Lorie Kane finishes T-3rd at Nine Bridges Classic

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:17:11

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Oct. 27, 2002 - Players at the inaugural Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic got more than they bargained for on the resort island of Jeju off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. After round one, temperatures plummeted into the low 40s and wind gusts battered the island, leaving only one woman standing: Se Ri Pak. The Korean superstar, who needs bodyguards to escort her through the mob of adoring fans after play, shot a course record 65 (-7) in the first round, then hung on for dear life during the next two days to capture the Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic, her 18th LPGA Tour victory and second in a row. Pak's 65-76-72 was enough to defeat Sweden's Carin Koch by six shots. Pak was the only one in the 80-player field to finish under par.

"From my practice time this morning, I knew it was going to be very difficult today," said Pak, who earned $225,000 for her fifth win of the season. "My practice shots, they were flying 50 yards away from what I expected. And it was very cold as well. But obviously, now that I've won, it was easy!"

Pak took advantage of the relatively benign first-round conditions, carding a 65 to take a four-shot lead over Jackie Gallagher-Smith and Cristie Kerr, a lead that would prove vital as the weather worsened over night. Players were greeted by rain, 40-degree temperatures and winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour on Saturday morning. Pak struggled in round two, but not nearly as much as the rest of the field. On a day in which the average score was 79.63, Pak carded a 76 (+4) for a 141 (-3) total, leading Grace Park by three shots. Park, who shot 71, was the only player on Saturday to card an under-par round. She said it felt like a 64.

The sun made an appearance on Sunday, but conditions did not improve. Pak matched a bogey on the second hole with a birdie on number nine to make the turn at three-under-par, and no one could make a charge at her in the miserable conditions. Pak continued her steady play, distancing herself from the rest of the field with two birdies against two bogeys on the back nine. Her final-round 72 was the best score of the day.

"There was a lot of pressure-there is always a lot of pressure coming back to Korea to play golf," said Pak. "And because it's an official LPGA tournament, it was different than other times I've played events here. But I think I controlled myself well; I kind of just freed my mind, and it feels really great to win this tournament for Korea."

Koch, who is three months pregnant, finished with a four-foot birdie on the 18th hole to take sole possession of second place. Her final-round 73 came via four bogeys, five birdies and a double-bogey on the 11th hole. Koch also finished second to Pak two weeks ago at the Mobile LPGA Tournament of Champions Presented by Ultimate Software. "On the first tee today, I could only have dreamed of shooting one over par," said Koch, who earned $139,638 for her runner-up finish. "This is definitely one of the toughest days of golf I've ever played, just because it is so very cold. It was just impossible to stay warm out there. Even on the last few holes, I was so cold my hands were shaking when I was trying to line up my putts. That's something you don't deal with very often."

Scotland's Mhairi McKay rolled in a birdie on the 18th hole to finish at 220 (+4) and in a tie for third place with Canada's Lorie Kane (70-75-76).

Annika Sorenstam's hopes of tying Mickey Wright's 13-win record unfortunately blew away with the Jeju Island winds. Sorenstam finished at 222 (+6) and in a tie for fifth place with Danielle Ammaccapane, the top U.S. finisher. With nine victories this season, Sorenstam needed to win the Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic as well as the next three official LPGA events to tie Wright's record, which has stood since 1963.

Sorenstam will defend her titles the next two weeks at the CISCO World Ladies Match Play Championship and Mizuno Classic, both in Japan.