SeoulSisters Awards

Happiest news:
Mi Hyun Kim's 100K gift
See 'Best Victory Celebration' above

Honorable Mentions:
Young Kim breaks through!
Young Kim has been one of the most promising Korean golfers on tour ever since her rookie year of 2003, when she finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings to a certain Lorena Ochoa. In the last couple of years before 2007, she had finished in the top 30 on the money list. But despite her promise, she had yet to break through with a win.

At the end of last year, she played on the Lexus Cup team, and went 3-0 in her matches, the only player besides Seon Hwa Lee to collect three wins. She followed that up the following month by representing Korea at the World Cup. Along with partner Ji Yai Shin, she finished third. So all indications were that Kim was finally lined up for that breakthrough victory on the LPGA.

But she did not start the 2007 season all that well. Firstly, her longtime sponsor, Shinsegae, decided to part ways with her at the start of the year. Additionally, she only had one top 20 finish in her first few events, the lowlight being a DQ at the Ginn Open. She had gone from looking like a sure winner in 2007 to a big question mark again.

But immediately after the DQ, she picked up her game in a major way. She had a top five the following week at the SemGroup; indeed, she looked like she might get into contention for a while. She followed that up with two more top twenties. And then she got to the Corning Classic, an event that had been good recently to the Korean golfers. Jimin Kang had managed her own breakthrough victory there in 2005, and Hee-Won Han, who was not there because of her pregnancy, was the defending champion, having defeated Meena Lee in a playoff there in 2006 (Meena had also finished second there in 2005).

Young made her big move on the leaderboard in round two. She shot a blistering 8 under par 64 to vault to a 12 under total, at the time a big lead on the field. But eventually, journeyman American golfer Beth Bader would move ahead of her in the standings. Also up on the leaderboard were several multiple winners, including Paula Creamer (who had played with Young the first two days) and Mi Hyun Kim. On Saturday, Bader and Young played together, and took turns taking the lead. Young eventually carved out a 2 shot lead, still without having made so much as a single bogey all week. But on the 13th hole, she finally made her first mistake, barely missing a par save after missing the green. By the end of the day, Kim found herself tied not only with Bader at 16 under, but also Creamer. Mi Hyun Kim made a 40 footer on the final hole to move to 15 under. It would be a shootout on Sunday for the title.

Young played very aggressively to start Sunday, and it paid off. By the 7th hole she had moved to 20 under, a three shot lead at the time. But then she started making mistakes, two consecutive bogies to be precise, and just like that she was tied for the lead with Creamer at 18 under. The rest of the round turned into a battle between Creamer, Bader, Kim and Mi Hyun Kim for the title. Holes 13-15 proved pivotal. Young made a stellar par save on 13, while she hit it close on 14 for a birdie while Creamer struggled. On 15, Young ended up in the bunker, and even after her sand shot, was still farther away than Creamer was for birdie. But the key swing happened here: Kim drained the par, Creamer missed the birdie, and Young would hold on to win the tournament by three shots over Creamer and Mi Hyun Kim. She was so misty eyed after achieving this longtime goal, she did not even see the many Koreans who swamped her on the final green to give her a victory beer bath. It didn't matter: Young Kim was at last a winner on the LPGA tour!

Hee-Won Han has her first child
In 2003, Hee-Won Han became the first of the young Seoul Sisters to take the plunge and get married. In 2007, she again was a pioneer among her peers, becoming the first one to have a child. After the Kraft Nabisco, she took most of the rest of the season off to have her first child and care for it. In late June, she gave birth by Cesarean section to a son, whom the happy couple named Dae-Il. She returned at the end of the year to play two final events, the Honda Thailand Classic (where she was the defending champion) and the Tournament of Champions. She did well in both, finishing 11th in Thailand and 10th at the TOC. Congratulations to Hee-Won on this most wonderful news, and good luck to Hee-Won Mom in 2008!

Se Ri in the Hall of Fame
Se Ri Pak earned enough points to enter the Hall of Fame back in 2004, when she won the Michelob Ultra Open. But she had to wait until 2007 to have enough time on the tour to actual enter the Hall, and specifically, she had to play ten events this year. She reached that milestone, fittingly at the Major she has won three times in her career (and where she was the defending champion), the McDonald's LPGA Championship. After the first round was over, she was ushered into the press room to be congratulated by the LPGA. She got a big surprise when a number of her fellow LPGA Koreans were there to shower her with silly string and cheer for her achievement. They also presented her with a cake, and several of the players present took the opportunity to smear her face with it as well.

