit her drive to the base of that to give herself a flat lie. Again, she hit her iron a little too far and just off the green, leaving herself 20 feet for birdie. She got it right next to the hole for another tap in par. Thus she finished with a -1 on the front nine; not too bad, but considering the great start she had had, a little deflating.
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