2007 SBS Open:
Slow Start for the Seoul Sisters

The SBS Open has been the first event on the LPGA schedule the past couple of years. Taking place in sunny Hawaii in February, it is sponsored by Korean television network SBS, which also airs LPGA events in Korea both on their flagship network and on a specialty Golf Channel they control. The golf channel largely exists thanks to the successes of the Korean women golfers on the LPGA.

The Korean women doubtless made this sponsor happy in 2006, when they covered the leaderboard during the week. Rookie Seon Hwa Lee, playing in her first event as an LPGA pro, managed a respectable 13th place finish after a weak opening round. Another rookie, Kyeong Bae, got out to a great start but struggled in the final round, still posting a decent 26th place result. Yet another rookie, Jee Young Lee, also finished in the top 25. Meanwhile, established stars like Hee-Won Han and Meena Lee did well, while a player who had been struggling mightily in 2005, Grace Park, even took the first round lead and notched her best result in some time, a tie for 13th.

At the top of the leaderboard, three more Korean women made their mark. Sung Ah Yim put herself into the mix thanks to two strong early rounds, but a third round 75 knocked her down to a tie for 8th. Joo Mi Kim and Soo Young Moon, however, played great, ending up in a playoff with Mexican superstar Lorena Ochoa for the title. Ochoa blinked first, and while Moon and Kim both made birdie on the first playoff hole thanks to great putting, Ochoa, who was closest to the hole, missed her putt and was eliminated. On the next playoff hole, Kim stiffed her approach to a couple of feet and dunked the birdie to claim her first LPGA tour win. The victory celebration that followed was almost as memorable as the win itself, as several of Kim's friends tried to throw her into the water near the final hole with hilarious results. Joo Mi's smile and good cheer made her a very popular champion indeed.

What a difference a year makes. In the 2007 edition of the tournament, the leaderboard was covered not with Korean stars but with top players from everywhere but Korea. Among those who were in contention for the title were Paula Creamer, who had not won an event in more than a year but took the title this year; Morgan Pressel, Natalie Gulbis, Karrie Webb (coming off two straight wins in Australia), and Julieta Granada, the Paraguayan who had teamed to win the Women's World Cup in January. No Korean finished in the top five. SBS may not have been happy, but doubtless the American Golf Channel, which seems to have a love affair with many of the players listed, were having a gay old time.

On paper, the tournament had a lot of intriguing storylines coming in. For one, there was the debut of several of the strong Korean rookies who might be in the running for Rookie of the Year on tour this year. Among them was Song-Hee Kim (pictured), the player who had flat out dominated the Futures Tour and was now looking to conquer the big leagues; the SBS was to be her first ever LPGA tournament. To add to the intrigue, SBS gave a sponsor's exemption to Ji Yai Shin, the 18 year old phenom who had dominated the KLPGA in 2006, and who had finished fourth in her only LPGA tournament, the 2006 Kolon-Hana Bank Championship, which she had played in Korea the previous October. Which of these two stars would come out on top? Would they be in contention for the win? Besides those two, the field also boasted LPGA career starts by rookie sensations like In-Kyung Kim, who had won the Q-School last year, In-Bee Park, who had finished third on the Futures Tour money list, Ji Young Oh, the mysterious junior star, and Angela Park, another strong 18 year old who would have become the youngest woman to win an LPGA event in fifty years if she had pulled off the victory.

After the first round was complete, a rookie did in fact sit atop the leaderboard, but it was not one of the Korean talents previously discussed. Instead, it was American former college star turned pro Paige McKenzie. McKenzie had barely secured her exempt card at Q-School after a disastrous final round (she made it on the number), but in her first round as an LPGA pro, she had no such trouble, shooting a 5 under par 67 in windy and treacherous conditions to tie for the lead with Paula Creamer and British Open champion Sherri Steinhauer, a player who, considering her multiple successes at the British Open, obviously loves playing in windy conditions. The Korean rookies did not fare so well. Song-Hee Kim had a frankly terrible round, a two over par 74 that put her in 64th place and in danger of missing the cut. In-Bee Park also shot a 74. Ji Young Oh played far worse than that, compiling a 6 over par 78. She would go on to miss the cut by a mile. Jin Joo Hong (pictured), who had got onto tour thanks to her win at the Kolon, also struggled, compiling a 3 over par 75. She wasn't alone at that spot, tying such notables as Birdie Kim and superstar Se Ri Pak, who was doubtless hoping to get off to a better start to her year. In-Kyung Kim also struggled, shooting a 73, as did KLPGA star Ji Yai Shin.