In September, the Hall fun continued when the LPGA threw her a party in Orlando to celebrate her entry. They invited a whole bunch of important people from throughout her career to attend, commissioned a special video presentation to commemorate her achievement, and showered her in presents and accolades (read about it in the 'Best Party' category above). Finally, in November, she officially entered the Hall in a ceremony at that building in St. Augustine. To celebrate this achievement, one of the Korean golf channels showed two solid days of Se Ri Pak programming (in many ways, Se Ri's success was in large part responsible for inspiring the existence of this channel). They showed many of her best tournaments from throughout her career, a two hour special on her career, and capped the marathon with several showings of her Hall of Fame induction. What many may not realize is that, Se Ri also qualified for the KLPGA Hall of Fame in 2007, only the second woman, after Ok Hee Ku, to make it into this Hall. All in all, the almost constant festing was draining and distracting, but she loved every minute of it. And if anyone deserved that kind of attention, it was the chief architect of the Korean Wave, one of the biggest sea changes to hit golf in years. Congratulations again to Se Ri Pak!!!!

Birdie Kim gets married
Birdie Kim surprised most everyone when, late in the year, she announced she was engaged to be married in December. Her fiancé was Bae Gyu Lee, also a professional golfer. They were introduced to each other by their matchmaking mothers, and a love connection was the result. On the 15th of December, they tied the knot in Seoul. Many of the top Korean golfers were in attendance, including Birdie's close friend Se Ri Pak. Read more about it in the article about the December doings of the Seoul Sisters elsewhere on this site!

Best reaction of the Year:
Christina Kim sinks a putt from off the green, State Farm, 18th hole, final round
Nobody can get a gallery going like Christina Kim. In later August of 2007, she was on a tear, and perhaps her best tournament of that period came at the State Farm Classic. As we mentioned above (in the 'Best performance not to win' section), Christina had a great finish to this event. Perhaps the most exciting moments came at the final two holes. After missing the green on this par three, she pretty much had to chip in to have any chance to stay up with Sherri Steinhauer Amazingly, she did it, and leapt for joy while the gallery exploded in cheers. She made another massive leap after a second brilliant putt on the 18th hole (see below). You never have to guess how Christina is feeling when she plays!

Honorable Mentions:
Christina's body bump, third round playoff, ADT Championship
Christina did it again! In her third round playoff with Nicole Castrale for the final spot in the final round, Christina hit a great drive, then followed that up with one of the best shots of the year: an absolutely dead solid perfect iron to a foot for an easy birdie. Her reaction? Perhaps the first 'body bump' in the history of the LPGA. She took a running start and bumped into her caddie in midair to celebrate. She later explained that her playing partners in the pro-am had been doing that, and she had promised she would do it during the tournament if the opportunity arose. Needless to say, hitting a perfect shot at the right time like that was a textbook example of the perfect opportunity!!

Shi Hyun Ahn can't stop smiling after holing out at Canadian Open, final hole
See 'Best Shot' for more details on Shi Hyun's fabulous run at the Canadian Women's Open.

Young Kim can't contain her joy following her Corning Classic win
Young Kim is normally a fairly placid figure on the golf course. To see her unbridled joy following her win at the Corning Classic was really special.

Jee Young Lee's look of misery after hitting drive into woods, 18th hole, HSBC match vs. Kimmie
This wasn't a happy moment, but it was still unforgettable. On the final hole of her tight match with Mi Hyun Kim in the quarterfinals of the HSBC Women's World Match Play, Jee Young was one down, and needed to win the par five to square the match. With her length, a decent drive almost assured she could reach the green in two and have an eagle chance. Instead, she fanned her drive way left into the woods to give herself one of the worst lies she could have imagined. Following that disastrous turn, the camera zoomed in on Jee Young, who looked to the heavens and breathed a long, sad, exasperated sigh. It was a look and reaction that said it all

Best hot streak:
Ji Yai Shin wins 5 of 6 KLPGA events and gets top tens at Evian and US Open.
When you're hot you're hot, but when Ji Yai Shin gets hot, she's sizzling. Even under normal conditions in the past two years, she's finishing in the top five more often than not. But when she gets on a roll, about all her opponents can do is watch her zoom by on her way to trophy after trophy.

In 2007, her hottest streak came in the middle of the KLPGA season. It started at the Hill State Seokyung Open. At this point in the season, she was, amazingly, third on the money list. She had already won an event, but Sun Ju Ahn and Eun Hee Ji had both won two events. At the Hill State, the tournament came down to a battle between those three players for the crown. It was at this point in the season that Shin put her foot down, shooting a 6 under par 66 in the final round to beat Ji by a shot and Ahn by two strokes. At the next tournament, the BC Card Classic, Shin and Na Yeon Choi were fighting it out for the top spot when a relatively unknown player, Ji Yeon Woo, made a huge back nine charge up the leaderboard. Shin managed to make only one late birdie on the day, but it was enough, and she claimed the one shot win over Woo. Her third win of the season moved her back to the top of the money list. And now, she had a chance to become the first golfer since Mi Hyun Kim in the late 90's to win three tournaments in a row on the KLPGA tour.

She did not squander that opportunity. The next event was the KB Star Tour #3. Right away she established herself as the player to beat, making eight birdies and two bogies in the opening round. But Eun Hee Ji wanted to play the spoiler, and she shot a 64 in round one in defense of her title, two shots better. They continued to be neck and neck the rest of the week, with Shin clinging onto a one shot lead most of that time. On Sunday, Ji shot a marvelous 67, but Shin did her one better, shooting a 66 for a 16 under par total, one of the lowest total scores in KLPGA history. Ji's 14 under par total would have been good enough to win most any other tournament in 2007, but Shin still prevailed, claiming her third straight win.

