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Fairways and Greens
Check out Shi Hyun Ahn and Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff bios!
Newly added to this site are bios for two great Korean players who
have had impressive achievements this year. First up is Shi Hyun Ahn,
the surprise winner of the CJ 9 Bridges Classic this year. She also played
in the Mobile Tournament of Champions, where she did not do all that well,
but considering it was a hastily arranged first trip to the US, she acquitted
herself nicely. The other new bio is for Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff, who surprised
everyone by winning the US Girl's Amateur, the most prestigious event
in Girl's golf. And she did it by beating the defending champion, another
Korean named In-Bee Park, by coming back from 5 down after 8 holes, the
biggest comeback in the history of the event. Check out the bios by clicking
on the Other Players menu option, or by clicking below!
Shi Hyun Ahn
Shi Hyun Ahn has become the darling of Korea
Speaking of 'Cinderella' Shi Hyun Ahn, she has become the darling of the
Korean media since her victory at the CJ 9 Bridges. Sports Today, one
of the sponsors of that event and a major sports daily in Korea, has been
printing diary entries of Shi Hyun, where she talks about her feelings
following her stunning upset and reveals details of her past. There have
been articles about her potential as an LPGA golfer next year, and many
articles praising her combination of youth, good looks and guts.
Her appearance in a KLPGA event the next week got big coverage as well. Indeed, despite the fact she only finished tied for 16th, ten shots out of the lead, she got more coverage than the winner, Young Kim, an established LPGA player.
Her quest to get into the Tournament of Champions also absorbed a lot of column space. Usually it takes several months to get a work visa to play in the US professionally. Ahn's sponsors, Kolon, expedited matters, and in a mad scramble, they got her an interview with the consulate in Seoul on Monday and had her on the plane by Tuesday to play in the event just two days later. Even though she did not have a great finish, it was a wonderful experience for her and a good preview of what she'll need to work on before 2004.
Check out some of the photos that have appeared of Shi Hyun in the past few weeks!
Shi Hyun at the KLPGA's SBS Pro Golf Masters Ladies Tournament - Practice
(Click pics for full sized versions)
Se Ri on Korean Talk Show
Se Ri appeared on the Korean version of the Golf Channel in an hour long
interview recently. The interview ranged over a wide variety of topics.
I am grateful to 'se_ri_rules', a Korean fan of Se Ri's (obviously!),
who provided me with the following details.
The SBS Championship
She talked at length about the men's event she played and how nervous
she was, especially the first two days. The hosts revealed to her that
she was the first woman to ever win money at a men's event (which she
gave to the poor); this provoked a big smile from Se Ri, who did not know
that.
Her Golf
She admitted to them how hard the winless 2000 season was for her, especially
since people were asking her all the time why she was not winning. She
cried a lot in her hotel rooms after playing, she said.
Her Personal Life
Her name, Se Ri, was bestowed by her paternal grandmother. She is not
thinking of getting married any time soon; she says she still feels like
a teenager in a lot of ways. When asked about people who say she is too
unemotional, she replied, 'Well, I am sweet!' She says she is too busy
concentrating on course to be aware of when she is smiling or not. She
also revealed her favorite color: black, and that she has no idea how
much money she has, because her parents and IMG take care of all of that.
Lastly, she revealed that her primary goal right now is to get into the Hall of Fame. Best of luck to her!
Young Kim wins again!
Young Kim has had an impressive first season on the LPGA. She will end
up finishing around 44th on the money list, and second in rookie of the
year standings (ahead of more heralded players like Christina Kim and
Suzann Pettersen). But she still seems to be more in tune with playing
in Korea. A couple of months ago, she won her first golf event of the
year when she triumphed at the Shinsegae tournament on the KLPGA. In November,
she went back there to defend another title at the SBS Pro Golf Masters
Ladies Tournament. And lo and behold, she won! Young Kim sacrificed a
chance to play in the Mizuno Classic, the final LPGA event for which she
is eligible this year, in order to defend her title. She did not expect
to win, but led or co-led the event all three days, culminating with a
5 under par 67 to take the title by two strokes over Ara Koh. Congrats
to her!
|
2. |
Se Ri Pak | $1,561,928.00 | (+$96,146) |
| 3. | Grace Park | $1,374,702.00 | (+$113,596) |
| 4. | Hee-Won Han | $1,101,060.00 | (+$84,491) |
| 20. | Mi Hyun Kim | $498,188.00 | (+$52,317) |
| 24. | Jeong Jang | $443,278.00 | (+$13,443) |
| 33. | Soo-Yun Kang | $363,341.00 | (+$24,968) |
| 34. | Gloria Park | $332,295.00 | (+$44,071) |
| 37. | Jung Yeon Lee | $261,587.00 | (+$29,736) |
| 44. | Young Kim | $223,866.00 | (+$0) |
| 49. | Christina Kim | $215,632.00 | (+$21,133) |
| 76. | Young-A Yang | $100,566.00 | (+$0) |
Money List
Se Ri and Grace are coming right down to the wire. After tying again at
the Mizuno, Se Ri had a tough time defending her crown at the Tournament
of Champions, while Grace finished 4th, gaining a little ground. Hee-Won
very nearly collected her third win of the year there, and Peanut her
first. Jung Yeon Lee had yet another great tournament at the Mizuno, moving
into the top 40 for the first time, while Christina Kim grabbed her second
top ten of the year, meaning she had one in her first and her last event
of the year.