The only Korean rookie to shine on the first day was Korean American Irene Cho. Cho had been a top college player, but had not played often in professional events. She has been one of the few top Korean rookies to express doubts about what she can accomplish in 2007. While Song Hee Kim, In-Kyung Kim, In-Bee Park and Ji Young Oh have all publicly stated their desire to win the Rookie of the Year award, Cho has said that she was surprised she even earned an exempt card at Q-School, and her goal in 2007 seems to be to do her best to keep it. But on the first day of her pro career, she shot a fine 3 under par 69 that left her tied for 8th, just two shots out of the lead. Alas, the good times were not to last: she shot a 74 in round two and a 77 on the third day to plunge to 40th place.

Another player gathering more than a little interest in the field was Kimberly Kim. Kim had made a huge splash in 2006 when, as a fourteen year old, she became the youngest player in history to win the US Women's Amateur. The LPGA created a new rule that many are calling the Kimberly Kim rule, which states that a player who has won a top amateur event can be exempted into any LPGA event happening in her home state without costing the sponsor a sponsor's exemption. Indeed, that player will just be added to the field as an extra player, without impacting a pro (normally if a player is added to the field, another LPGA spot in the field must be removed). Coincidentally, there are two LPGA events taking place in Hawaii, the home state of Kim, and she was exempted into both fields. It's especially interesting considering that Kim no longer lives in Hawaii, having moved to Arizona last year to facilitate getting to top amateur events to compete. (Will that give her free entrée into LPGA events that take place in Arizona? We'll see when the Safeway International takes place in March in Phoenix!). The LPGA seemingly still considers her a Hawaiian girl at heart, and so she played in both the SBS Open and the Fields Open the following week. She even got a chance to meet Tadd Fujikawa (shown with Kim above), the tiny Hawaiian teenage dynamo who had done well in a PGA event earlier in the year. But though she enjoyed the experience, Kim, in her first LPGA events, missed both cuts.

There were many other Korean storylines to follow at the SBS. One was that of Se Ri Pak, the uberstar of the Seoul Sisters, who would officially qualify at last for the Hall of Fame upon playing in her tenth event of 2007. 2006 had been a comeback year for her, but it had not been quite at the level of Pak at her early 2000s heights. Could she make 2007 a return to that form? Pak has told the press that she fully intends to get back to her top level and wants once again to challege to be number one in the world. But round one of the SBS was not the start she was looking for. She struggled to a 3 over par 75 which included two double bogies. She had the occasional great shot, but also a lot of sloppy mistakes that cost her big time. She would have her work cut out for her to even make the cut.

Some other top Korean stars had more success. Jeong Jang should have been quite comfortable in the windy conditions, being perhaps the strongest wind player among the Koreans. But she shot a one over par on the first day and never contended. Mi Hyun Kim did quite a bit better: her two under par 70 put her firmly in the hunt for the title. And Hee-Won Han, 4 months pregnant, shot a 69 to finish the day tied for 8th. Han was only going to have a few tournaments to compete before she took a lengthy sabbatical to have her first child. Her plan was to play through the Nabisco at the end of March, then take time off until October, where presumably she would return to defend her title at the Honda Thailand tournament. She would not be on hand to defend her title in Corning, though doubtless the sponsors will understand. Whether she intends to go back to Korea to have the baby, or will stay in the States to support her husband, who is currently pitching in the Orioles minor league system, in unknown at this time.

Other players who put together good first rounds were Sung Ah Yim, who shot a 4 under par 68 and was the top Korean on day one; Jee Young Lee, who used her power to shoot a 70; and Seon Hwa Lee, who also shot a 70.

Another interesting storyline this week was the return of several players who had struggled with injuries in 2006. Sae-Hee Son had been missing in action the entire second half of the year, but made her return to action at the SBS. Although she didn't break par once during the week, she still managed a tie for 40th, a decent tournament considering it was her first one in months. Na Ri Kim had also been sidelined the second half of 2006, but returned to action at the SBS. She had a great week, shooting a 71 in round one and winding up finishing in a tie for 17th, her best ever LPGA finish. Jimin Kang had suffered a broken foot in the middle of last season, although she did have a chance to return to action before the year was out. She played great as well. She finished the week at 2 under, good for a tie for 10th, her first top ten in nearly a year.