2005 Safeway Classic

Saturday, Day 2: Seoul Sisters-palooza

If Friday had been remarkable for the number of Koreans doing well on the leaderboard, Saturday's action took things a step further yet. By the end of the day, the number of Koreans high on the leaderboard was downright staggering.

How Korean was the leaderboard? For the first time, I was able to follow a threesome which consisted of nothing but Korean players: Hee-Won Han, Soo-Yun Kang and Sung Ah Yim, who were all paired together in the marquee group of the day. And the ladies would not disappoint. But I actually got there a while before that group started, at 7:30 am, and watched a few other Korean golfers, including Meena Lee and Jimin Kang, before the main event started.

I also got a chance to see the Rebecca Kim fan club on the 12th hole. Rebecca was followed everywhere by about six little Korean kids holding signs partly in Korean and partly in English (I later learned they were from her church). Unfortunately, they didn't have much to cheer about today; Rebecca shot an 82 and missed the cut by a mile. But she was still glad for the experience, and will doubtless walk into her senior year of high school a little taller (if that's possible).

I then walked back to the tee. When they introduced Shi Hyun Ahn, they called her 'Shi Hyun Han', and I wondered how many of the three Koreans in the final group they'd mess up. But they got em all right! (The pairing sheet erroneously called Hee-Won 'Hee-Won IIan', and you'd be amazed how many people asked me how 'IIan' was doing. I guess a lot of people didn't even know who the defending champ was!).

Hee-Won Han during round 2

Early on Saturday, the temperature was cool, and
Kang wore a jacket. Here, she celebrates one
of her amazing early putts

So then the main event, the three leading Koreans. Kang looked fabulous in a bright yellow ensemble. Like a fashion model (of the fairways!). And her play all day was equally as fantastic. She was on fire, and it was fun to watch. Some highlights:

Hole 1: Soo-Yun got the show going right off the bat. Her approach here was only to about 25 feet, but then she hit a slow, slow putt that rolled and inexorably dropped into the cup for birdie. Sweet start! SYK -9.

Hole 2: A par 3. Both Yim and Kang hit their irons and watched them roll 12 feet past the hole. But Kangsy nailed that birdie, too, in a repeat of the first hole: slow, slow, bang! This one even hung on the lip for added drama. Our first happy reaction from Kangsy. Then Hee-Won, who hit another superb iron to 5 feet, nailed her birdie as well. SYK -10, HW -8

Hole 3: A bad drive by Kang, a weak chip, and she couldn't save par. But Yim made a 20 footer for birdie, so now they were both tied at 9 under. At the top of the leaderboard!

Hole 5: A par 5. Suddenly, all the clouds disappeared, and it got summery again! Kangsy put her second shot behind a tree on the right, and pounded her club lightly against the ground in annoyance. She had to negotiate an overhanging tree, but did so well to get herself to the front of the green. From there, par was made, after Kang very nearly drained the birdie from 40 feet. Han missed a four footer, but Yim had only a foot or so, and made birdie to move into the lead all by herself! Yim -10, SY -9, HW -8

Hole 6: Yim hit a terrible drive here, and her approach ended up in the rough by the green. From there she hit a weak chip, and could not save par from 6 feet. Easy come, easy go. Both SY and HW missed ~5 footers for birdie, settled for par. So Yim and Soo-Yun were once again tied at the top at 9 under par.

Hole 7: Par 5. Aree Song made a birdie to move to 8 under, and suddenly the top four on the leaderboard are Sisters. Han hit a terrible drive here, the worst shot I'd seen all week from her. She got lucky it didn't go OB left. From there she hit a rescue shot ~120 yards, then bombed her third to the green, and snarked out a par. Kangsy was in front of the greenside bunker in two, chipped over the sand, and bagged a birdie to move to -10 and the outright lead.

Hole 8: The dreaded par 3 over water. Always a lot of fun! Aree had been at 9 under on the leaderboard, but made double on this hole when she hit into the wet stuff. Kang hit her iron to ten feet, then made another dazzling birdie to move to 11 under. HHHHHOT. Hee-Won's tee shot landed only five feet away, but once again her birdie try burned the edge, and she made a tap in par. Yim three putted. SY -11, HW -8, Yim -8, Aree -7

Kangsy had the body english working

Soo-Yun had one of her few mistakes when she
missed a short one on the 10th hole

Hole 9: Yim's struggles continued with a rotten drive into the right trees. From there she hit a magnificent rescue to get into the rough in front of the green, then squandered it with a bad chip that went too far past the hole. Bogey. Kang, meanwhile, put another approach close, but just missed this one. So at the turn, the top four golfers on the leaderboard were:
Soo-Yun Kang -11
Hee-Won Han -8
Aree Song -7
Sung Ah Yim -7

Hole 10: Par 5. After two shots, all three ladies were in virtually the same spot. Han hit a really weird looking pitch here, not at all her usual elegant stuff. Kang nailed one close, maybe to 4 feet. But all three made par here. Apparently a few minutes earlier, Aree had almost holed out her third here; it landed a couple feet past the hole, snapped back and lipped out of the hole. Her birdie moved her back to 8 under.

Hole 11: A nasty par 4 with an uphill carry to a wildly undulating green. Some guy couldn't control his kids, and Kang backed off twice, glaring the second time. Then she hit her drive, a monster that cleared the bunker on the right, cut the dogleg and impressed the socks off everyone watching. A little anger coming through, mayhap? She ended up just missing a six footer for birdie. Par. Hee-Won had a tricky two putt, but made it. Aree had birdied this hole, and thus moved to -9, two behind Kangsy. Gloria Park now also appeared on the leaderboard at 7 under. Five Koreans at the top. Five. Unbelievable.

Hole 13: A lovely par 3 with a water carry. All pars, although Hee-Won's putt was an impressive downhiller that almost went. Aree birdied this one, too, to move to 10 under.

Hole 14: You must drive it straight. The green here is deceptively hard. A tough hole. Both Kangsy and Yim put their birdie putts too far past and made bogey, although Han managed to save par barely. SY -10, HW -9, Yim -7. So Kang is now tied for the lead with Aree.

Hole 15: The drives were all right, but the fireworks began on the second shot. Kangsy jarred her approach for an eagle 2, then leapt about happily in the fairway, high fiving her caddie. The shot of the week, no doubt. I saw the ball land, but from where I stood, it wasn't clear it was heading for the hole. But those on the other side were shouting, with increasing loudness, GO! GO IN! Until it did. Wow, what a thrill! Hee-Won hit her own brilliant iron, but missed yet another short birdie try. Just that kinda day for her. SY -12, HW -9, Yim -7. Aree must have gotten a double, cause she was back to 8 under again, joining Gloria Park there.

Hole 16. Par 3 to an elevated green. Kangsy hit an OK iron 25 feet past the hole, then drained the tricky breaking putt for another birdie! This provoked a leaping fist pump from her, which unfortunately was not caught on camera. HOTTER THAN AUGUST! Yim hit a really bad shot that duffed 20 yards short, but chipped it real close and made par no sweat. Koreatown on the leaderboard: SYK -13, HW -9, Gloria -8, Yim, Joo Mi Kim, Jeong Jang -7. Keep in mind that almost all the top women golfers in the world are at this tournament. Just incredible.

Han was not quite as sharp on Saturday as she had
been on Friday

Soo Yun drained an eagle from the
fairway. YAY!