2006 Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open

An even darker horse showed up on the leaderboard a little later in the day. It had been over a year and a half since Se Ri Pak had last finished in the top ten on the LPGA tour (she had notched a second place finish at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in August, 2004). But she started her day with four birdies in her first nine holes to move to 4 under for the event. She struggled a bit more on the back nine, but still finished the event with a 3 under total. Her 69 was her first round in the 60s in 2006, and the first time she had shot back to back under par rounds all year. From start to finish, this had been a very good tournament for her. She hit 68% of her fairways, a huge improvement over the sub-50% range she had been mired in for much of the past year. She also hit 76% of her greens in regulation, a positively awesome stat. And most importantly, her 3 under par total gave her a tie for 9th place. She had finally notched a top ten! Three of the former Big Four Seoul Sisters collecting top tens in the same event; it had been years since that had happened! Talk about a blast from the past (and even Grace Park, the fourth member of that group, had a good event, finishing the week at one over par and a tie for 27th). Now all that was left to be settled was whether or not Mi Hyun could make the week perfect by collecting the trophy.

It wouldn't be easy. She missed a short par save on the 13th hole, allowing Ochoa (and now Webb) to creep ominously close to her. But on the 14th hole, she hit a wonderful approach to six feet and drained that birdie to move back to a two shot cushion. She later admitted to being so nervous she could barely stand it, but she was still hanging in there, at least for the moment.

Now it was Webb who applied the pressure. She made a birdie on 14, then dunked a 20 footer on the par 3 16th to move to within one stroke. Ochoa made par there and still remained two back. Playing the hole moments later, Mi Hyun missed the green short, then hit a fantastic chip shot that stopped inches from falling into the hole for birdie. She fell to her knees in frustration and let out a howl. Were greater powers conspiring to prevent her from getting that win? Had her caddie not prayed hard enough?

The par 5 17th would prove to be the crucial hole of the week. Both Ochoa and Webb were long enough to reach it in two shots. But Webb hit her drive into some wood chips, and her second shot from there was not very good. She hit a decent third shot over several bunkers, but could not make birdie from about ten feet. She remained one shot behind Kim. Meanwhile, Ochoa's second found the rough near the grandstand. She hit a great eagle chip from there, then tapped in for birdie. Now she, too, was one shot behind Kimmie. But it was all in Mi Hyun's hands. A birdie on this hole, and she would probably wrap the tournament up. A mistake, and she might just cost herself the win.

Webb and Ochoa both hit the fairway on 18, but neither were able to put their approach on the correct tier of the two tier green. Meanwhile, Kimmie stepped up and hit her drive on 17. And absolutely nailed it. A 290 yard whopper, probably her longest of the week. When asked about it later, she admitted that it had surprised even her. If she could ever figure out how a tiny gal like her hits the ball so far, she could make an instruction video that would be worth a million dollars in sales. Anyway, having hit the ball so far, she hit last in her group. She decided to go for the green, even though it meant flying some treacherous bunkers (these same bunkers had prevented her from making the birdie on Saturday here. She had hit into them on her second shot, and was not able to get out on her third shot, because they were so big that getting out required something like a 30 yard bunker shot). Kimmie hit her 7 wood approach, then yelled 'Go! GO!' as the ball flew. It landed just past the bunkers, then rolled to within about 35 feet of the hole. Fantastic! Kimmie lagged her eagle putt up to 2 feet and sank the birdie to move to 12 under par. Now, for Webb or Ochoa to have any chance, one of them would have to make birdie.

But given where they were on the green, neither of them did. So Mi Hyun came to the 18th hole with a two shot cushion. As long as she didn't do anything stupid, the tournament was hers. After another perfect drive, she hit a decent approach which stopped just short of reaching the top tier. Face with a thirty foot birdie putt up a ridge, she showed in one brief moment why she had won this tournament. Her putt was dead perfect and tracked toward the hole. She thought she had it, even raising her hands in a premature victory celebration, but it lipped out. Didn't matter. She tapped in for par and the win. She dabbed away the tears as she realized her long victory drought was at last over.

Speaking wonderful English, she admitted to the crowd that she was scared to be up there accepting the trophy, but that it meant so much to her to win this in her adopted American hometown, where, in the previous eight years, she had made so many friends who treated her like family. She later told the press that she was hoping that her father would now give her permission to marry, given that she had finally entered the winner's circle again. A longstanding story about Mi Hyun had been that her father would not let her marry until she won a Major. Well, the Ginn Clubs Open was not a Major, but considering the toughness of the course, a field that was the equal of a Major, and the size of the purse, one could argue it was the next best thing. Her father apparently did give permission, and rumors are going around that she and her beau will marry at the end of the season.

So a fairy tale week came to a close for Mi Hyun Kim. She got the trophy, she got her man, she got a new nephew, she even got a brand new car, which she happily posed on after the tournament. And fans of the original Seoul Sisters got a chance to watch Kimmie, Hee-Won and Se Ri in action again just like the days of old. And who knows; perhaps the best is yet to come from these great champions! With the resurgence of old time stars like Karrie Webb and Juli Inkster already this year, perhaps a renaissance for Peanut, Grace Park and the Golf Queen Se Ri Pak is the next blast from the past we will get to see!