The next week, she traveled to the US Women's Open, the biggest tournament in women's golf. Played in miserable conditions with umpteen weather delays, the tournament was tough going for everyone in the field. Nonetheless, at the end of the day Saturday, the name at the top of the leaderboard was Ji Yai Shin's. She would play nearly two rounds of golf on Sunday, and perhaps that was a bit much for her to deal with. Nonetheless, she wound up finishing in solo sixth, her best ever Major finish.

She returned to Korea, going for her fourth straight win. Weather forced the cancellation of round one, though, and despite a good run, was only able to finish fifth at the Korea Golf & Art Village Open. Sun Ju Ahn, meanwhile, claimed her third win of the year, perhaps announcing she would challenge Shin again for supremacy.

The KLPGA then took its midyear break. Shin played in a few international events. She continued her hot streak at the Evian Masters, finishing third, just a shot out of the playoff eventually won by Natalie Gulbis. However, she also was eliminated in the first round at the HSBC World Match Play, and finished tied for 28th at the British Open. When she returned to action in Korea, however, she quickly picked up the pace again. At the next event, the KB Star Tour #4, not even a weird rule fiasco which forced the nullification of the first round (after Shin had grabbed the lead) could slow her down. Even after falling behind in the second round (which was now the first round), she still made it up after a furious charge in round three/two, claiming her record tying fifth win of the year. The following week, she was at it yet again. At the SK Invitational, she had a more star studded field than usual to contend with. In the first round, she was paired with Mi Hyun Kim, the top Korean on the LPGA tour, and Young Kim, who had won on the LPGA in 2007 and had been her playing partner at the World Cup at the start of the year. She also had to deal with Jin Joo Hong, the defending champion of the event. None of that mattered. She handled Kimmie and Young Kim fairly easily, but Hong hung tough the whole week. Just two shots ahead of Hong at the turn on Sunday, Shin made two quick birdies to pad her lead to four. Shin went on to claim her sixth win of the season, and fifth KLPGA win in her last six starts. After Na Yeon Choi derailed Shin at the next event, the Shinsegae Cup, Shin would once again return to the winner's circle the following week at the Samsung Finance Ladies Championship. How hot was she? Six wins in eight starts, a top ten at a Major and a top five at the Evian, three wins in a row at one point, tying the record for most wins in a row, and six total wins on the season, breaking the all time record for most wins in a season on the KLPGA. That, my friends, is a hot streak!!

Honorable Mentions:
Eun Hee Ji wins two in a row, almost nabs third.
Eun Hee Ji had a breakout year of her own on the KLPGA in 2007, even if she was in the shadow of Ji Yai Shin most of the year. Her hottest streak came early on. At the year's second event, she was only able to finish tied for fifth. But at the third event, the Phoenix Park Classic, she came on strong. She blistered the field with a smoking 8 under par 64 in the first round, and followed that with a 68, again the best score of that day, on Saturday. Just like that, she was at 12 under total with a four shot lead. But in the third round, Hee Young Park and Ji Yai Shin charged up the leaderboard. She maintained a four shot lead over them for a while, but struggled on the final few holes. She bogied 15 to cut her lead over Park to three, then Hee Young birdied 16 and 17 to cut the lead to one stroke. But Park was not able to get a birdie on the final hole, and Eun Hee Ji squeaked out the one stroke win, her first of the year.

The next week, those two would once again battle atop the leaderboard. The tournament was the KB Star Tour #2. In the third round, Park actually outplayed Ji, and should have had a win, but for the unfortunate incident where Park found one of Ji's clubs, put it in her bag, and was called for a two stroke penalty. Ji ended up beating Park in a playoff, so unfortunately that two stroke penalty cost her the match. But regardless of how she got the win, that gave Ji her second straight victory, and a chance to become the first KLPGA golfer since the 90s to win three straight.

The next event was a biggie: the Korean Women's Open. And Ji continued her torrid pace, capturing a two stroke lead after two rounds. But that's when the fun ended for Ji: she shot a third round 76 to plummet down the leaderboard, and eventually her rival Sun Ju Ahn would capture the trophy. Still, two straight wins and nearly a third constitutes a pretty major hot streak!

Christina Kim's run after Solheim diss
We talked about this a little bit up above in the 'Biggest Diss of the Year' category. But basically, as the time came closer for the Solheim Cup team to be chosen, Christina played better and better. The week of the selection, she managed a tie for second at the Safeway Classic, behind only Lorena Ochoa, who was not eligible for the Solheim. Still, despite her great finish, Christina was not picked for the team. She was plenty steamed about it, and the next week, played brilliantly. But Sherri Steinhauer somehow found magic on putt after putt, and she claimed the one shot win over Christina at the State Farm Classic. Christina cooled down considerably after that, but two straight seconds was a great streak on the LPGA tour this year all the same.