2007 HSBC Women's World Match Play:
Matchless

Mi Hyun Kim (pictured) faced Rachel Hetherington in her third round match. They were basically tied until the 12th hole, when Kimmie made a birdie to take a one up lead. She would win the 14th hole with a par, then dunked a lengthy birdie on the 16th hole to win the match 3 & 2. So at this point, two of the four Koreans had advanced to the quarterfinals, with only Jee Young Lee left playing. She was paired against Laura Diaz, and their match was a hard fought one all day. The final four holes were exciting, with Lee winning 15 and 16, losing 17, then winning the 18th with a 25 foot birdie putt to advance to the next round. So the afternoon would see three Koreans in the quarterfinals. Seon Hwa Lee would be matched against Lindsey Wright, while Mi Hyun Kim and Jee Young Lee would face each other in another match.

The Lee-Wright match was a back and forth affair at the start. Lee had been used to establishing an early lead and forcing her opponent to play catch up, but they traded wins on the first five holes, with Lee coming out one up after the fifth. After that, however, Lee hit her stride, winning 7, 9 and 11 to take a four up lead. At that point, she squared hole after hole until she was dormie with four holes to play. She got a slight scare when Wright won the 15th hole to extend the match, but they both made par on 16, and Lee won the match 3 & 2 to advance to the final four. She would be playing the winner of the all-Korean quarterfinal match between Kimmie and Jee Young, meaning that the Koreans were guaranteed to have at least half the final four.

The Jee Young/Kimmie match was intriguing, pitting one of the veteran Koreans, a small player who doesn't 't hit it far but has an amazing short game, against a young second year player with limited experience who hits the ball a mile off the tee. What would triumph, power or experience? Kim pulled into an early lead, and she maintained a slim one up lead at the turn. Lee tied it at 11, then Kim made a birdie on the par 3 13th to move back into the lead. The par 5 16th hole looked like it would be a big advantage for Lee, but she hit a poor drive and a terrible third shot approach, and it was Kim who made the birdie to take the 2 up lead with two to play. Kimmie was certainly in the driver's seat at that point. On the par 3 17th, Kimmie hit a great tee shot to put tons of pressure on Lee, but Lee responded with an even better shot. Still, Kim had a ten foot putt to win the match. Alas, she was off line, and watched while Lee dunked her birdie to extend the match to the final hole.

And so, the match came down to the par 5 18th, with Jee Young having a huge advantage with her driving distance. But she hit a terrible drive that went way left into the trees and serious trouble. After that big mistake, the camera caught her closing her eyes and sighing, the pressure of playing so many holes in one day weighing on her. Kimmie hit a perfect drive to increase the pressure. So now Jee Young needed to find a way to get herself out of an almost impossible situation: she was down a hill, in deep rough, with tons of trees in the way. She could not afford to take an unplayable from there. After some thought, she hit a fantastic shot out of there, demonstrating again the power that is her most remarkable gift. Kimmie kept up the pressure with a good second shot. So Lee was faced with a still tough third shot from the rough, although much easier than the shot she had just hit. She would have to hit the ball just over a bunker and roll it up to the short pin position. Amazingly, she executed the shot exactly as she had planned, but the ball did not roll up to the green like she had thought it would. Still, she had a putt at birdie, and when Kim missed her birdie try, Lee still had a chance to win the hole. But her putt missed, and Kim eked out the one up win to advance to the final four.

So the semifinals, which would be contested on Sunday, were set: Mi Hyun Kim vs. Seon Hwa Lee, and Ai Miyazato, who barely beat Amy Hung, against Maria Hjorth.

Miyazato managed to win her battle against Hjorth to advance to the final match, thrilling the relentless contingent of Japanese media who follow her every move. The other match proved to be a real battle between two tough Korean stars. Seon Hwa had been amazingly consistent since her first round close call, and she proved to be that way again. Kimmie matched her nicely, even taking the lead on her, the first person to do that since the first round. But Lee struck back, taking the lead herself on the ninth hole. She ripped off two wins on 11 and 12, and with a three up lead, it looked like Peanut was about to be shelled. Exacerbating her situation was a chunky hit on the 11th hole that strained her back. She spent a lot of time on the next few holes stretching to try to work out the ache she had just acquired. But Kimmie has one of the biggest hearts on tour, and she refused to back down from the challenge. She squeezed out a win on the 13th and another on 16 when Lee made a mistake and made bogey. One down, she squared the 17th hole, and went to the final hole needing a win to extend the match. But it was Seon Hwa who finally seized the match by making birdie to eliminate the highest ranked player remaining in the field 2 up. And so, the final was set: Seon Hwa Lee vs. Ai Miyazato, two of the top rookies from the 2006 season. One possible omen: when Lee won her only previous LPGA event at the ShopRite Classic, she had done so by overtaking the third round leader: Ai Miyazato. Could the Japanese star get revenge for that loss, or would Lee once again have her number? Kimmie would face Hjorth in the consolation match for the 3rd place position.

