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2004 Awards
Heartbreaker of the Year:
Christina Kim at the State Farm Classic
Christina Kim already had a pretty solid year going in 2004 when she got
to the State Farm Classic. She was also coming off one of her better performances,
a 6th place at the Wachovia Classic. But probably nothing prepared us
for the brilliance of her play at the Rail Golf Course in Springfield,
Illinois. She started off with a thunderous bang, shooting a 10 under
par 62 to tie the course record and take a lead (it was a trend she would
continue over the next few weeks, setting a few more course records and
shooting a few more low first rounds). In the second round, she continued
her strong play with a 66 to maintain her lead, but lurking in the background
was Cristie Kerr, who shot the round of the day, a 63. In round 3, Kerr
shot another 63, and suddenly, Christina found herself in the hole by
several shots. Could she make it interesting, or would Kerr collect another
win in 2004?
Making this a little more interesting was an incident that happened on
Saturday. Apparently, Christina's typically flamboyant reactions to her
own shots were getting on Kerr's nerves, and she snapped at her to 'act
like a professional' on one tee. This was probably not a wise idea in
retrospect, as Kerr and Kim will almost certainly be Solheim Cup teammates
for years to come, and should learn to play together. Regardless, Christina
let it roll off her back, but it added another level of emotional intrigue
to the event.
Christina had an unbelievably great
State Farm Classic
Christina hung in there during round 3
After losing in a hard fought battle,
Christina broke down.
Fans were there to pick her up.
On Sunday, Kerr, Kim and Jennifer Rosales were in the final group. Rosales quickly fell out of contention, and Kerr took a several shot lead. But Kim roared back, and by the tenth hole, she was only one shot back. She was in full Christina mode, barking at the ball to do what she wanted, reacting with vigorous fist pumps when things went right. The crowd was totally in her corner, and Kerr looked more irritated than ever. Even Rosales, a good friend of Christina's, was rooting her on, exchanging fist taps when Kim made a good shot. All of this later added to the controversy surrounding Christina, but in my opinion, it was much like how Meg Mallon encouraged Rosales during her first victory at the Chick-Fil-A earlier in the year.
Christina then made a birdie to thunderous applause on the 14th hole,
tying Kerr at 23 under par. On the par 5 15th, Christina made an eagle
to take the lead. Everything seemed to be going her way.
Then came the par 3 16th, and Christina struggled mightily. She had a
tricky downhill chip, and decided to go for the hole, even though a mistake
might put her in the water. Well, she did not hit a good shot, and the
ball rolled all the way to the grass next to the water, but stopped before
going in. From there, she chipped well past the hole again, and now faced
a longish putt for bogey. But in another brilliant display of talent and
guts, she made that putt, pumping her fist wildly while the crowd went
absolutely nuts. Everything was tied again.
But on 17, Kerr made a putt and Kim did not, and suddenly, Kerr had a
one shot lead. Christina didn't give up, and when Kerr hit a terrible
drive behind a tree, Kim hit a good one and got on the green in two. She
had a short birdie putt to tie and possibly win, depending on what Kerr
could do. Kerr's approach landed in the bunker, but she got up and down
from there, so it was all up to Christina. A short birdie, and there would
be a playoff. But she missed the putt, and just like that, the heartbreak
was complete. Despite shooting a 23 under par result for the week, the
second best in the history of the tournament and 5 shots ahead of third
place, Christina Kim lost the event to the best score in tournament history.
What a heartbreaker!
(Dis)Honorable Mentions: Se Ri Pak squanders a chance to
get her fifth Jamie Farr victory; Grace Park loses at the Samsung
for the first time when she had a lead going into the final round.
Like never before on the LPGA, young players are making their mark on tour, and not just Koreans. Paula Creamer, for one, looks strong at 18 to be the Rookie of the Year in 2005. But young Korean and Korean Americans also made a huge impression in 2004. Shi Hyun Ahn, who turned 20 just a few months before the end of the year, was impressive most of the year through, winning a tight battle for Rookie of the Year with Aree Song. Song managed to come within just a hair's breadth of becoming the youngest ever Major winner when Grace Park touched her out at the Nabisco Championship. She was just 17 at the time, too young to even technically be on tour (the Commissioner gave her a special exemption to play). Meanwhile, Christina Kim collected her first win at the age of 20 as well. There was a time not too long ago when Se Ri Pak, at 20, was by far the youngest winning player on tour, but those days seem a while ago!
And it wasn't just on the LPGA where young Korean players made their mark. The amateur ranks, of course, not only boasted of the explosive Ms. Michelle Wie, but also Jane Park, a Korean American who won the US Women's Amateur at age 18 (after finishing second in 2003), and very nearly won the US Girl's Championship as well, finishing second. And In Bee Park, who continued her strong play in 2004 at the age of 16. And Na Yeon Choi, a 16 year old amateur who stunned Se Ri Pak and other KLPGA players by winning the ADT-CAPS Invitational event in November (Se Ri finished second). And the KLPGA was dominated this year by an 18 year old phenom named Bo Bae Song, who was the Player of the Year, won the most money, and collected the biggest tournament win (The Korean Women's Open). She touched out 20 year old Ju Mi Kim, who was the KLPGA Player of the Year in 2003, but had to settle for second place this time out.
So the future for the Korean Explosion not only looks bright; the future is here!
Jane Park pirouettes on the way to
winning the 2004 US Women's Amateur
Most Controversial Player:
Christina Kim
Christina Kim has become one of the most popular players on the LPGA thanks
to her vivacious personality, kooky fashion sense and go for it style.
But these same qualities have also led to her becoming controversial.
In 2004, she began to contend more regularly, and thus appeared more often
on telecasts. Some American fans were put off by her occasional tendency
to curse on camera, and others thought her clothes were simply too outrageous
for a golf tournament. But most fans embraced Christina, loving the way
she wore her heart on her sleeve and interacted with fans.
Christina even earned the wrath of one of her opponents. During the State
Farm Classic, Cristie Kerr became irritated by Christina's animated responses
to shots, as well as her laid back attitude between shots. She barked
at her to 'act like a professional'. This added a little venom to what
turned out to be one of the best competitions of the year, as the two
went nose to nose until the final hole.
But if Christina had been controversial before, she hadn't seen nothing
yet. In September, she was named to be one of the representatives for
Korea at the annual Korea-Japan golf tournament known as the Pinx Cup.
One problem with this is that Christina is not Korean, she's American,
but Christina still looked forward to the chance to represent Korea in
this exciting team event.
Christina faces the press in Korea
Christina shut the Korean press up
by playing extremely well at the Pinx Cup
But when she traveled to Korea for the CJ 9 Bridges Classic, she found
herself in the midst of a firestorm of controversy. A minority of fans
there felt she should not be on the team, not only because of her nationality,
but because they did not consider her Korean enough to compete. IE, her
outgoing razzle dazzle style struck those fans as too American. It didn't
help that Christina did not speak Korean well. The media grilled her relentlessly
about this during the CJ event, to the point where her mother even had
to defend her daughter from their slings and arrows. Yet at the same time,
Christina was quite popular among most of the fans at the event, and posed
for numerous photos with them during the week.
In the end, Christina got the last laugh. At the Pinx Cup, she tied in
her first match, then on Sunday absolutely obliterated her opponent. Her
6 under par 66 was four shots better than any other golfer managed on
the day. It was a fitting way to show just how important she could be
to the team. And then she shouted herself hoarse cheering on her teammates
as they finished. Although Hee-Won Han won the MVP, Christina was definitely
an important part of the comeback Korea staged on Sunay. Revenge can be
sweet!
