Top Ten Korean Golf Stories of 2006

1. Se Ri wins Major
There have been many great stories produced by Korean golfers this year. From first time wins by golfers like Joo Mi Kim and Sung Ah Yim, to the great amateur success by Kim Kim and company, to the record shattering success of teenage pros like Song Hee Kim, Amy Yang and Ji Yai Shin, Korean golf success has happened all over the world. In the previous pages, I have tried to rank the stories in order of significance, but it's really tough to do. Was Ji Yai Shin's KLPGA record setting rookie season more impressive than Song Hee Kim's five wins on the Futures Tour? Was Seon Hwa Lee's rookie season more impressive because of the level of competition she had to defeat? How would Kim Kim's amateur victory rank in comparison?

Basically, the preceding list is a good attempt to rank these events in order of importance, but certainly argument could be made about the exact ordering. But one Korean golf story really does seem to stand out among all the others. It was the most significant story of 2006 because it involved the biggest Korean golf star of all, making a comeback from the depths of a years long slump to win one of the most important events in all of women's golf. And she did it in the most spectacular way imaginable. Without a doubt, the biggest golf story for the Korean golfers in 2006 was the comeback of Se Ri Pak with her victory at the LPGA Championship, her fifth career Major.

Anyone who is a fan of the Seoul Sisters knows about what has happened to Se Ri Pak the past few years. Once clearly the top Korean golfer, her game fell into a severe funk shortly after she won her 22nd tournament in May of 2004, which qualified her for the Hall of Fame. Month after month, this once indomitable talent suffered through one miserable tournament after another. As if it couldn't get any worse, in 2005 she struggled with severe injuries as well. She found it difficult to get motivated, and the usually positive golfer was heard on more than one occasion to admit that she wanted to find a life outside of the game. Finally, in mid-2005 she had an injury that sidelined her for several months. Many believed that she would never win again. Few golfers ever recover from a slump as deep as hers.

But the injury proved to be a blessing in disguise. Unable to practice, she was able to take up other hobbies such as mountain climbing or kick boxing. By the time her injuries had healed, she found that her hunger to play the game had returned. She practiced hard, and finally started to make headway in correcting the swing problems that had crept into her game. She returned to action in 2006 after a several month layoff. Her first few results weren't that great, but she slowly improved as the season went on. At the Ginn Clubs and Resorts Open, she finished ninth, her first top ten since August of 2004. But it still seemed as though she was a few months away from being able to win again.

But Se Ri has had a lot of success at the LPGA Championship in the past: two of her four Major wins came at this tournament. But both of those wins had happened when the event was contested at its previous site. Se Ri had had much less success at Bulle Rock, the current site of the tournament. In fact, in 2005, she had missed the cut there, the only time in her entire career that she had missed a cut at a Major. She didn't get off to a great start this year, either. After the first round, she was only tied for 41st. But in the second round she shot a 69 despite a four hour rain delay in the middle of her round. She had leapt into the top ten, and suddenly was in contention!

In the third round she was paired with none other than Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam, her two greatest rivals from the old days. What was even better, she played best out of all three. Thus, with one round left, she was only two shots out of the lead. In talking with the press after her round, she was bubbling with confidence, just like the Se Ri of old. It was a good omen for the action to come.

On Sunday, there were any number of great golfers in contention who could have won. But as the top contenders reached the back nine, Se Ri moved into the lead and hung on tenaciously. She made her share of bad shots, but demonstrated the old time Se Ri magic in getting herself out of those jams. For instance, on the 12th hole she made a 40 foot birdie putt to move into the lead. But she hit into trouble off the 13th tee and had to take a drop 200 yards from the hole. In typical Se Ri style, her next shot was masterful, and she was able to save bogey. She stayed in the hunt.

She made another brilliant save on 16. After hitting herself into trouble off the tee, she produced a fantastic approach to within four feet, then made the birdie to move into the lead. She got all the way to the 18th green still holding a one shot lead. If she could two putt, she would almost certainly win the event. But she hit her first putt rather poorly and could not save par. She fell into a tie for the lead with Karrie Webb, the winner of the year's first Major. They had to wait while several more players finished, each with a chance to join them in the playoff, or perhaps even beat them. But none could, and the playoff was set.

Even if the story ended here, with Se Ri losing in the playoff, it would have been a magical story. But the best was yet to come. After a terrible drive, she was some sixty yards behind Webb. Literally everything hinged on what she could do on her second shot. And what she did was classic Se Ri: a brilliant shot, perhaps the best of her entire career, and the precise moment she needed it. The 4 iron hybrid club was perfectly on line, and rolled to within an inch of going into the cup. Se Ri jumped for joy in the fairway. Webb was not able to make a birdie, and just like that, Se Ri had done it. After getting soaked in champagne by Christina Kim at the green, Se Ri gave a touching speech in which she choked up when talking about her struggles and her parents. It was the perfect ending to the fairy tale comeback of the year.