Lexus Cup

But the first sign that things were not going to go entirely Asia's way came in the fourth group. This paired two of Asia's strongest players, Se Ri Pak (pictured) and Hee-Won Han, against two rookies, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada. On paper, this should have been one of Asia's best bets for a win, but the two great Koreans struggled, and the Internationals walked off with the win 4 and 3. International Captain Annika Sorenstam and fellow Swede Carin Koch then teamed to beat the Asian team of Joo Mi Kim and Japanese star Sakura Yokomine, 3 and 2.

The final match pitted Taiwanese star Candie Kung and Filpina Jennifer Rosales against British Open winner Sherri Steinhauer and Australian Nikki Campbell. Only Kung has really played well of late, and even she hasn't been at her top level. The match ended up tied. And so, after the first day, the two teams were all tied at 3 points apiece. That was quite an improvement over the start Asia had had the previous year. Grace for one was glad to see they were even, especially after the tough start earlier in the day; she was optimistic that Asia could continue to compete over the next two days.

On Saturday, things again started in the International team's favor, but once again the Asians rallied in a big way. Day two consisted of best ball team matches; the best shot hit by a team is the one used by both players for the next shot. The most exciting match of the day might very well have been the first one. The Internationals sent out Annika Sorenstam and Natalie Gulbis, two of their best players, against Meena and Jee Young Lee, who had been so tough on day one. This proved to be a fantastic match the entire time; no more than one hole separated the two teams virtually the entire day. In particular, Gulbis and Jee Young Lee played fantastically, matching each other birdie for birdie. Finally, on the par five 16th, Gulbis chipped in for eagle to take a one up lead for her team, then birdied 18 to win two up and give the International squad a one point advantage.

In the second match, Paula Creamer and Stacy Prammanasudh had a considerably easier time, beating Joo Mi Kim and Shi Hyun Ahn 3 and 2 to give the International squad a two point lead. But just when things looked bad for the Asians, the remaining four teams stepped it up in a big way.

In match three, Grace Park teamed herself with one of her best friends, fellow Korean star Hee-Won Han. Their chemistry enabled them to hang tough against the Granada-Pressel team, who tied their match on 16 when Granada made a birdie. Both Koreans made their share of birdies, but Han put the match away by making a 20 foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win 1 up. "Grace played pretty good. I just made that putt", said Han modestly afterwards. "The whole round, we were able to save each other on different holes," Grace replied. "I knew that if I was paired with her coming down the stretch, she would pull it off". Asia then leveled the match when Candie Kung, thanks to her great putting, powered her team up with Rosales to a 3 & 1 victory over Lincicome and Campbell.

The final two teams were an interesting couple of pairings for the Asians. The fifth team consisted of rookie star Seon Hwa Lee and veteran superstar Se Ri Pak (pictured below). Se Ri had lost rather easily in round one, and she was bound and determined that she would not let her team down a second straight day. Lee, meanwhile, continued her awesome play. The result was a dynamite pairing that cruised to a 4 and 2 win over Steinhauer and Stanford. Both Pak and Lee made five birdies apiece; by the second hole, they were already two up, and they had increased their lead to four by the 12th hole. Only Stanford making an unlikely lengthy birdie on 15 kept it going as long as it did, but Lee made her final birdie on 16 to slam the door shut. The Asians took a one point lead with one match to go.

The focus then turned to the final match of the day. This one pitted Young Kim and Sakura Yokomine against longtime Solheim cup stalwarts Laura Davies and Carin Koch. For Kim, this Lexus Cup was proving to be a real coming out party of sorts. She has been a solid pro on the LPGA tour since her rookie year; this year, she once again finished in the top thirty on the money list. But she has always been overshadowed by the more successful Korean golfers, and has not played in many team events as a result. Given a chance to play this week, she did not disappoint. In fact, she was a revelation. Facing a team with two veteran performers that should have walked all over the younger, more inexperienced Asian players, Young rose to the occasion. After the Asians got out to a two hole lead, Davies responded with a birdie on 13 and an eagle on 15 to win those holes and square the match. By this point, most of their teammates were following them to see if they could pull it off. Koch missed a par on the 17th to fall one hole down with one to go, then Young drilled a fifteen foot birdie on the final hole with her entire team watching to seal the win and give Asia a two point lead in the tournament. It was a thrilling moment in her career, and doubtless a huge confidence builder. Young later admitted that she did not know the exact score when she made the putt, but obviously knew that a win would help her team more than a loss or tie would. Thanks to Young Kim, Asia won a day's competition at the Lexus Cup for the first time ever.

Asia now led 7-5, but they knew that anything could happen on Sunday, when the 12 ladies faced each other in singles match play. It was still either team's ball game, but for Asia, after what had happened in 2005, it had to be a thrill to actually have the lead.

On Sunday, the conditions were rainy, and the match had to be stopped several times due to lightning. At one point there was a several hour delay while they waited for a storm to pass. Captain Grace Park planned the pairings carefully, putting two players at the end she felt were proven winners who could get the job done if need be. To this end, her final players were Seon Hwa Lee and Se Ri Pak. Meanwhile, she was to play in the first pairing, where she would face the opposing team's captain, Annika Sorenstam. If the two teams ended up tied after all the matches were done, she and Annika would play a sudden death competition to decide the cup. That was the last thing Grace wanted. Annika might have been having a weaker season than usual in 2006, but Grace had been far off her form. So it was pretty much imperative for the Asians to hang onto their lead.

Neither Grace nor Annika played up to their usual level in their match on Sunday. But Sorenstam still handled Grace with ease, winning her match 4 & 3. The second match proved to be much more of a battle, Paula Creamer against Candie Kung. The two battled hard, and after 17 holes, were tied. On the final hole, Kung missed a 7 foot par save that would have tied the match, and the Internationals captured another point.

But while those matches were going on, several other matches were going Asia's way. In the fourth match, Jee Young Lee, who had played so well teamed with Meena Lee the first two days, continued her excellence in thoroughly demolishing fellow LPGA rookie Morgan Pressel 5 & 4. But Meena Lee, in the third match, was in a battle with Angela Stanford that finally ended up being a tie. Still, grabbing that half point was crucial, as it allowed Asia, combined with Jee Young's point, to again capture the lead in the tournament.

In the fifth match, Stacy Prammanasudh handled Shi Hyun Ahn without too much trouble, dispatching her 4 & 3. But in match #6, Young Kim, who had been fabulous all tournament, defeated the Solheim veteran Carin Koch 3 & 2. Asia continued to hang on to their narrow lead in the contest as more and more matches finished up. But things were bound to tighten up, and in fact they did.

In match seven, Hee-Won Han played Nikki Campbell, beating the Australian 3 & 2, but in match eight the Internationals again struck back when Sherri Steinhauer beat Jennifer Rosales 4 & 3. Asia continued to hang onto their slim lead with just four teams left to go.

In those remaining matches, three of them turned out to be relative blowouts. In match nine, Japanese star Sakura Yokomine defeated Laura Davies 4 & 3. Amazingly, former number one player Davies did not make a single point for her team all week. Natalie Gulbis had her way with Joo Mi Kim in match ten, 5 & 4, and, unfortunately, Se Ri Pak struggled all day in her match, losing to Brittany Lincicome 4 & 2. What this meant was simple: everything was all tied up with only one match still competitive. The outcome of that match would decide the Cup.