Fairways and Greens

Se Ri Pak - broadcaster?
No, don't worry: Se Ri is not about to give up her day job as a world class golfer. But the injured superstar will not be simply sitting at home during her convalescence. Her main sponsor, CJ, requested her presence at the tournament they sponsor, the CJ 9 Bridges Classic. To pass the time when she is not on call for them, she volunteered to make her broadcasting debut for SBS, the network covering the event in Korea. She strapped on the mike and contributed insights for the final two rounds. Read all about it in the coverage of the CJ 9 Bridges Classic elsewhere in this issue!

In other Se Ri news, last issue we reported that Se Ri's Hall of Fame induction might be delayed owing to her shortened 2005 season. Not to worry: the LPGA has confirmed that only 10 completed events are needed to count a season towards the Hall of Fame. Se Ri completed 12 events in 2005, so she will still be scheduled to enter the Hall in 2007, as before. Still no word on what her exempt status will be in 2006, however.

Hee Young Park swing sequence

Which Seoul Sister has the best swing?
Golf Magazine of Korea published the results of a survey recently to determine which of the top Korean golfers has the best overall swing, mixing power, address, balance and results. 50 KLPGA pros were polled, asking them to rank their top five favorite swings among all the Korean women golfers. A first place vote was worth five point, a second place four points, etc., all the way to 1 point for a fifth place vote.

The winner? Hee Young Park! The young rookie star on the KLPGA, who won this year's PAVV Invitational and finished fourth at the CJ 9 Bridges Classic, garnered 75 points from the collected sages, who particularly noted her great address and balance. In second with 70 points was Grace Park, well known LPGA superstar. In third was Joo Mi Kim, and Se Ri Pak, despite her recent slump and swing problems, still ranked 4th. Here's the entire list:

1. Hee Young Park
2. Grace Park
3. Joo Mi Kim
4. Se Ri Pak
5. Michelle Wie
6. Na Yeon Choi
7. Soo-Yun Kang
8. Shi Hyun Ahn
9. Na Ri Kim
10. Jin Seo (KLPGA player)

Ga Na Lee gets new endorsement deal
Lordland Cup Maekyong Open winner Ga Na Lee has just snagged herself a nice new endorsement deal. She will be paid about $150,000 to wear Le Coq Sportif sportswear on tour for the next year. Considering that even top players on the KLPGA tour make in the neighborhood of a couple hundred thousand dollars in a year from prize money, this is quite a nice addition to her personal coffers. Check out the photos from the announcement press conference here!

Christina likes SeoulSisters!
Christina Kim has been a friend to this website for years, even granting us an exclusive interview back in 2003, when she was still a rookie. Recently at the Longs Drugs Challenge, the editor of Jennifer Rosales' official website caught Christina in the pressroom checking out the web. Guess which site she was perusing? Yep, it was SeoulSisters! If you're reading this now, we love you, Christina! Best of luck the rest of the year!

Office Depot exclusive photos
Do we give you a lot in the way of exclusives over here at SeoulSisters.com? Well, we sure try! Seoul Sisters fan Bob, who provided us with tons of great photos from the US Women's Open, has struck again! He went to the recent Office Depot Championship in LA, and sent us a bunch more pics of the ladies. You may recall that at this event, Hee-Won Han snagged her fourth career win on Monday morning , while Kangsy finished second. Enjoy the pics!

Click Jimin's photo at right to see more!!

Soo Yun's commercial
Soo-Yun Kang, on the strength of her recent win on the LPGA tour, has gained a new sponsor and is currently appearing in a TV commercial for them in Korea. The company is Woori Financial Securities, and the theme of the ad is 'Your Partner in Success'.

The ad shows Kangsy playing golf (taken from actual LPGA footage) at various places, on greens, on fairways, etc. With her every step of the way is her caddie, but he has been replaced by an all white silhouette. The point being that Kangsy is helped along to success by her silent partner: Woori Financial. The voiceover says that 'no one can succeed by themselves. So get a partner in success: Woori Financial'.

The ad is accompanied by Jimmy Cliff doing a version of 'I Can See Clearly Now' (a song more familiar to American audiences in Johnny Nash's rendition).

Woori's website has a link to the commercial for the moment. Click on the link below and find the photos of Kang and her white caddie. On that photo are two links: one labeled 'VOD', which allows you to play the movie from the site; and the other, labeled 'CF', which lets you download the commercial to your hard drive.

http://www.wooriwm.com/

Money List
Although Jee Young Lee won the CJ 9 Bridges Classic (and with the win, cashed a $202,500 check), she does not appear on the money list. She was only in the field due to her KLPGA standing, not any standing on the LPGA tour, so any money she (or any other KLPGA player) won at the event does not count on the LPGA tour. But never fear, her win here still gave her a tidy two year exemption on the LPGA tour! By the way, if it had counted, it would have put her in 54th place on the money list. Not bad for one event!

Jeong Jang, Gloria Park, Hee-Won Han and especially Mi Hyun Kim had nice improvements in their bankbooks this past few weeks, JJ breaking a million dollars in a season for the first time in her career (congratulations to her!), and Hee-Won entering the top ten on the money list. JJ is now the fifth Korean to ever break a million in a season, following Se Ri Pak, Grace Park, Mi Hyun Kim and Hee-Won Han.

Grace Park is getting closer to qualifying for the ADT championship (can she do it? She'll need a good finish at the Mizuno). The top 30 on the money list qualify to play in the ADT, the season's final event. There are three more events in the year after the 9 Bridges: the Mizuno in Japan, the Tournament of Champions, and then the ADT.