2004 Awards

Best Head to Head Matchup:
Se Ri Pak vs. Ai Miyazato, Pinx Cup second round.
This one had classic written all over it. Miyazato is a very young Japanese player who earlier this year became the youngest player in history to win on the JLPGA tour. She would go on to claim five victories in 2004, and became a sensation in her home country. Se Ri, meanwhile, is the seasoned veteran struggling to find her game in 2004. A comparison of how they were playing is illuminating: at the Mizuno Classic, Miyazato shot a 63 in the final round to vault into a tie for second with Grace Park. The same week, Se Ri was playing a KLPGA event and losing to a player even younger than Miyazato, Na Yeon Choi.

In the first round of the Pinx Cup, Se Ri lost rather handily, the first time she had lost a Pinx Cup matchup without having some ulterior factor intrude (last year, she had lost following a penalty caused by her caddie). Miyazato, followed by a thousand rabid fans, won her first match. Se Ri was barely able to keep her drives in bounds, let alone on the fairway, while Miyazato had been solid and unshakable.

But when Se Ri was asked whom she wanted to face in the second round, without hesitation, she replied, 'Miyazato'. She felt sure she could handle the pressure of the enormous galleries, in a match that might very well end up being decisive for the team. And so was set up the classic match up: struggling but proud veteran vs. accomplished young gun.

Se Ri fought hard during the Pinx Cup

They did not disappoint. Playing with a wrist injury, and forced to use 3 wood off the tee all day to keep her drives in play, Pak played Miyazato even up in front of the enormous galleries for several holes before capturing a one shot lead around the turn. Eventually, despite some late struggles, Se Ri pulled out the one shot win to put the capstone on Korea's amazing come from behind win. Afterwards, Miyazato was in awe of her competitor, saying that she was impressed how Se Ri, despite clearly not at her best, was able to make clutch shots repeatedly when she needed to. She had learned a lot, she added. Great stuff!
Honorable Mentions:
Grace Park vs. Aree Song, Nabisco Championship
Grace Park vs. Lorena Ochoa, Vare Trophy
Christina Kim vs. Cristie Kerr, State Farm Classic

Worst One to One matchup:
No offense to the participants, but the endless playoff at the Takefuji Classic between Cristie Kerr and Seol-An Jeon featured some pretty poor golf shots. On the other hand, it did also have some clutch par saving putts thrown in there.

Most Surprising Result of the Year:
Grace Park Wins Vare Trophy
For the second year in a row, Annika Sorenstam was within a few rounds of winning the Vare Trophy for low scoring average, but did not play the extra event she needed in order to qualify. Thus, Grace Park won her first Vare. It was especially surprising, considering this time, unlike last year, she knew full well she would fall short months in advance and still did nothing about it.
Honorable Mention:
Se Ri Pak's entire season

Most Interesting Record:
Christina Kim leads the league in most tournaments where she led after the first round. She managed this an impressive five times during the year, including one stretch where she did it three out of four events.
Honorable Mention: Mi Hyun Kim managed 15 top tens in 2004 without a single win. That's the most top tens of any Korean player on tour, and she managed to set another dubious record: the most money made by a player in history in one season without a win.

Most Dramatic Hole of the Year:
Sunday, 18th hole, Nabisco Championship
Grace Park had played herself into a great position by the final round of the Nabisco. With many of the other top players in the game, such as Se Ri Pak and Annika Sorenstam, struggling, Grace had a perfect chance to win her first ever Major. She was tied for the lead with the youngest player in the LPGA, Aree Song, and playing in an all Korean final group with Aree and Jung Yeon Lee (OK, 2.5 Koreans and half a Thai, as Aree is part Thai, part Korean). And for most of the round, Grace maintained her lead and generally played like she knew the tournament was hers for the taking.

The 18th hole on this course is a par 5 with an island green. Generally speaking, it is pretty hard to reach the green in two, but on this day, in order to increase drama, the field staff reduced the length of the hole to encourage more people to go for it in two. I don't suppose Grace, who was in the lead, felt too great about that, but what the heck. Anyway, Grace and Aree both hit strong drives; as usual, Grace was about ten yards ahead of Aree.

Aree then decided to go for the green. She was two shots behind, and it was her best chance to beat or tie Grace. Her second shot carried the water and rolled to a stop about 30 feet from the hole. Now Grace had a choice: go for it in two or lay up. She wisely decided to lay up, figuring a wedge gave her a good chance at a birdie, and that would be all she needed. Grace did in fact hit her wedge within 6 feet of the hole, and all looked right with the world.

But wouldn't you know it, Aree Song made the putt of the year by sinking the eagle. She and the crowd both went nuts. It's hard to manage Aree Song, one of the mildest players on tour, wildly pumping her fist and shouting 'Yes!' over and over, but there it was. Absolutely exhilarating. Such a well played hole, indeed, that Sports Illustrated picked it as the most exciting golf hole in 2004, for either gender.

About the only person who wasn't thrilled was Grace Park. You might have been expecting her to be thinking ahead to her victory speech, but Grace isn't like that: she was mentally prepared for Aree to make the putt when she laid up. But now, Grace needed to hole the birdie for her first Major. Despite shaking so much she could barely hold her putter, she hit a perfect putt, made the birdie and won. Probably the most exciting end to a Major since Se Ri bested Jenny Chuasiriporn way back in 1998.
Honorable mention:
Christina Kim just misses her short birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the State Farm Classic.
Hee-Won Han on the 18th hole at the Safeway Classic (see below!).

Grace drives it on Sunday
at the Nabisco

I am Aree, hear me roar!

Se Ri practices at the Sybase

Most surprising missed cut(s):
Se Ri Pak, Sybase Classic and Kellogg/Keebler Classic
Se Ri Pak did not start the season on fire, but she rarely does. Usually, she plays solid but unspectacular golf for the first third of the season, collecting a win or two but interspersing it with less amazing results. Then she has a slight slump in the summer, followed by a strong conclusion where she collects most of her victories.

2004 started out like that for Se Ri, with a few top tens, but no really notable performances in her first few events. Then she came out of nowhere to win the Michelob Ultra Championship, which qualified her for the Hall of Fame at last. It looked like she was on her way in 2004.

But then she traveled to Korea to defend her title at the X-Canvas event. Generally, Se Ri seems to play her worst following this little Korean jaunt every year, and after a decent but not particularly impressive ninth place at the X-Canvas, she returned to the States and promptly missed the cut at her next event, the Sybase Classic. It was her first missed cut since the first event of the 2003 season.

What was most surprising is that she missed the very next cut as well, at the Kellogg/Keebler Classic. And she did that by shooting a most miserable 75 in the second round. It was the first time she had missed multiple cuts in a season since 1999, and the first time she had ever missed consecutive cuts since joining the LPGA. It was the start of the worst stretch of golf in Se Ri's career.