Peanut Again

Mi Hyun Kim's week started with a decent but uninspiring even par 72. It was in the second round where she flexed her little muscles and made a move up the leader board. Her five under 67 consisted of five birdies and not a mistake on her card. She was doing exactly what you needed to do on this tight course where driving and putting was at a premium. Mi Hyun had blamed her poor 2003 largely on her putting, but all evidence suggested that she had that aspect of her game well under control this year. Her score would turn out to be the lowest of the day (tied with Becky Morgan).

The rough, and the tricky weather, was causing a lot of grief for other players, however. Chief among them was Se Ri Pak. Se Ri managed a decent front half to her day, but coming into the last few holes, she started to have severe problems with her driver, as she has had all year. On a course with diabolic rough, that was not a good thing. She hung in there, carving par saves out of seemingly nothing, but it took its toll. Se Ri ended up with a poor 74, but fortunately it still left her at -1. Still, for much of the day she had been at 4 under, and had she but been able to hang on, she might have been a factor in the tournament. It was not to be, though she still was to make one more move later on.

Se Ri enjoyed the pro-am; the tournament
didn't go so well
Bob McIntosh for SeoulSisters.com
(Click to enlarge)

Mi Hyun was far back going into Sunday,
but knew from experience a big comeback
was possible
Bob McIntosh for SeoulSisters.com
(Click to enlarge)

On Saturday, the conditions continued to be challenging. Mi Hyun did not quite have the perfect day she had managed on Friday, notching two bogeys and only four birdies. But 70 was the kind of score she needed to keep herself in the hunt. And hunting along side her on Sunday would be none other than Annika Sorenstam. It would be a good test of Mi Hyun's prowess to see how well she could hang with the world's #1 player.

Meanwhile, Kim Saiki, a journeyman player who had never won in 13 years on tour, hung tenaciously onto the lead, and finished the day with her third straight round in the 60's. Every year there seem to be a few events won by players who come out of the blue to far outplay their previous best of the year. Up until this week, Saiki had not finished better than 21st in 2004. She had only managed three rounds in the 60s all year. Yet now she was finishing her third straight round in the 60s in one week! As a result, she found herself at -13 under par, a full six shots ahead of Mi Hyun. There were a few other players closer, including Rosie Jones, a multiple winner of the event who sat at 12 under. The big question loomed: could Mi Hyun make a run and get herself into contention? Or was she doomed to finish well back in the pack thanks to the irrepressible Saiki?

Se Ri had done OK for herself on the front nine, notching four birdies against one bogey. She had vaulted up the leaderboard, but just when it looked like she could make herself a factor again, her driver again began to misbehave. Bogeys on 10, 13, 14 and 18, which had been the toughest holes all week, signaled the end of Se Ri's final run at the title. She would go on to shoot a punishing 76 in the final round and finish 50th. Another terrible finish, especially when you consider she was 4th after the first round. The slump continues.

On the final day, Mi Hyun quietly moved up the leaderboard while, surprisingly, Sorenstam stalled. Peanut went out in 2 under par 33, moving her to 9 under. She was still four shots out of the lead, but the tournament was far from over. Jones, struggling with a neck problem, was surviving thanks to clutch par saves, but that was going to be hard to maintain. Saiki was in new territory, and suffered an early double bogey. After Peanut birdied the 12th, she was only two shots out of the lead. Anything was possible, but she had her own demons to conquer.

Shi Hyun Ahn played for the first time
in Rochester
Bob McIntosh for SeoulSisters.com
(Click to enlarge)

Another Korean player did well this week:
Jeong Jang
Bob McIntosh for SeoulSisters.com
(Click to enlarge)

The good news is that Mi Hyun did not really screw up. Oh, she did miss a couple of very makeable birdie putts, both about four - six feet, although one of them came with a tricky break. On the par 5 11th she hit her wedge to within just a few feet but missed the seeming gimme. She stood on the green stunned, not willing to believe what had happened. Later she would miss another putt only slightly longer and trickier.

But the fact is, even those two putts would not have been enough this week. Jones met her waterloo on 14, when a terrible few shots and some missed putts cost her a double bogey. She dropped back to 10 under, where Mi Hyun was. Saiki then made birdie and suddenly had a 3 shot lead. But on 15, Jones struck back with a long long birdie putt, and Saiki's chip went well past the hole, leaving her with a 30 foot par save. A two and maybe three shot swing looked possible, with Peanut lurking as well. But Saiki made the par save, maintained her two shot lead, and went on to make two more birdies to finish at 14 under par.

Meanwhile, it was a second place for Mi Hyun Kim, her ninth top ten of the year, but yet another case that makes you wonder when it's finally going to be her turn, when she's going to play well in a week where a player who has not played well all year is not shooting lights out. Who knows? Mi Hyun is arguably the hottest player in women's golf right now, with a 4th and 2nd in the past two week; and I don't doubt she would be quite happy to claim her first win of 2004 at the US Women's Open next week. With her accuracy and putter and confidence all back at peak levels, don't count her out!