2007 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic:
Gimme Five!

There is a thing in golf they call 'horses for courses'. Certain players who always seem to play well on specific courses get that nickname. But what kind of a nickname do you call a player who is so good on a specific course that they not only do well there often, they win there with an unbelievable regularity, set scoring records there, and generally astonish all who witness them as they play there? Perhaps the best thing to call such a player may be 'Se Ri Pak'. Because in some ways, Se Ri has taken the idea of a 'horse for a course' to a new level.

Se Ri first played at the Jamie Farr Classic, held each year at the Highland Meadows Golf Club, as a 19 year old, a year before she joined the LPGA tour. The good folks at the tournament extended a sponsor's exemption to the young, extremely promising golfer. She did not make the cut that year, but remembered the kindness. Just a year later, she was a rookie and scheduled to play in the event. But a little something called the US Women's Open intervened. She won it in a 20 hole playoff, and overnight became a media sensation. The event did not even end until Monday afternoon, and by the time she was done with all her media duties, it would have been very understandable if she wanted the rest of the week off. But Se Ri is a truly classy lady, and she remembered the kindness the Farr tournament had extended her. So, she showed up at the tournament, intending to play. The first round was a lackluster even par 71. She then went to her hotel room, turned off her cell phone, got ten hours of sleep for the first time in weeks, played her next round - and shot the lowest score in the history of the LPGA. Her 10 under par 61 is still the record at the Farr, although it has since been eclipsed as the all time LPGA best. She followed that up with a 63 in round three and cruised to a 9 shot win and a 23 under total. Her raw score for 72 holes was for years the lowest in LPGA history as well. Se Ri had rewarded the people who had helped her out when she was unknown with one of the most unforgettable performances in her storied career.

And she was hardly done. Over the next nine seasons, Se Ri has returned to the tournament again and again, and has had many more amazing performances. In 1999, she successfully defended her title by winning a six player playoff, the largest in LPGA history. She came close to making it three in a row in 2000, but made a crucial mistake late and had to settle for third. But in 2001, after 11 straight pars to start her final round, she got on a roll on the final holes and collected her third title in four years. To celebrate, she jumped in the country club's pool with her friends with whom she stayed each year.

Se Ri won the title yet again in 2003, becoming one of a very few golfers to ever win a title at the same event in four different years. She very nearly collected her fifth title at the Farr in 2004. She finished her final round in the lead, but Meg Mallon ended up playing the final holes just well enough to beat Se Ri and relegate her to second place. 2005, Se Ri's lost season, was the only time where she did not finish in the top ten at Farr since joining the tour, but in 2006, she was once again in the mix on Sunday. But despite a 66-66 weekend, she was able to finish no better than fourth that year, and watched as fellow Korean Mi Hyun Kim captured the title. In 2007, Pak was coming off a great finish at the US Women's Open, a tie for fourth, and you knew darn well she wanted to capture that title again, and once more have the street outside the course be renamed Se Ri Pak Drive (the street is renamed every year to honor the tournament's winner).

The current honoree, however, was not ready to give up her street just yet. Mi Hyun Kim (pictured) was one of the four women who fought a pitched battle for the title in 2006. By the middle of the fourth round, however, it looked like American bombshell Natalie Gulbis, who had taken a four shot lead, was going to run away with her first ever title on tour. Kim did not flinch, however. She focused, started making birdies, and kept the pressure on Gulbis. Finally, on the 17th hole, Kimmie made birdie to tie Gulbis, and they ended up going to a playoff, which Peanut won. Kim was a little disappointed that the crowd was not rooting for her a little more; they were overwhelmingly partisan for Gulbis. But she could understand why they would support the home country star over her. In any event, she was hoping that the crowds would be a little more on her side now that they had gotten a chance to know her better. And considering how well she had played in 2007, contending multiple times and grabbing her eighth career win at the SemGroup Championship, she sure looked good to repeat.

In 2006, the weather had played a huge part in the tournament. The rain was relentless, even forcing the cancelation of the pro-am, something that had never happened before. Huge puddles and new lakes formed all over the course. It got so deep at times that players had to be shuttled across these new water hazards rivers in golf carts, and several of the holes were endangered by rising floods. But the grounds crew did an excellent job of cleaning up, and the event finished only a few hours later than it otherwise would have. Fortunately, in 2007 the weather was perfect, with only a persistent wind plaguing the players. This did not prevent them from playing, but it sure made scoring a lot more difficult than it was in 2006.

But difficult courses are Se Ri Pak's bread and butter, and she played fantastically in round one to seize control of the tournament right out of the gate. Indeed, calling the round fantastic might be doing it a disservice. Pak had not been able, since her comeback had begun at the start of 2006, to shoot a round better than 66. She had shown she can contend on tough courses, but one of the things that had always made her special was her ability to go mega-low when her putting was on. That was something she had not been able to do in years. Until the first round at the Farr. Being on that familiar course brought out all the brilliance from her that was once so familiar. She was teamed with two American stars, Brittany Lincicome and Gulbis, for her first two rounds. So, as you can imagine, the crowds following them were enormous. But Se Ri is most definitely a star in Toledo, and the crowds loudly supported her as she began to kick major butt. She actually started her round with a bogey, but immediately bounced back with three straight birdies. After that, she did not have another birdie until the par 5 18th (she started on the 10th hole), when she hit her approach to six feet and dunked her birdie putt. On the front nine she continued her blistering round, making birdie on 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 to end up with an 8 under par 63 (this is a par 71 course). That gave her a two shot lead over Canadian Alena Sharp and a four shot lead over everyone else. It was the lowest round of golf she had shot since the final round of her win at the Betsy King Classic back in late 2002.

Se Ri couldn't really explain to the press why she is so good on this course. "I feel great about this golf course. Everyone asks why? I don't know for that. But I always feel great and really comfortable," she said. "It seems like because I've won so many times, and having so much great memories about it, maybe that's why my game is a lot more solid on the golf course."

Another player named Pak had a great round as well on Thursday. Jin Young Pak is a non-exempt rookie who has played primarily on the Futures Tour since turning pro. In 2007, she has had chronic back injuries that have limited her ability to practice and play. In fact, she had only played four events before this one, and only finished one. But on this day everything was in sync, and she shot a 4 under par 67 that left her all by herself in third place. Mi Hyun Kim shot a 3 under par 68 to tie for 4th with Aram Cho among others. Jeong Jang and Christina Kim were among the many golfers tied at 2 under, while six more Koreans were tied at one under.