Money list total: $1,525,471 (2nd)
Scoring Average: 69.99 (2nd)
Player of the Year Total: 201.33 (2nd)
Wins: 2
Majors: 1 (2 top tens)
Top 2's: 9 (+ 1 outside of LPGA tour)
Top 5's: 12 (+ 1 outside of LPGA tour)
Top 10's: 12 (+ 1 outside of LPGA tour)
Missed cuts: 1
Birdies: 357 (5th)
Eagles: 15 (T-5)
Greens in Regulation: .681 (35th)
Other notable stats: 4th in driving distance (267.9 yards); 8th in rounds under par (56); 2nd in rounds in the 60s (40); 102nd in driving accuracy (68.6%); 2nd in putting (28.79); 1st in putting/GIR (1.74)

Grace celebrates at the Nabisco

Notable achievements:
Grace won an event for the sixth consecutive season, meaning she has won every year she has been a professional.

Grace broke $1 million in earnings for the third straight year. She also improved her money list position for the third straight year, and had her best scoring average ever.

Grace had fewer top tens than in 2003, but all her top tens were top threes. This included 2 wins, seven second place finishes, and three thirds.

Grace won her first Major, becoming only the second Korean to ever win a Major. She also won multiple times in a season for the first time. Her second win (at the CJ 9 Bridges Classic) was also her first on Korean soil, and her first by more than a shot since joining the LPGA (it was a five shot win).

Grace won the Vare Trophy for low scoring average. She became only the fourth LPGA golfer in history to break 70.00 for scoring average in a season (69.99).

Grace again led the league in putts/greens in regulation. She also increased her driving distance somewhat.

Grace won several post-season awards, including best Korean golfer on an international tour (KLPGA award), an award usually owned by Se Ri Pak.

Assessment:
Grace Park had another fabulous season, in many ways better than the one she put together in 2003. She improved her scoring average, made more money, won more often and put together more top three finishes. On the other hand, she had more top tens in 2003, and was slightly more consistent in that she had more rounds in the 60s and more rounds under par that year.

Grace started the season with a bang, notching three top three finishes, including her first ever Major victory. She also finished third at the second Major of the year, and looked poised for a mammoth season. However, back problems midway through the year significantly hampered her during the most lucrative and important part of the season: she only managed a 64th place finish at the US Women's Open, and did not do all that well at the Evian Masters or British Open either. It's hard to say how much this affected her overall performance, but it says something that despite this trouble, she was able to do so well, finishing for the first time in second place on the money list, scoring average, and Player of the Year standings. Indeed, this may be the first season she's had that ranks up there with a good season by her prime Korean rival, Se Ri Pak. It's hard to know how she would have done against Se Ri had Pak played a typical season, but that question is moot: Grace is currently the second best golfer in the women's game, and has no one to catch but Sorenstam now.

Grace's biggest problem is still that she does not wrap up as many tournament victories as she should. It's telling that she had nine top twos but only two wins. In two of those seconds place finishes, she led with just a few holes to go and should have probably won. In one other case (Chick-Fil-A) she was well positioned to make a run, but couldn't pull it off, and she had a reasonable chance of winning at the Asahi Ryokuken and Safeway Classic as well. You're not going to win every time you can, but it's significant that in 2001, when Se Ri had twelve top three finishes, five of those were wins, whereas this year, Grace's twelve top threes yielded only two wins.

Still, the mere fact that she has given herself so many chances to win is a big step up, and she was able to convert two of those wins. It does not seem far fetched that in 2005 she could have a five or six win season with a little luck and good health.

As far as her game goes, it's in fantastic shape. Watching her nail one glorious iron after another when she is on her game is a very impressive sight. She is a better putter than Sorenstam or Se Ri, but still not as consistent as either one with her irons. But she is getting closer, and when she is on her game, she is something to behold. Her short game in general has gotten much better, as we witnessed time and again when she scraped out a par save when she needed to. Like Pak, her biggest weakness is still accuracy off the tee, although she isn't as wayward as Se Ri when she does miss (at least not usually). Still, a player of her caliber should have better accuracy off the tee and better greens in regulation statistics. Her head is definitely less of a liability than it used to be, as proved by her much greater ability to create a good round even when things are not going her way. Even at the Evian, during a round where she was having all sorts of struggles, she managed to pull out a 67 almost by willing it to happen. That explosiveness, marked by improved confidence and the overall strength of her game, has lifted her to the upper echelons of the game.

What she should work on:
Grace still needs to work on her driving accuracy, although she is gradually improving it. Her next big hurdle is mental. She seemed to put herself into contention almost at will at times this year, but she still won less often than Cristie Kerr or Meg Mallon. When her mind catches up with her skills, she will be an awesome force on tour, and could very possibly catch Sorenstam as number one.