Se Ri's Hall of Fame Dinner

Schedule of Events:

First there was an informal reception where people mingled. At the front entrance was a desk which was manned by a Korean guy and a white woman. There was a huge cutout of Se Ri behind this desk. Everyone was mingling beyond it in the hallway, which was set up complete with a bar.

I saw oodles of Korean golfers dressed to the nines. Se Ri spent her time posing for a lot of photos and getting congratulations from everybody. Most of the golfers were dressed in black evening dresses, although a few opted for other colors (one woman who was definitely a golfer but whom I did not recognize sported a bright green ensemble). Sarah Lee also wore black and looked nice. Birdie was probably the most smashing looking of the lot. She left at one point and returned to the dinner later wearing a more modest black outfit that still looked nice. Meena and Seon Hwa wore cleavage baring dresses. Jee Young also looked cute as a button in her outfit.

Jamie Farr was hanging out with a contingent from Toledo, although I also saw him talking to Bivens, Karrie Webb and Beth Daniel at different points.

After a while, they opened doors to a room where they had set up a stage. The stage had a chair on it, and a dais; it was flanked by huge video screens on either side. Most of the time the monitors showed Se Ri's reactions, although occasionally they would show someone in the audience like her parents. There were dozens of rows of chairs, and a camera crew that wandered about. They seated most of the luminaries in the first few rows, in the middle section; Jamie Farr, the LPGA HOFers, Bivens and others were in the front row, with Betty Jameson in the second row and Se Ri's family in one of the first few rows as well. All the Korean LPGAers sat over to the right in a big group; as it turned out, my wife and I ended up in the same section as they.

Bivens introduced the proceedings, complimenting Se Ri highly about her great career and her rookie year in particular. She made Se Ri come up on stage at that point and sit in the chair. Se Ri was alternately laughing and embarrassed. Bivens presented her with a plaque that honored her achievement. Next, a representative from Rolex came up and presented her with a white gold watch that my wife estimated was worth several hundred grand. They also gave her a money clip. Bivens really liked Se Ri's bracelet, and said that the watch would go well with it.

Next, Jamie Farr went up to talk a little. He was there because Se Ri had won his tournament so many times. He was very complimentary about her, and did some of his old shtick, like mentioning that he has given her so many checks that she expects him to give her one every time he sees her. He also remarked that her dress looked like the one he got married in on MASH. He told some stories about his connection with Korea. He served there in the 50s, and entertained troops with Red Skelton along the DMZ. One night, his troupe was flying to Japan and the engines died because it was so cold. They were thinking they would need to bail out when the engines suddenly restarted. He said that this happened in 1957; twenty years later, he continued, Se Ri was born there, and that year he also had a show set in Korea (MASH, of course). He then introduced Mac, an Arab guy married to a Korean lady with whom Se Ri always stays when in Toledo. Farr joked that Arabs and Koreans have a lot in common: Koreans love golf and Arabs provide the sand or something like that. He also quipped that Koreans like raw fish and Arabs like raw meat, so neither nationality needs a cooker (not so sure about that last comment... Koreans love their cooked meat!).

He also talked about the Jamie Farr Park in Toledo, and how it meant he was in a way an honorary Korean: Se Ri Pak, Jamie Farr Park, both Korean.

Next, Mac went up, and you could tell he was very moved to be there. He said that, back when Se Ri first came to Toledo as a young player, Se Ri's father had asked him to take good care of her, and he has thought of her as a daughter ever since. After she won the Farr for the fifth time, she phoned him from the Detroit airport and told him she loved him. He replied, 'Why did it take you ten years to tell me that?' which got a big laugh. He then gave her a giant photo of the Se Ri Pak Drive sign, the street they rename after the champion of the Toledo event every year, and then hugged her. This was one of the most moving moments of the night. You could really sense the affection there.

Next Beth Daniel came up and gave an entertaining speech. She recalled the first time she ever saw Se Ri, at the 1997 ANZ Ladies Masters. Everyone had been buzzing about this great young Asian golfer who was going to be a superstar, and Daniel went to the range to check her out. She was impressed. She had heard a rumor then, about the passport agent forgetting the R in Se Ri's name (it was supposed to be Se Ri Park), and Se Ri deciding to keep it 'Pak' ever since. Se Ri nodded that it was true. Farr piped up that they were even more similar than he had thought: his park in Toledo, Jamie Farr Park, and Se Ri Park!

Daniel next talked about Se Ri's great rookie year, how she had taken the tour by storm. Daniel mentioned another rumor: that Se Ri had slept in cemeteries when she was young. She said that that rumor had been disproved, but not before hundreds of Korean girls had tried the same thing! I actually have never heard that that rumor was untrue. I suspect Beth may have been misinformed.

Finally, Daniel cleared up another rumor. The Korean press had reported that Daniel had stood in the doorway of the plane that flies to the Evian from the Rochester event one year and refused to allow Se Ri on board, because she had dropped out of the tournament early or something, and thus did not "deserve" to take the free flight (I can't remember the exact story). She firmly denied that that had ever happened. So, straight from the horse's mouth!

Next, Amy Alcott gave a speech. She was an odd choice to speak, mainly because she really has no connection whatsoever to Se Ri. They probably should have gotten Karrie Webb to talk instead. Anyway, Alcott rambled a bit about what it was like when she herself was inducted into the Hall, talked about playing golf as a youngster from LA, and how impressive it was that Se Ri, with the expectations of her country on her shoulders, was able to come here and play so well.

Next, Bivens introduced a video tribute to Se Ri set to a Korean pop tune. The following text came on the screens: Se Ri Pak, Invincible. What followed was a bunch of great highlights from her career set to music. When they got to the bit showing Se Ri taking her shoes off at the 1998 US Women's Open, the crowd cheered loudly. Se Ri enjoyed this a lot I think, although it was hard for her to see it from the stage.

Finally, Se Ri herself took the podium. The crowd gave her a standing ovation. She talked about how she had dreamed of this night for 15 years, and said she was very nervous. She told how she took a long time to decide to focus on golf, because she didn't really like golf all that much. Eventually, she realized she was good at it and came to love it. She told a cute story about how she used to play golf with her father's friends for money, and they always bet a lot. She hated to lose her own money, so she was motivated to practice harder until she started beating them regularly. She said that her dad always said that tournament pressure was 1000 times worse than that, so she had to get used to it. She was great as a pro in Korea, so she figured she'd come over here and before long be doing as well in America. But it was far harder than she expected, and even more, it never got easier. In fact, she says it got harder, and keeps getting harder, which surprised her. She figured once she got used to it it would be a piece of cake.

She then said she was worried about getting too emotional. At that point, she did get too emotional, and started crying. The crowd gave her another standing ovation. Bivens pretty much ended the festivities right there, announcing that dinner would soon be served, a meal that Se Ri had herself decided upon.