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Fairways and Greens
Grace Park commercial
Ever since Nike signed Grace Park to one of the biggest contracts in women's
golf, fans have wondered what their intentions were with her. Last year,
Grace rose to #3 in the world, and made commercials for Pantene Shampoo
and Rolex watches. Yet still Nike did not feature her in any ads in magazines
or on TV.
Finally, that's all about to change. Several months ago, Nike cryptically announced that they would be using Grace as the primary representative of their new line of women's golf clothes and equipment, to be introduced in the Spring of 2004. But nothing more was said about it at that time, and our attempts to get further comment from Nike failed. However, on March 10th, Nike issued a press release that for the first time gave shape to some of their plans for Grace. It stated that she had just filmed a commercial for Nike's newest driver, the Ignite. She is featured in a spot with PGA tour pros and Nike staff members David Duval, Lanny Wadkins and several others. The spot will also feature the notorious 'Frank', the Tiger head cover that has appeared in several commercials with Tiger Woods. Will Frank try to sass Grace like he has Tiger all these months? Or will she get the last word? We don't know, but stay tuned; the ads will start airing in June.
Grace has also taken another big step in her life (there seems to be a new one every few weeks!). Along with her family, she has purchased a stake of The Ridge at Castle Pines, a luxury golf course in Castle Rock, Colorado. Grace's sister Lisa will assume ownership responsibilities for the club, with Grace dropping in from time to time to greet guests and help out in the kitchen (OK, I doubt she'll be doing much dish washing!!). The course, which is thirty miles south of Denver, is considered one of the premiere upscale public facilities in the state. Congratulations to the Park family, and best of luck!
Soo Yun Kang the Entrepreneur
Soo Yun Kang has also dipped her toes into investing, but in a decidedly
different way than Grace. Where Grace and her family bought a golf course,
Kangsy decided to buy a Schlotzky's Deli franchise for Seoul. Apparently
she likes eating at the health conscious sandwich chain, which is headquartered
in Austin, Texas, and thought opening one in Seoul would be a good idea.
She will be the (sort of) manager of it even while on the road, though
she anticipates this will be strenuous. Next time you're in a Schlotzky's
Deli, think of Soo Yun!
Shi Hyun Ahn photo-shoot
Grace is not the only popular lady golfer in Korea. Shi Hyun Ahn has
been a hit with the Korean public ever since she became the surprise winner
of the 9 Bridges Classic last year. After that, she was signed to a bigger
contract by her sponsors, Kolon and ELord. ELord was quick to use the
attractive teenager in their clothing ads. She later shot these photos.
Unfortunately, I can't quite figure out what the point of them is; my
guess would be that they are meant to advertise for the golf equipment
she is holding, but they might just be odd little photos of one of Korea's
fave athletes. Anyway, enjoy!
Jimin had a top 5 this week
on the Futures Tour
The LPGA was not the only place where Koreans shone last week. The Futures Tour kicked off its season with the Lakeland Futures golf Classic in Lakeland, Florida. 18 year old Korean sensation Son Hwa Lee (who was so impressive on last year's Pinx Cup team) started her Futures Tour career with a bang, shooting a first round 66 and only missing one fairway and one green in the process. This left her tied for the lead at the end of the day. She remarked that she is enjoying the chance to play in America and hopes to get one of the five exempt cards for the LPGA tour at the end of the season. Also playing, in her first professional tournament, was Naree Song, twin sister of Aree. Aree managed a top ten in her debut on the LPGA tour, but Naree did not fare so well, opening with a 3 over par 75.
During the second round, Naree improved somewhat, shooting a 2 under 70 to move up to 27th place. Son Hwa Lee, however, struggled to a 73 and fell to sixth place. On the final day, she roared back to life, grabbing the tournament lead halfway through the final round, only to lose it to the hard charging Kimberly Adams of Canada. In the end, three Koreans finished in the top ten: Lee, who managed a 2nd place finish, four shots out of the lead; Jimin Kang, who played steadily all week and notched a 5 under par 4th place; and Young Jo, who finished ninth. Naree collected a 17th place finish in her pro debut. Good going, ladies!
