INBEE PARK

The Facts

Birthday: July 12, 1988
Rookie Year on LPGA: 2007
Birthplace: South Korea
American Home City: Las Vegas, NV
Best LPGA Finish: T-2nd (2007 Safeway Classic)
Best LPGA Major Finish: T-4th (2007 US Women's Open)
Best Score: 64 (2007 Safeway Classic)
Best Scoring Average for a year: 73.19 (2007)
Best Season Money Total:
$380,263 (2007)
Best Season Money Position:
37th (2007)
Most Top Tens/Season:
2 (2007)

Rookie of the Year finish: 4th

Height: 5' 6"
2008 LPGA Status: Exempt
AKA: In-Bee
How's her English?: Fluent
Road to the LPGA: Finished third on 2006 Futures Tour Money List to earn 2007 exempt card on LPGA

Capsule Bio

In-Bee Park was a top junior golfer who quickly made waves when she moved to America. Her biggest splash came at the 2002 US Girls Championship, where she won medalist honors during the stroke play portion, then proceeded to win the match play as well, the first player to do both since 1997. She went on to win the AJGA US Girls Junior Championship, and finished 2nd in two other events. This won her the 2002 Polo Golf Junior Player of the Year award, the youngest to ever do so.

In 2003, her success continued. She played well defending her title at the US Girl's Championship. She started by winning medalist honors during the stroke play section, then made her way methodically to the finals, where she met Sukjin Lee-Wuesthoff for the championship. Alas, after carving out a five-up lead in just eight holes, she faltered, and Lee-Wuesthoff went on to capture the crown. It was the first all-Korean final in Girl's Championship history.

In 2004, In-Bee did not make it to the finals of the Girl's Championship, although she did, for the third straight year, win medalist honors for the low total during stroke play. She also lost in the third round of the Women's Amateur. However, she also got a chance to play in an LPGA event, the Takefuji Classic, and made the most of it, finishing tied for 8th. Indeed, if a few more breaks had gone her way, she might have had a shot at the win.

In-Bee requested a special exemption to be allowed to join the LPGA before her 17th birthday, but was turned down. Thus, she remained an amateur at the start of the 2006 season; she turned pro after she graduated from high school in May. Meanwhile, Song Hee Kim had petitioned the Futures Tour to be allowed to join, and the tour responded by lowering the minimum age limit to 17 from 18. Thus, In-Bee was able to become a full member of that tour right from the start of her pro career.

In-Bee played well on the Futures Tour. Although she did not win an event, she notched multiple top finishes and wound up in third place on the Futures Tour money list. Thus, she earned her exemption for the 2007 LPGA season.

In 2007, In-Bee started to spell her name Inbee, perhaps to make it easier to remember for fans. Her rookie year on tour was a rough struggle at first. Until June, she missed more cuts than she made, and her best finish was a tie for 45th. But all that changed at the US Women's Open. Perhaps remembering how well she had played USGA events as a junior, she did wonderfully there, eventually finishing tied for 4th, by far her best finish of the year. She played well at the British Open as well, just missing a top ten.

Her best result of her career came a few weeks later in Portland. She started the week all right, but on the final day caught fire, shooting a blistering 8 under par 64 that catapulted her all the way into the top five. By the end of the day, her rally was good enough for a tie for second. She finished the year in the top forty on the money list, securing a two year exempt card on tour and winding up fourth in the Rookie of the Year standings. All in all, it had been a wonderful year for her on tour.

Galleries

2007 Photos
Photos
Seoul Sisters Pix
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