Fairways and Greens

Song Hee Kim clinches top spot on 2006 Futures Tour
Someone once said that there are only two things that are absolute givens in this world: death and taxes. To this, we might soon be adding another given: Song Hee Kim winning on the Futures Tour. The 18 year old mega-phenom has owned the LPGA's developmental tour in 2006, and as the season is winding down, she continues to impress. She might be forgiven for taking it a bit easy. After all, she has long ago clinched her LPGA tour card for 2007. But she keeps on playing hard, and she keeps on winning.

Kim's latest triumph came at the Gettysburg Championship, contested August 25 - 27th in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. But it was not Kim but another Korean golfer who grabbed the early headlines at this tournament. Jin Young Pak won a tournament early in the 2005 Futures Tour season, but had not managed another win since. In 2006, she was having a decent season, which included a few top ten finishes. But after two days, she sat alone atop the leaderboard at 9 under, two shots ahead of her nearest competitor. It looked likely that her second career win would soon be coming.

Song Hee Kim had not started the event all that well, carding an ordinary even par 72, but made a giant move in round two, vaulting into solo third place with a 6 under par 66. She sat three shots behind Pak, but as anyone who followed the Futures Tour this year knows, that put her in a position where she could definitely be dangerous.

So how would the older, more experienced Pak handle the challenge? Unfortunately for her, she double bogied her very first hole on Sunday to fall back into a tie for the lead with top American Kristy McPherson. Song Hee was now only one shot back. Jin Young snapped back with a birdie on the second hole to regain the lead, but an eagle by Kim on the 4th, followed by a birdie on 5, moved her to 9 under and the lead.

The tournament very quickly evolved into a battle between the two Koreans for the lead, as the remaining competitors faded. The top spot seesawed between the two players much of the day, neither one able to gain an advantage for very long. Coming into the 16th hole, both players were tied at 10 under par. Pak made a birdie there to take a one shot lead over her determined rival, but on the very next hole, Kim made birdie to regain the tie. They reached the par 5 18th hole, realizing that one mistake could cost them the tournament.

But on that hole, they both struggled. Pak hit into the woods on the left and was forced to punch out. She then hit her third shot into the water, seemingly dooming her chances. Kim, meanwhile, had also put her tee shot into trouble, but got out well and placed her third shot on the green, just 30 feet from the hole. Pak put her fifth ten feet from the flag, so all Kim had to do was two putt and the trophy was hers.

But Pak made the ten footer, and Kim three putted when her par attempt horseshoed out of the hole. They both bogied the hole, and both finished regulation tied at 10 under par. So it was on to a playoff! Kim was not feeling too good about her chances after messing up on the 18th green, but she was not about to give up. After both parred the 18th on their first playoff hole, they next played the par 3 12th. Kim put her tee shot over the green into a dicey lie, while Pak left her tee shot short. She was not able to get it up and down from there, but Kim had a terribly tough shot herself. It looked as though there would be a third playoff hole. But this was Song Hee Kim, and besides being a great driver and iron player, she was also famous for her touch around the green. She hit a masterful chip from the tough stuff to four feet, saved par, and won the event.

This win made it five trophies for Song Hee Kim in 2006, the most in a single season since Grace Park had set the record in 1999 with five wins. With one event left, Kim has a chance to set a new mark for excellence on tour. She also stands only $6,000 behind the all time record for most money won in a season, set by Beth Bauer in 2001. She would need a first or second place finish in her final event to set the record. Bank on her giving it all she has to do it.

Meanwhile, her $75,086 money total gives her a more than $17,000 lead over number two player Charlotte Mayorkas. This means she has clinched the top spot on the money list for 2006, as well as Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. All in all, a masterful performance for the second youngest player on tour.

Meanwhile, In-Bee Park finished sixth, which solidified her third place position on the money list, and Angela Park finished fourth, which moved her to fifth on the money list. Park has a slim $102 lead over sixth place Ashley Prange. If Angela can hold on, she can eke out a tour card herself. If that happens, then all three Korean phenoms who were 17 at the start of the season would earn LPGA tour cards for 2007. And if that happens, it's all thanks to, yes, Song Hee Kim. For it was Kim petitioning the tour for membership that caused them to lower the age limit from 18 to 17, allowing the two Parks to join in the first place. Between setting records and changing tour rules, it's hard to imagine any player having a more lasting effect on that tour than Song Hee Kim!

KLPGA: Lake Hills Classic
The KLPGA, the Korean ladies professional golf tour, has an unusual schedule. They contest several important events in the Spring, including arguably the most important event of the year, the Korean Women's Open. Then, during most of the summer, the tour has no events. Finally in late August, action starts to pick up, and most of the year's events occur between then and early November. The KLPGA is once again starting to pick up steam with the Lake Hills Classic, which was contested on Cheju Island off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula from August 25 -27th. Several LPGA stars were invited to play this event: Hee-Won Han, Meena Lee and Christina Kim. Han skipped the Wendy's Championship, an event she has won once and finished second at twice, in order to play here (and it looks like she will never play that event again, as it has just been announced that the Wendy's has been discontinued). They would be going toe to toe against the usual collection of KLPGA stars, including up and coming teen sensation Hee Young Park, two time Player of the Year Bo Bae Song, and money list leader Ji Ae Shin, all of whom have already won on tour this year.

After two rounds, a surprising name sat atop the leaderboard. It was Ji Hyun Woo, a rookie who had only recently turned pro. She had a total of four under par and a three shot lead over Hee-Won and two lesser known KLPGA players. Tour stars Na Yeon Choi, Hee Young Park and Bo Bae Song all were tied at even par. Meena Lee had struggled and was in 23rd place with a 5 over par total, while Christina was even farther back, tied for 37th at 7 over par.

