Wegman's Rochester 2003: Grace vs. Se Ri

Perhaps sometime in the future, the following pay-per-view event might be available on your cable system!

In the right corner, 24 years of age, weighing in at 120... slap... Well, we don't know, actually... 5 foot 6 inches tall, from Seoul, South Korea... Four time winner on tour, and second on the 2003 LPGA money list... Grace.... PARK!

And the defending champion... 25 years old, weighing 140 lbs, 5 foot 6 inches tall... From Daejeon, South Korea, she has 20 wins including four Majors, with two wins in 2003... third on the 2003 LPGA Money list... Se.. Ri... PAK!

OK, maybe we will never see a head-to-head matchup in Madison Square Garden any time soon between the two undeniable heavyweights of Korean women's golf... But the question has been posed this year by Grace Park's great performance, and it bears further exploration. Namely, has Grace Park finally caught Se Ri Pak? Is she ready to challenge the once unbeatable Queen of Golf for the title of Seoul Sister Supreme?

Se Ri has been tough again this year
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle/Carlos Ortiz

Grace practices before this week's
tournament
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

The evidence on Grace's side is mounting. Two years ago, Grace was mired outside of the top twenty. Although she was capable of the occasional great performance, and even managed a win in each of her first two seasons, this was not the level most observers would have expected Grace to be at. Not after an amateur career with more than 50 victories, including a sweep of all three top 'Major' amateur events in 1998, a feat last achieved 60 years before. Not after a Futures Tour career that consisted of exactly ten events, five of which she won. Not after a second place finish at the 1999 Safeway Classic, before she even joined the tour.

Even Grace herself was disappointed with her performance. Interviewed about it in 2002, she replied that she would have given herself 'a Big Fat F' for her first two seasons. Yet it was not entirely her fault that things went that way. For one thing, Grace fell victim to the injury bug in a big way. Her once mighty swing became hampered by a rib injury. Instead of properly recuperating, she tried to play through the pain, in order to win the Rookie of the Year award. This might not have been a good idea; not only did it prolong the time the injury took to heal, it also swayed her to modify her swing to deal with her limitations. Those swing modifications in turn led to a loss of power and accuracy. Grace also suffered a severe wrist sprain that further impacted her game.

Rather than throw in the towel, though, Grace kept working, and at last her efforts paid dividends in 2002. That year she had a dozen top tens and a win, and finished 6th on the money list. While still well behind Se Ri and Mi Hyun Kim, she had nonetheless clearly established herself as the third great Korean player with her record.

In 2003, she has taken another step up. Never before have we seen a Grace who is having driving problems carve out top five finishes anyway. In the old days, when her driver went south, it usually took her game with it. She is now getting good finishes almost as often as bad ones, perhaps even more often. She is contending in Majors, and more than that, she is almost winning them. And her short game has become not just a tool but a weapon, one that rescues her when her game is weak, and propels her to new heights when her game is on.

Grace had a great Safeway Ping tournament