2007 ADT Tour Championship

After 13 holes, Kimmie was at 5 under par, much better than the score she needed. Even a bogey on 14 didn't worry her too much. But when she missed a short par save on 16 to fall to 3 under, she groaned loudly, perhaps the first sign that the pressure was getting to her. Still, she made par on the 17th, and hit a great drive on 18. All she needed to do was get the ball anywhere on the green, and she would probably be fine. She certainly did not want to go right into the water, as Castrale had done, so she overcompensated and hit the ball too far left. Like Gustafson, she wound up in the bunker over there, with perhaps the worst imaginable lie. It would be all she could do to even get the ball out. In fact, she did get it out, but did not reach the green. She did her best chipping from the nasty rough, but still wound up several feet from the hole. So her entire week now rested on her ability to make that short putt. Unfortunately, she missed it, and her double bogey on the final hole dropped her to 1 under. In just one hole, she had gone from a certain berth on Sunday to a part in a four way playoff for the final two spots.

Kimmie was not happy about it, to say the least. The four players returned to the 17th tee for the first playoff hole, but the entire time they waited there, Kim looked mad enough to spit fire. She was going to have to collect herself quickly if she wanted to get into the Sunday action. Gustafson went first, and wanted to make sure she avoided hitting into the water right, like she had during regulation. As a result, she went too far left, and ended up in the creek on that side. She pretty much eliminated herself with that shot. Kimmie and Christina, however, hit great shots, giving themselves legitimate birdie chances, while Castrale's shot also hit the green, but farther out. After both Christina and Castrale missed their birdie tries, Peanut coolly stepped up to hers and drained it. A look of total relief spread across her face as she became the first player to advance. With Kimmie through and Gustafson gone, that meant the final spot was to be given to either Christina or Castrale. One couldn't help but appreciate the irony. When Christina was passed over for the Solheim Cup captain's selection, one of the players who was selected instead of her was Castrale. Now Christina had a chance to prove herself against that very player in a one hole, winner take all showdown.

Both players hit good drives, almost to the exact same spot. Christina was slightly shorter off the tee, so she hit first. Christina was going to have to hit a great shot to put the pressure on, and she delivered. Her second shot was absolutely perfect, rolling to a foot from the hole. In celebration, she did a full body bump with her caddie, perhaps the first time that had ever happened on the LPGA tour (she later explained that her pro am partners had been fond of that move, and she promised them she would do one during the tournament if the situation demanded it). Now the pressure was on Castrale, and amazingly, she hit her approach in the exact same spot as she had in regulation, with the same result: it landed short of the green and rolled backwards into the water. Christina tapped in her birdie, and advanced to the final.

So, out of the four players in the playoff, the two winners were the two Korean women. After the round was over, the tournament held a seeding party. The women were allowed to choose which group they wanted to play in, with the top player on Saturday choosing first. Not surprisingly, that was Lorena Ochoa, and she chose the final group. The three Koreans were the three last players to choose. Christina wound up in the first group with Cristie Kerr, Sarah Lee with Karrie Webb, and Kimmie with Paula Creamer in the penultimate group. The eight ladies posed with the million dollar jackpot and each other, Christina in particular enjoying the thought she might be able to claim it.

Unfortunately, that was the last highlight for the Korean ladies at this tournament. On Sunday morning, Ochoa quickly got out to a big lead, and all three Korean women were over par and out of the running by the halfway point. They would all go on to finish in the bottom half of the field, while Ochoa claimed the title, her 8th of the year. So once again, the Koreans were shut out of a tournament. But at least this time, they had given it a good fight. Here's hoping they enjoy their off season and come back ready to win a ton of events in 2008!