WALK IN THE PARK
World No. 1 rolls to third straight Women’s PGA win
The name and location of the tournament may have changed but not its champion. The inaugural Women’s PGA Championship played at Westchester Country Club this weekend replaced the longstanding LPGA Championship. But when the trophy was raised after Sunday’s final round, Inbee Park of South Korea did the lifting for the third straight year.
Playing almost flawless golf from tee to green, Park cruised to a 5under par 68 to finish five shots clear of Sei Young Kim of South Korea, who closed with a 71 to settle for 14under. Park made the last of her 22 birdies at the 18th hole to complete a 72hole score of 19underpar. She recorded no bogeys over her final 56 holes in capturing her sixth major championship and returning to the No. 1 ranking in women’s golf.
“It’s amazing to win three times in a row and putting my name among the legends of golf,” Park said. “I’m extremely honored. It’s a great accomplishment in my career.”
Kim, a 22yearold Tour rookie, had captured her two wins this season at Park’s expense. She beat Park in the final grouping of a tournament in the Bahamas in February and then won a playoff against Park, 26, at the Lotte Championship in April. But Park easily won this battle.
Kim lost her chance to win her first major at the par5 ninth hole. She was 15under at the time and trailed Park, her playing partner, by one stroke after a birdie at the eighth. But Kim fourputted the ninth green, the last three coming from about 3 feet. The doublebogey dropped her four strokes behind Park, who had made a 6footer for birdie on the hole.
“Everything fell apart,” Kim said of the ninth hole through an interpreter.
From there it was game of catch me if you can and Kim couldn’t. A birdie at the par5 12th hole got Kim to within three strokes. But an errant drive led to a bogey at the 13th where Park made par to reclaim a fourshot lead with five holes to play. Park made par on every hole on the back except the 18th.
“I tried to get close to her,” Kim said, “But I didn’t have my Agame today.”
There had been plenty of chatter heading into the tournament about the LPGA’s big three. But 18yearold Lydia Ko of New Zealand, the previous No. 1ranked player in the world, missed the cut, while Stacy Lewis, No. 3, hung around the leaderboard, but finished a distant 6under.
Park, who battled a neck injury early in the week, remains the best player in the women’s game. She won the 2013 LPGA Championship at the Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N. Y., and the 2014 LPGA Championship at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford. After 60 years, the LPGA partnered with the PGA America for the first Women’s PGA.
“My putting really improved after the first round,” Park said. “I didn’t make many mistakes ball striking or putting after that.”
It might have been good for American pride and American television ratings if Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer or Lewis were in the mix. A caveat of this tournament was its weekend broadcast on NBC, making it just one of two LPGA events to be televised on a major network.
Westchester Country Club proved not to be the lion it was advertised. The West Course didn’t have enough teeth for those playing well. Lexi Thompson, shot a 7under 66 on Sunday, to vault to 12under. Eleven players finished 8under par or better. But no one played Westchester better than Park, who won $ 525,000.