LDN - Sports

Park jumps to top of LPGA Tour in rookie season

[August 30, 2017] By Steve Habel, The Sports Xchange

If you're somewhat surprised that South Korea's Sung Hyun Park is the hottest golfer on the LPGA Tour, well, then you might not understand just how good the 23-year-old rookie has been playing for the past two years.

On Sunday, Park added the Canadian Pacific Women's Open title to her U.S. Women's Open crown she won earlier this season. She has become a force on the LPGA Tour, just like she was on the Korean LPGA Tour in 2016.

Last year, Park won seven times on the KLPGA Tour and set the single-season earnings record with $1.15 million. She has 10 career titles on the KLPGA.

Park played in a select few events on the LPGA Tour last year, finished tied for third at the U.S. Women's Open at CordeValle in California, and made enough money to earn full-time status for 2017.

Including her two victories, Park has had seven top-10s in 17 starts this year. She has never missed a cut.

Park started the final day of the Canadian Pacific Women's Open four shots off the pace and in a tie for 12th, but played a bogey-free final round with seven birdies -- including back-to-back birdies on the Nos. 8 and 9 holes -- on the way to a 7-under-par 64. She had already sewn up the championship at 13-under 271 by the time the final groups were on the 18th fairway.

"I feel a little nervous when I play in the last group, but I was not today," Park said through a translator. "Today I was in an earlier group when I started, so I felt a little more comfortable when I played this round."

Park leads the LPGA money list with $1.878 million in earnings, just ahead of countrywoman So Yeon Ryu ($1.769 million) and a distance in front of third-place Lexi Thompson ($1.337 million). She's holds a commanding lead in the Rookie of the Year standings and, at 69.00 strokes per round, is second to Thompson (68.98) in scoring average.

Park is third, behind Ryu and Thompson in the Race to the CME Globe standings that will help determine the LPGA's player of the year. She is the third multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this year, joining two other South Koreans: In Kyung Kim (three wins) and Ryu (two).

With Park's victory, South Koreans have won five consecutive LPGA events, a streak that began with Park's U.S. Women's Open win. Overall, South Koreans have combined for 13 wins in 23 LPGA tournaments this year.

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The record for the most wins by South Korean players in an LPGA season is 15 from 2015, when there were 31 tournaments. There are 34 tournaments this year.

Park plays with aggressiveness and credits her success in her first year on the LPGA Tour to a belief that there are few expectations on her.

"Her nickname on tour is 'Tiger Woods,'" said her caddie, David Jones, who took over Park's bag in May. "That kind of says it all. Her biggest strength is that she picks up things so quickly. She's just a naturally good athlete, and when she makes a change, she grasps it very, very fast.

"On the surface she's very shy, but at the core she's very strong-minded. She's not scared to make a decision. She has a backbone."

Park has credited Jones for helping her stay loose and calming her nerves during their six weeks as a team.

"My confidence made me do well this year," Park said. "Because I am a rookie, I don't really worry about every shot. I just did every shot with confidence. Earlier in the season I was frustrated that I wasn't playing the kind of golf I was capable of playing but David helped bring out the aggressive side in me. Now I am really comfortable."

Park is not in the field for this week's Cambia Portland Open, preferring to take some time off back in Orlando, her North American home, to hang out with her dog and to head to a certain famous theme park.

"I've never been to Disney World and I think I've got to go this time," Park said. "And it's been a while since I've seen my dog, so I'm planning to play with my dog during my vacation."

There's no doubt Park has earned a little R&R.

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