(29 March, 2010 – Carlsbad, California)
rn
Hee Kyung Seo, a sponsor&aposs invite, today won the KIA Classic Presented by J Golf with an emphatic six shot margin over fellow-Korean Inbee Park. Seo grabbed the lead midway through the second round and never let go in posting rounds of 70,67,69 and 70 for a four round total of 276, 12-under par. Park fired a tournament-low final round 7-under par 65 to move into outright second while Jee Young Lee, Jiyai Shin and Candie Kung finished tied for third at 5-under par.
rn
rnSeo started the final day with a five shot cushion and after making a sloppy bogey at the first hole, posted six further birdies to make the course look almost easy. Obviously it wasn’t, considering only 16 players finished under par for the tournament.
rn
rnAt no stage throughout the final day did Seo look like she would be challenged, adding birdies at the 3rd, 4th and 8th holes for an outward nine of 1-under par 35. On the way in, she made her only real blemish for the tournament, putting one in the water on the par-3 16th to make a double bogey. She countered that with birdies at the 13th, 14th and 17th holes for another nine of 1-under and a comfortable walk up the 18th to celebrate her win.
rn
rn
Seo is only the 15th non-Member in LPGA history to win an event, and has now earned the right to take up membership. She has however previously stated that she wants to “break all of Jiyai’s records in Korea” before heading to the LPGA, and in her press conference certainly intimated that she will still play the Korean LPGA Tour in 2010. If last year is anything to go by, she should have a chance of matching Shin’s feats.
rn
rnIn 2009 on the KLPGA, Seo had 5 tournament victories, 3 runner-up finishes and a further 4 Top-10’s from 18 tournaments contested. She led the stroke average (70.51) and the Money List with ₩663,759,286 (approx. AUD$640,000), nearly $75,000 ahead of nearest rival So Yeon Ryu. Australian fans might remember her from the recent major tournaments, where the new ‘darling’ of Korean golf endeared herself to Australian spectators with her stunning good looks, smart dress-sense and exquisite play, finishing 4th at the ANZ Ladies Masters and tied 10th at the Handa Women’s Australian Open.
rn
rnAfter her breakthrough victory on the LPGA, the 23-year-old said, “This is really, really big to me. I think this is turning point of my golf career.” It may get bigger for her as she contests the first Major of the year this week with the staging of the Kraft Nabisco Championship at the Mission Hills Country Club’s Dinah Shore Course in Rancho Mirage, California.
rn
rnOf the ALPG contingent, both Tamie Durdin and Katherine Hull topped the list, finishing in a tie for 31st at 4-over par 292. Durdin, who was looking for a Top-10 to play herself into this week’s field, had done everything right in the opening three days to sit in a tie for 5th at 3-under par. However, a disappointing final round 7-over par 79 saw her slide down the leaderboard. Karrie Webb (T39), Sarah Kemp (T52) and Lindsey Wright (T57) also made the cut.
rn
Story and photos by Paul Melville – ALPG.