Jun 29, 2008 - 8:29 PM
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EDINA, Minnesota (Ticker) -- Inbee Park started playing golf two days after watching fellow Korean Se Ri Pak win the 1998 U.S. Women's Open.
A decade later, 19-year-old Park became the championship's youngest winner when she demolished the competition with an impressive 2-under-par 71 in the final round at Interlachen on Sunday.
Making a confidence-boosting start with a chip-in birdie from 20 yards at the par-4 first, she took the lead with another birdie at No. 2 and never surrendered the lead from there, steadily increasing her advantage as she displayed poise beyond her years in strong winds.
With a tap-in birdie at the last, Park finished at 9-under 283, four strokes clear of Swede Helen Alfredsson (75), with third round leader Stacy Lewis (78) another stroke back in a tie for third with Angela Park (73) and In-Kyung Kim (75).
Park, who did not have a three-putt the entire championship, not only made history as the youngest winner, but perhaps was also the first champion to be doused with beer as she left the final green, courtesy of compatriots I.K. Kim and Jeong Jang.
"This is the first time I'm winning a tournament as a professional. The U.S. Women's Open is the biggest honor I'll ever have," said Park, the third Korean to win the title after the aforementioned Pak and Birdie Kim (2005).
Park had no idea why her parents were up in the middle of the night to watch the 1998 Women's Open on television at their home in Pundang, outside Seoul.
"I just woke up and was like 'What are you guys doing'? And they were like 'we're watching golf and Se Ri Pak is leading the tournament and she's the first Korean if she wins'," Park said. "I sat down there but I was half asleep. It was so big in Korea and a lot of people picked up golf after that and I was one of them."
She went to a local driving range two days later and progressed so rapidly that less than three years later, at the age of 12, she moved to the U.S. to further her career.
Park promptly won the 2002 U.S. girls' junior championship, and was a five-time junior All-American before turning pro just over two years ago.
Park, who now lives in Las Vegas, finished 37th on the money list in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, and it's fair to say she did not feature prominently in pre-championship discussions.
"I started thinking about (winning) at the 15th hole when I knew I was three strokes ahead," she said. "I just tried to not think about that it's the U.S. Women's Open. I try to stay calm and focused and I was able to handle myself out there."
Park said putting was the key to her victory, observing that she made a lot of 15-to-20-footers.
Runner-up Alfredsson paid tribute to the winner.
"She played fantastic and I was impressed by her composure. She's going to win a lot more," Alfredsson said.
Meanwhile, fellow Swede Annika Sorenstam bowed out in style in her final Open appearance before retiring at the end of the year.
She holed out with a 6-iron from 200 yards for an unlikely eagle at the par-5 18th, much to the delight of the overflowing gallery.
"My tank is empty," said the three-time Open champion, who tied for 24th, 12 shots off the pace. "I've tried so hard the last three days. I just didn't have anything."
Sorenstam for so long stole the limelight, but the torch has been passed to a new generation.
Park, who turns 20 on July 12, became the third youngest major winner behind Morgan Pressel (2007 Kraft Nabisco) and Taiwan's Yani Tseng, who captured the LPGA Championship only three weeks ago.
