Highlights and Lowlights

Sunny Day, sweeping the clouds away
Sunny Lee got to play her second event of 2004 at this week's Franklin American Mortgage Championship. And by and large, she played the first round quite well, starting her event with a one over par effort that left her a shot below the cut line at that time. But on Friday, she got out to another terrible start, a 5 over par 41 that included three bogeys and a double. She added a second double on the second hole, and that was it for another week. Sunny is still looking for her first made cut of 2004. Perhaps her next tournament will provide it?

Youngsters at play
Last week, we had a gaggle of youngsters finish very impressively at the Michelob Ultra. This week, they were conspicuously absent from the leader board. Christina Kim, the second year player from San Jose, California, had a 16th last week after falling from contention towards the end of the event. This week, she opened with a tragic 76 and missed the cut by two shots. 18 year old Aree Song did not play particularly well in Virginia, but it was still better than this week, where two rounds in the 70s spelled her second missed cut of the year. Another young player in her early 20s, Soo-Young Moon, missed the cut, as did Young Kim.

The Seoul Korean rookie to make the cut was Seol-An Jeon, but she never threatened all week and finished tied for 35th.

How low can Peanut go?
Mi Hyun Kim's third round 64 was certainly an impressive round, and it vaulted her back into contention at this week's tournament. But it is not her lowest late round charge. Back in 2001, at the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic, she erupted for a 9 under par 62 on Sunday that moved her from pretender to contender. And at the Office Depot in 2001, she was 11 shots out of the lead on Sunday, but ended up tied for the lead at the end of regulation with Annika Sorenstam, who had come from ten back to get into the playoff. Had Mi Hyun won that playoff, she would have had the greatest comeback in the history of the LPGA (that honor went to Sorenstam, the winner of the playoff). This shows that the Super Peanut is not out of it 'til the final putt falls!

I always like any chance I can get to dig up a photo
of Sunny Lee!

Mi Hyun during round 2