Sorenstam savors Mizuno title; Choi cinches win
Published: 08 Nov. 2004, 22:15
Sorenstam won the Mizuno Classic, which ended yesterday at the Seta Golf Club in Otsu, Shiga prefecture in Japan, posting a 22-under-par in three rounds. She thereby added one more victory to her record book, making it her 55th title win.
This is also her fourth consecutive Mizuno Classic title and the second quadruple streak in LPGA history after Laura Davis brought home four straight wins in the Standard Register Open from 1994 to 1997.
Sorenstam’s top-notch performance this year resulted in her winning seven out of 17 titles. She was also a runner-up four times and was included in the top-10 player list 15 times, making her a bright prospect for taking first place in the earnings category, as well as being named Player of the Year.
Grace Park, who was eyeing her second title win within two weeks following the CJ Nine Bridge Classic, finished in the No. 2 spot, along with Michie Ohba and Ai Miyazato, all of whom posted a 13-under-par. It was Park’s seventh runner-up performance this season.
In her four most recent tournaments, Park, 25, captured one title and was the runner-up in the other three, standing firmly in the runner-up spot on the money list.
Other Korean women golfers performed well in the Mizuno Classic, with Aree Song, 18, taking fifth place with a 12-under-par, followed by Young Kim, 24, and Han Hee-won, 26, who both finished seventh with an 11-under-par.
Here at home, Korean women’s golf last week saw another Cinderella in the making named Choi Na-yeon. A 17-year-old amateur golfer and student at Daewon Foreign Language High School, Choi won the ADT, CAPS Invitational Golf Tournament on Saturday at the Lake Side Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi province, which is the final event of the season for the KLPGA.
Posting a 14-under-par, Choi defeated Pak Se-ri, 27, Han Ji-yeon, 30, and Kim So-hee, 22, by four strokes.
Choi, incidentally, made her first putt at the age of 10 alongside her father. After that, it took only 10 months for her to win her first title, followed by sweeping victories at junior tournaments all across the country.
Choi is 167 centimeters (5 feet, 5 inches) tall and weighs 58 kilograms (128 pounds), with a drive shot easily reaching 250 yards.
After winning the tournament, Choi announced that she will turn pro. Regarding her image, Choi said, “I hate it the most when I’m called ‘The Second Pak Se-ri.’ I want to be remembered as ‘Choi Na-yeon.’
“I’m targeting the rookie award next year [in the pro league], and I’d like to make a debut on the U.S. golf scene,” Choi said in discussing her future.
by Chung Jeh-won, Chun Su-jin
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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