2005 Mizuno Classic

In this topsy turvy LPGA season of 2005, the formerly top Korean players have struggled, while many of the lesser known Koreans have notched wins and made names for themselves, sometimes at the most unlikely of moments. One player who has been quietly having her best season is the athletic Young Kim. Although Kim had yet to win in 2005, she had notched a number of top twenties, had only missed one cut, and had placed herself firmly in the top 30 on the money list. About the only thing she didn't have was a win, but at the Mizuno Classic, she made a bold run at getting one.

The problem with trying to win this tournament is that it is basically owned by one player. Annika Sorenstam, for whatever reason, absolutely loves this event. Played each year in Japan, it is the LPGA's lone official stop in that country. For the last four years, Sorenstam had collected the title there, making it almost a wasted trip for the other players in the field. In the last two years, she had won by nine shots each time, and given that this was only a three round event, this win total was all the more extraordinary. For Annika, dropping 63s while playing the Mizuno was a common occurrence. Even the presence of superstars in the field like Grace Park and Ai Miyazato had not been able to slow her progress. But no one had ever won the same event on the LPGA tour five times in a row. Would this historical pressure finally be enough to give someone else a chance?

Grace Park during the pro-am. Her bid to make
the season ending ADT Championship depended
on doing well here

Young Kim in round 2

Not surprisingly, Sorenstam came out with guns blazing in the first round. She ended up shooting an 8 under par 64, and looked for all the world like she was on her way to yet another Mizuno title. Some of the Korean players put up good starts, but nothing quite that good. Il Mi Chung, who herself has been quietly having a decent LPGA season, shot a 6 under par 66, and Jeong Jang, who had become the fifth Korean ever to break a million dollars for a season only a few weeks earlier, matched that. Soo-Yun Kang and Meena Lee, also both first time winners in 2005 along with Jang, shot 5 under par 67s. All very respectable rounds, but given that Annika was likely to shoot around 20 under par by the end of the event, even with those scores, these players were already playing catch up.

But then along came Young Kim. Young started well on the back nine, shooting three birdies and no bogies in those nine holes. But she really hit her stride on the front nine. She birdied hole three, then birdied every hole from 5 to 9. That's five straight birdies, a new record for her. When all was said and done, she had produced a 9 under par 63, her first ever in professional play, and had pipped Annika for the first round lead. It was also her first time leading an LPGA event after a round had completed. A great job by her, to be sure, but now the tough stuff started. Now she had to play with Annika in the second round. The pressure would really be on; could she respond?

Happily, the second round was another great one for Young Kim. Playing in the final group with Annika, she ended up matching her stroke for stroke. In fact, for a while, it looked like Young might even get a little bit of a lead on Sorenstam. She made four birdies on the front nine, then had birdies on 10 and 11 to move to 15 under par for the tournament. At that point, however, she started to struggle, bogeying her next two holes to fall back to 13 under. She would produce two more birdies and one more bogey to finish at 14 under par for the round. Sorenstam also shot a 5 under par 67 and still sat just one shot behind Young. It was another sterling performance for Young Kim, with 8 total birdies produced, only one fewer than she had managed in her first round. Only the increased number of bogies put a slight damper on the proceedings. But still, she was in the lead for a second straight round, and there was only one round to go. She had passed her first test.

The only other Korean who was within four shots of the lead was Jeong Jang, who shot a 67 on day two to move to 11 under par. Meena Lee shot a 69 and sat in a tie for 10th at 8 under, while Soo-Yun Kang, Shi Hyun Ahn (after a second day 68) and Gloria Park all were at 7 under.

Meanwhile, Grace Park had shot rounds of 68 and 70 and was in 23rd. Grace was not intending on playing the Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions, which meant that this was her last chance to earn enough money to make it into the season ending ADT Championship. She currently sat in the mid thirties on the money list, and needed a great finish to earn enough bread. But she was fast running out of holes. It looked to be a gamble that was not going to pay off.

Young Kim during round 2. Guess that shot
didn't work out so well!

The weather wasn't great, but Young Kim
gave it her best shot in round 3

Earlier in the year, Young Kim had played with Annika Sorenstam in the final round of the LPGA Championship. Young had started the day in solo second place, but faded on Sunday and finished well back of the winner. But in that case, she had started the day five shots behind the leader; here, she was starting the day with a lead. Would it make a difference? One thing seemed sure: Annika would probably find a way to go low, so if Young were to win her first LPGA event, she would have to do the same.

Alas, it didn't happen. Young started well enough, with a birdie on the second hole. She bogied four, but snapped back with a birdie on the 6th hole. She still held on to a precarious lead, though, as Annika was not playing all that well to start.

But all that changed as Annika eagled the 6th and birdied the 8th. Young didn't make many more mistakes, but she wasn't making birdies, either. The weather was not great, and other players were starting to charge from behind. Then Annika turned on the jets in the last few holes, making birdie after birdie, while Young only made a couple birdies here and there. It all ended badly for Young with a bogey on the final hole. She wound up with a 2 under par 70, not a terrible score, but not nearly enough to stop Sorenstam, who shot yet another 64 to easily win the event for the fifth time. Young's final hole bogey knocked her back into a tie for third at 16 under par.