Sybase Classic

The Sybase Classic is the LPGA event that is held in the New York City area each year (it is played at Wykagyl, a century old golf course in New Rochelle, north of the city. Fans of the Dick Van Dyke show will recall that New Rochelle is the suburb in which he and Mary Tyler Moore lived in wedded bliss). Generally speaking, this event has been good to the Korean players. Something about the tight and rolling fairways and tricky greens seems to remind the Korean players of home. Back in 2002, a real three way battle developed for the title between Annika Sorenstam and two young Korean players, Gloria Park and Hee-Won Han. Surprisingly, it was the two Koreans who ended up in the playoff, although Han had a chance to win her first ever event outright with a short birdie putt on the last hole. After one hole of playoff, however, it was Gloria Park who took home the red jacket.

But Hee-Won would have her revenge. Come 2003, and she was back in contention. And this time she pulled off the win and got to wear the red jacket home. It was her first career victory, and well deserved after multiple second places the previous year.

Hee-Won Han and her 2003 Sybase trophy

Se Ri at the Sybase (briefly)

Coming into the Sybase in 2005, the Koreans could have used a friendly venue. Although several of them had managed good finishes in earlier events, no Korean had really been in contention to win an event on Sunday afternoon in the entire year to date. Either one player (usually Annika Sorenstam) was taking off from the field, or else there were several in contention, but none of them happened to be Korean. But this event would prove to be a smashing success for the Koreans. So much so that after a few rounds, it would seem more like a KLPGA event than an LPGA one.

One nice benefit for the ladies was that Annika chose to skip the event this year. Sorenstam has always been a strong presence, but this year she seems to be playing in warp speed at times. Any event without her in the field is a golden chance to get a win. And a full complement of Korean players were there to give it a go.

Included in the field was the severely struggling Se Ri Pak. But her tenure at the event would be short lived. After just five holes, she decided to call it an event, citing back trouble. She was already four over at the time and had yet to hit a fairway. The struggles seem to continue on and on for this proud lady.

But there were plenty of other Korean players there to pick up the slack. The one who did the best was Christina Kim, who had been having a very up and down season to date. Last year, she was known as a player who often shot the best round of the day in the first round, and for the first time in 2005, she did it again. Her 6 under par 65 (Wykagyl is a par 71 course) consisted of seven birdies against a lone bogey. Gloria Park, another Sister who had been traditionally a bit inconsistent, but who was having a pretty good start to her year, finished third this day with a four under par round. Gloria had almost skipped the event, as her wrist had been acting up for the past several weeks. But she always had fond memories of this course, and decided to give it a go anyway. It would prove to be a good decision on her part. Soo Yun Kang and Kimmie also managed under par rounds and were in position to make some noise.

On the minus side, Grace Park struggled mightily in round one, posting a 6 over par 77. It is not often that Grace plays that badly, but she has been inconsistent this year due to her multiple back problems. They even affect her when her back is OK, as her injuries have prevented her from practicing to the degree she needs in order to remain at her best. Hopefully, she will become more like the old Grace as the season progresses. But if you thought you'd heard the last of her in this event, you don't know Grace!

Christina Kim during round 1

Gloria Park and Joo Mi Kim after round 2 at the
Sybase. Joo Mi had reason to be happy!

In round 2, a different Korean shot into the spotlight. It was none other than Joo Mi Kim. This young rookie had been posting decent results, but nothing like the incredibly strong stuff she had been producing on the Korean LPGA, where she had been the first or second best player the previous two years. But generally, it takes a Korean a few months to get acclimated after coming over from Korea to play in the States. The travel, the language and culture problems, as well as the heightened competition and different types of courses, all take some getting used to. But the good ones usually start to find their legs after they get a third to half way into their rookie season. Mi Hyun Kim, for instance, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1999, but did not really start scoring top tens until that summer. Se Ri, too, did not make a top ten until a dozen events into her LPGA career. And so it is that Joo Mi Kim started to show her potential, first with a top 20 at the Chick-Fil-A, then with her performance at this event. After a so so one over par start, she blistered the course on Friday with a 6 under par 65 that turned out to be the best score of the day. This allowed her to rise into a tie for the lead with Christina Kim, who shot a one over par round herself. For the first time, Joo Mi was showing American fans what she was capable of.