On Sunday, they managed to play for a little while, but the unpredictable Korean weather soon became a factor. It was rainy, and then a dense fog settled over the course. The officials finally decided that play could not continue, and it was suspended for the day. The third round would resume on Monday; if for some reason the weather would not allow that, then the third round would be canceled entirely, and Woo would be declared the winner. Hee-Won, playing in one of the final groups, had only played two holes when play was suspended.

Fortunately, the weather was fine on Monday, and they were able to complete the tournament as planned. For much of the front nine, Woo maintained a comfortable three or four shot lead over the field; it seemed like nobody was able to make a run at her. But on the back nine, several of the stars took their shot. First came Hee-Won, who made three consecutive birdies on 12, 13 and 14, but was not able to make any birdies after that, and finished at 2 under. Hyun Hee Moon (who just has to have the nickname 'Honey' Moon when she comes to America!!) also finished at 2 under. Bo Bae Song lost ground with a two over par 74. So it all came down to Woo and teen star Hee Young Park. Woo was at 4 under after 16 holes. Meanwhile, Park birdied 13 and 15 to move to 3 under, putting the pressure on. On 17, Woo bogied, and suddenly, there was a tie match! Meanwhile, Park birdied the final hole to move to 4 under, meaning Woo now needed a birdie to tie and go to a playoff. But instead she bogied, and Hee Young Park had her second win of the season. This victory moved her into first place on the KLPGA money list and now makes her the player to beat with a lot of tournaments yet to play. Congratulations to her!

Be sure to check out the gallery of this event by clicking here!!!

Final scores of selected golfers:
1 Hee Young Park 72(4) 72(15) 68(2) 34/34 212 -4
2 Hyun Hee Moon 72(4) 73(24) 69(3) 34/35 214 -2
2 Hee-Won Han 72(4) 71[8] 71(6) 37/34 214 -2
2 Chi Hyun Woo 71(2) 69(1) 74(24) 35/39 214 -2
7 Bo Bae Song 73(11) 71[8] 74(24) 40/34 218 2
10 Meena Lee 74(16) 75(45) 70(5) 36/34 219 3
10 Na Yeon Choi 75[28] 69(1) 75(31) 35/40 219 3
19 Ji Ae Shin 77(43) 70(4) 74(24) 36/38 221 5
21 Ga Na Lee 75[28] 78(76) 69(3) 34/35 222 6
21 Hae Jung Kim 77(43) 72(15) 73(16) 37/36 222 6
28 Christina Kim 78(60) 73(24) 72(11) 37/35 223 7
31 Eun Hee Ji 74(16) 72(15) 78(49) 38/40 224 8

Operation Smile Official Announcement
As mentioned in our last issue, Korean star Jeong Jang will be joining with the charity Operation Smile in their efforts to pay for reconstructive surgery for children in poor countries. The official announcement has been made. Click here or go to http://www.fashionavenue.org/ to see more details about the agreement and how you can buy a pendant to support the cause. Also, JJ now has her own website! Although there isn't much there now, bookmark it, as doubtless she will be adding content in the future. The site is: http://www.gojjgo.com/. "Go JJ Go!": You gotta love that name!

British Open photos
Seoul Sisters fan Andrew Platt attended this year's Weetabix British Women's Open and sent us his exclusive photos of the event. He took the first batch during the practice days using his nice camera, then took some more later using a not so fancy camera. Click here or on the photo of Se Ri to the right to take a look at these great pix of the gals in England!

Some fun photos from Korean Internet sites!
It's definitely been a sad thing for Seoul Sisters fans this year to witness the struggles of Grace Park, one of the most popular and successful of the Korean golfers. She's been laying low the past couple of months, trying to get back into shape for some more golf before the year ends. The latest rumor is that she will return to action in a couple of KLPGA events in the next few weeks. But in the meantime, I went and found a few photos of Grace on the internet from various Korean golf magazines. And while I was at it, I also found some cool pics of some of the other Korean stars, such as Soo-Yun Kang, Hee-Won Han and Shi Hyun Ahn. Click here or on the photo to the left to view them!!

Magazine round up
The Seoul Sisters are not featured on a lot of magazine covers in this country, but occasionally you can find them if you look. Following are two recent examples. The first is New Jersey Golf News, which featured Seon Hwa Lee on the cover shortly after she won the ShopRite Classic tournament this June (in Atlantic City, New Jersey). The other is a free handout magazine you can find in various grocery stores in the Portland area. Just before the Safeway Classic this August, they feature Soo-Yun Kang on the cover. The other photo is from inside the magazine.

Click here or on the magazine to the right to see the photos.

Money List
The Seoul Sisters have been in an unusual 'slump' the past couple of months. Except for Mi Hyun Kim's win in Toledo in mid-July, they have not been winning events with the same regularity they were earlier in the year. However, they have still been collecting top tens at a feverish rate at many events. The Safeway Classic, which has been very good to the Koreans the past few years, again provided a number of players with a good payday. Although they did not claim the trophy this year, they did rack up six top tens there. There were eight Koreans in the top ten at the Canadian Women's Open.

The top player this period has been Jee Young Lee. The young rookie is really hitting her stride, claiming two fifths and a second place finish in her three events during this time. She had a chance to win all three tournaments, but still hasn't found the consistency needed to do that. But if she can continue to score at the rate she has been, watch out! Mi Hyun Kim has not been particularly good lately, but Jeong Jang has continued her torrid pace to move closer to the one million dollar mark on the year.

Perhaps the most welcome result was Soo-Yun Kang's at the Wendy's. She was even in the lead after two rounds, something she has come nowhere near to accomplishing this season. Although she only wound up tied for 15th, it was still her best finish of the year, and allowed her to inch back onto the radar. Here's hoping she is at last on her way back to the top!