2006 KOLON-Hana Bank Championship

The tournament started Friday. The star pairing was no doubt the Pak-Shin-Paula Creamer grouping. But though the fans turned out to see if the legend or the rookie star would play best, it was Creamer who got the last laugh, shooting a 4 under par 68 to leave herself near the top of the leaderboard. Se Ri struggled with her putter on this day, although the rest of her game was solid. She had a few early bogies, but then settled down. She gave herself several great chances for birdie on the back nine, but two lipouts and numerous other close calls denied her a chance to move up the leaderboard. She ended her day with a two over par 74, which left her in 42nd place. In a three day tournament, that all but eliminates you from contention. Shin shot an even par round, good for 24th.

Fortunately, other Korean golfers stepped up to contend. The top golfer on this day was Joo Mi Kim. Kim has a tendency these days to shoot one great round per tournament, then give it all away with a terrible round. She had done that twice already in KLPGA events she had played in the past month. Time would tell whether she would do it again here. But for the moment, she had the lead, thanks to a stellar 6 under par 66 that included a 60 yard wedge that went into the hole for eagle. Meanwhile, the defending champ, Jee Young Lee, got off to a great start, carding a 5 under par 67. She hit her approach shot on the par 5 16th hole all the way over the green, but then hit an exquisite pitch from there to a couple of feet for a relatively easy birdie. She was paired on this day with Sophie Gustafson, which gave the fans a chance to see two of the longest hitters on the LPGA go toe to toe. Gustafson shot a 3 under 69. There were six players tied for third at 4 under, including Creamer. Hee-Won Han, fresh off her win in Thailand the previous week, proved that she was in fact on a hot streak by shooting a 68 herself. In fact, Han was tied for the lead with Kim at 6 under before struggling on the 7th hole, one of her last holes of the day. She hit a rather lackluster chip from the rough and could not save bogey from there. But her double bogey on that hole was her only mistake of the day against 6 birdies.

Jeong Jang also came up with a 68 on day one, making four birdies and no mistakes on the day. The top KLPGA player on the leaderboard was Jin Joo Hong, who also shot a 68. Other than her, though, not too many of the domestic tour's stars rose to the occasion. As mentioned previously, Ji Yai Shin could only manage an even par round. Na Yeon Choi had a decent start, a 2 under par 70, but Hee Young Park, who finished fourth in this event in 2005, shot a 73, and so did Bo Bae Song. Amateur Mi Jung Hur, let into the field on a sponsor's exemption, got off to a rousing start. She shot a 3 under par 69 and found herself in contention, tied for 9th.

As for some former champions, Grace Park has had a horrendous season on tour, thanks to recurring injuries that seem to halt her dead in tracks almost every time she gets the slightest momentum. On the first day, she wasn't half bad, shooting a one under par 71. But the rust is definitely showing. On the par 5 16th, for instance, she reached the green in two, but then three putted, throwing away a great chance for birdie. Shi Hyun Ahn has had her own injury woes this year. Earlier in the year, she looked well on her way to her best year yet. She peaked in June, when she had a fantastic chance to win the LPGA Championship, but just couldn't seem to get that final birdie to put her over the top. From that point to the present, however, she has battled injuries that have severely hampered her game. She had a decent return to action at the previous week's event in Thailand, though, and there was some hope that playing in her home country might see her rise back to the top. Alas, it didn't happen: she shot a 5 over par 77 on day one, and wound up finishing 22nd for the week.

In round two, it was Jin Joo Hong's turn to be teamed with Creamer. But unlike Shin and Pak, she rose to the occasion in a major way. While Creamer struggled with her game, particularly on the front nine (where she was +3 on this day), Hong (pictured) impressed right out of the gate. Her irons were sharp, and she said later that she had not missed a fairway by more than a foot all day. Combine that with excellent putting, like she also displayed, and you have a winning combination. She moved to 5 under after an 18 foot birdie on the second hole, and more birdies on 8 and 10 improved her score to 7 under. After nailing an iron to three feet and draining the birdie on 14, she was at 8 under. But a three putt on the next hole dropped her back to 7 under, and for a moment, it looked like the pressure of her situation, leading her first ever LPGA tournament, might be getting to her.

Not to worry. She made a brilliant birdie putt on the next hole, a 20 footer with tons of break that found the hole as if it were guided by radar. On 18, her approach nearly found the bottom of the cup, but lipped out, and she had to settle for the short birdie putt. She finished her day with a 5 under par 67 and a 9 under par total. That gave her a stunning four shot lead over the field. Just like at the SK Enclean the previous month, Hong had taken a huge lead going into the final round. Could she keep up the pace?

Joo Mi Kim, the first day leader, unfortunately had a tough round on day two. She started it horrendously, with a bogey on four and a double on five to fall to three under total. She made two straight birdies immediately after that to move back to five under again, however. Another birdie on the 11th hole got her back to even for the day, and it looked like she could start to put some pressure on Hong. But after that, Kim started to struggle again. She made a double bogey on 14 thanks to an unplayable tee shot, fought back with a birdie on 17, and finished the day with a one over par 73. That left her at 5 under, tied for second, still with a reasonable shot at the title with a strong Sunday.

Meanwhile, amateur Mi Jung Hur (pictured) was quietly setting herself up for a stunning week. If it would be an amazing result for Jin Joo Hong to win in her first LPGA tournament, what would it mean for a 16 year old amateur like Hur to pull off the victory? Hur was solid again on Saturday, shooting a two under par 70 to put herself into a tie for second. No amateur had won on the LPGA tour in the Korean Wave era. In fact, were she to pull off the win, she would become the youngest golfer to EVER win an LPGA event. History might be in the offing, but she would have to find a way to overcome the white hot Hong to do it.

Some of the other contending Koreans stumbled in round two. Hee-Won Han was never able to get it going, and shot a one over par 73 to fall to 9th. Jee Young Lee also shot a one over par 73. Mi Hyun Kim, who had shot 70 on the first day, fell to a 74 on day two, and Grace Park, who had started with some promise, was +3 on this day. But Se Ri Pak had a great bounce back round. She produced some more of her fantastic long game, and this time backed it up with great putting, resulting in a 3 under par 69 that moved her to one under total and a tie for 13th. Ji Yai Shin shot a one under par round and was tied with her idol at one under total; they would play together again on Sunday. Hee Young Park bounced back nicely with an under par round as well.

But after two rounds, the situation was clear: this was Jin Joo Hong's tournament to win or lose. She seemed pretty calm, considering what was at stake should she win. Maybe that was partly because she felt like she already had her next season planned: she was intending to play on the JLPGA tour and live with her mother in Japan while she did it. But a sudden LPGA exemption has a way of changing even the best laid plans!

Sunday came, and several Korean stars charged up the leaderboard. Most heartening was the way that young gun Ji Yai Shin and veteran pro Se Ri Pak fed off each other to produce two of the best rounds of the day. Pak shot a 5 under par 67, the round of the day, which included only one bogey (on the ninth hole) and six birdies. She was hitting on all cylinders: majestic tee shots, laserlike irons, fantastic short game. It was a gentle reminder of what she was capable of when her game started to come together. She vaulted up the leaderboard, finishing in third, her best finish since the US Women's Open back in July. The hometown fans really got their money's worth following this group, especially since rookie star Ji Yai Shin almost matched her hero shot for shot. Shin shot a 4 under par 68, making only one bogey all day, also on the ninth hole. She finished 4th in her first ever LPGA event. She might not have won the trophy this day, but she showed just what a phenomenal player she is. The future seems limitless for the young lady.