Kim hoped to put away Hjorth to claim third, but this proved to be a tough match as well. Much like Jee Young Lee, Hjorth is a very long hitter, and Kimmie wanted to put her away before they reached the par 5 holes at the end of the round, on which Hjorth would have a big advantage. After 12 holes, Kimmie had carved out a two up lead. On the next few holes, both players played well. They both hit great approaches on 14 and made birdie, and did the same thing on 15. Kimmie was not giving Hjorth an inch. But Hjorth took advantage of her length to make birdie on the par 5 16th to cut Kimmie's lead to 1. Kim, however, hit a great tee shot on 17, and looked ready to win the match, especially after Hjorth hit her tee shot into the bunker. But Hjorth hit a superlative bunker shot that just missed going in, and tapped in for par. Kimmie left her winning putt short, and stared incredulously at the hole after that. And so it was on to the 18th.

Hjorth had the advantage here, but put her approach into the bunker again. Kimmie hit her second shot just short of the green and putted to within two feet. So Hjorth, who had to win the hole, needed another miracle bunker shot. But this time she got too cute, and her shot duffed into the long grass. She now pretty much had to sink that chip shot, but didn't come close. Hjorth conceded the match, and Kimmie secured the third place finish.

But while that was going on, two golfers vied for the win and the lucrative half a million dollar first prize (second prize was $300,000). The first few holes, the two alternated wins, with Lee emerging two up from the first four holes. After that, they squared the next few holes until they reached the 11th hole. On that hole, Lee's approach ended up in a greenside bunker. She had short sided herself, and though she made a valiant effort, she missed her par save and Miyazato won the hole to move to within one. On the next hole, however, it was Miyazato who overhit the green, and she duffed her chip shot well short of the hole. Lee putted to within a foot and was conceded the par. So now Miyazato needed to make the eight foor par save to square the hole. But she missed, and Lee's lead was again two.

After both players made 3 on 13, Lee got a terrible break on 14 when her tee shot landed in a divot. Her approach flew the green and wound up in some terrible rough, while Miyazato hit to within ten feet. Lee could not get close on her chip, and made bogey while Miyazato made birdie. The lead was once again a single hole.

Both Lee and Miyazato got it pretty close on the next hole, the 15th. But Lee made her birdie putt to increase the lead back to 2 up. The miss by Miyazato, from relatively short distance, was a crucial one in the match. On the par 5 16th, both players laid up, but once again Lee ended up in a divot. This time, however, she hit a phenomenal shot to a few feet to set up an easy birdie. Miyazato matched her with her own fantastic shot. They were playing brilliantly, but Lee was doing what she needed to do to keep the Japanese star at bay. Both made birdie here, and the lead remained 2 with two to play.

On 17, Lee went first, and hit another superlative iron. It crossed right over the flagstick and stopped six feet past the hole. Miyazato had to win this hole to continue her quest for her first LPGA title. And she delivered, hitting her own tee shot to within two feet for an almost certain birdie. If Lee made the putt, the match and the championship was hers; if not, they would probably be going to the 18th hole. Lee did what she had to do, drilling the putt to the center of the cup, ice water absolutely flowing through her veins. Her poise and utter consistency had been incredible all week, but the way she had stepped it up against Miyazato, preventing her from having any chance to win with three straight birdies to finish, was nothing short of spectacular.

With this win, Seon Hwa Lee has now won the last nine match play rounds she has played, including the three at the Lexus Cup, earning her the nickname 'The Match Play Queen' in the Korean press. Her second LPGA win has once again established her among the elite of the young players on tour, and coming as it did at such a high profile event, showed that she can compete and win even with the very best in the field. Her $500,000 first place check also vaulted her into the top ten on the money list, and gave her a shot at breaking a million dollarsin a season for the first time. With one of the very best swings on tour, a focus so intense it stands out even among elite players, and the silkiest putting stroke you've ever seen, Lee has all the weapons to continue her great play for years to come.