Se Ri Pak's Tour Diary

As originally written by Se Ri Pak for Joong Ang Ilbo. Translation by LoveGiants

Diary Entry #35: Playing video games is one way to break the tedium

What people most frequently ask me is, other than golf, what is my hobby? I become perplexed when people ask this. What I do all day long is golf; what else can I do besides? I do not have enough time to have or enjoy a hobby. But I feel it uncomfortable to say, "I don't have any hobby except golf." So I've said, "Playing video games."

For golfers, a hobby is their own way of relaxing. I've heard that Laura Davies enjoys gambling. I have seen her in a gambling parlor. When I went sightseeing to a gambling parlor during the Australian Masters, I saw lots of people within. There, Davies was gaming. I was surprised to see her there.

As for me, I enjoy playing video games. I do not have enough time to go somewhere or to do something else after wrestling with clubs. So, I started to play video games in my room and I became better and better. Tetris is my favorite. I'm sure I can beat whomever I play against. I record high scores every time when I play it. My sister Yu Ri is always surprised watching me play it. Ae Ri (my other sister) says, "How about participating in a Tetris tournament?"

In the US, on Sundays, when I don't have daily training, I go to Busch Gardens near Orlando and enjoy gaming. When I start a game, I soon am surrounded by lots of 'galleries', just like Davies is when she gambles. One day, I looked behind myself when I heard a great shout. Lots of people were standing behind me watching. Fortunately, back then I was not as well known as now.

I sometimes play computer games in my home in Orlando. I forget loneliness playing computer games.
I play most kinds of games well, but there's one that I cannot play well. It is the computer golf game. I'm beaten whenever I play it with my manager. He jokes, "You are Se Ri Pak, aren't you?" I get sore to hear that. So I do not play golf games any more, because I hate to be beaten.

I have come to have another hobby since arriving in the US. It's cooking. When I was in Korea, Father forbade me to cook. He was afraid I might cut off my finger. The problem is that the dishes I cook are not delicious. If I offer them to people, they seem to have them reluctantly, even my parents.

Last week, David Leadbetter (her coach at the time) recommended fishing, so I went fishing. Fishing is similar to golf in that one should calm oneself and wait for a chance to come.

I sometimes read books. I usually read popular chivalrous novels. I like the heroes of matchless valor. Yu Ri sometimes sends me books. 'Geom gaek' (The swordsman) is my favorite.

But there's one thing I really want to do. It's learn how to pilot a personal airplane and fly in the sky.
That's my dream.

Diary Entry #36: When full of confidence, I often yawn

There is an incident which made the media speechless. It happened during the Giant Eagle Classic, which I won. At that time, I had finished my final round as a leader by one stroke, and I was watching the last group playing on the 18th hole. At that moment, I yawned.

The atmosphere at that time was far from loose. If Dottie Pepper had made a birdie, I would have played in a sudden death playoff. The 18th hole was a par 5 hole, and Pepper had dropped her ball on the green with her 2nd shot. So she could make an eagle; and if she had, I would have been defeated by one stroke. I was fortunate. Pepper made a three putt and I won the tournament. In such a pressing situation, I yawned, and after the tournament, the media asked me, "How could you yawn in such a situation?" I replied, "I was just sleepy." They looked confused.

All players have their own looks or gestures to express their anxiety or joy. They show them unconsciously. Some throw their clubs, some throw insulting words. People say that I have a poker face, that I do not change my expression, but I do have some gestures which only my father can recognize. When I feel good or I am full of confidence, strangely, I look sleepy. It's probably because I feel comfortable. My eyelids droop and my half-closed eyes become even narrower. My yawn at the Giant Eagle can be explained in this way. I yawned waiting for the result after doing what I could do.

When my game goes well as I intended, my walk also looks distinct. I walk in sure-footed steps. Father says, "When you walk like that, you look like a warrior who faces a battle." When I lean against my club, I am also feeling comfortable.

When my ball has great spin, I feel best. Especially when large galleries are watching me, my ball flies powerfully and has intense back spin.

I have a fighter in me. I'm not much interested in players I've already beaten. I want to compete with stronger players.

When I do not feel good, my walk starts to change. My pace becomes faster in spite of myself. My eyes become open and my face gets stiff. When I putt, I usually do two practice strokes, but when I practice putting here and there studying the putting lines, it means my game is not going well.

There's another habit I have. If I am constantly glancing behind myself before I make my shots, this means I am impatient.

And I have one thing to make clear. After winning the LPGA Championship (in 1998), when I was renegotiating
with Samsung, I often wore sunglasses on my hat during tournaments. As a result, the Samsung logo on my hat was hidden a bit. At that time, I heard that a rumor was getting around in Korea that I did not get along well with Samsung, so I was expressing my annoyance with them by hiding their logo. I want to make it clear that I never intended to do this.