US WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPION INBEE PARK WILL BE BIDDING FOR GRAND SLAM AT ST ANDREWS
Inbee Park duly won the United States Women's Open Championship today. The 24-year-old South Korean is the 15th multiple US Women's Open title winner, having previously been champion at Interlachen in Edina, Minnesota in 2008.
She is also the first player of the modern era to capture three straight major titles to begin a season.
Park had already won the first two majors on this season's lady pro calendar - the Kraft Nabisco and the LPGA Championship.
There are two majors remaining this year, the Ricoh Women's British Open over the Old Course, St Andrews early in August and the Evian Championship in France in September. Four shots ahead overnight, Inbee carded a 74 to finish on eight-under, four clear of compatriot Kim In-Kyung.
The top three finishers were all South Korean-born.
A third South Korean, So Yeon Ryu, was the only other player to finish under par at the challenging Sebonack Golf Club, a links-style course in Southampton, New York State
This is the first year in which there will be five majors on the schedule, after the Evian Championship, won last year by Inbee, was elevated in status.
Babe Zaharias is the only woman to have won the first three majors of the year, in 1950 when there was no fourth major, with Mickey Wright and Pat Bradley the only other women to win three majors in the same year.
"It's scary to think what I'm capable of doing," Inbee said.
Yorkshire's Jodi Ewart Shadoff finished in a tie for fourth while while Catriona Matthew from North Berwick finished joint 15th.
Here is the start of Inbee Park's interview in the Media Centre (you can read the full transcript on www.lpga.com):
CHRISTINA LANCE: I'm very pleased to welcome our 2013 U.S. Women's Open champion, Inbee Park. Inbee, congratulations, tell us what's going through your mind right now.
INBEE PARK: I just hope this is not a dream. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and play the final round again. Yeah, it feels great. It feels great to put my name on this trophy twice. That just means so much. Yeah, in this kind of great championship, I just feel very honoured to put my name on this trophy with some people like who are up here. It's just great.
It was a tough day out there. The golf course was playing tough out there. I tried to stay calm, and I think I did. Yes, it was a very good day and I'm just very glad that I can put my name in history.
Q. Can you talk about what a grand slam would mean to you and your knowledge of the history? Do you know who Pat Bradley is and Babe Zaharias and those type players? Have you studied that through the years?
INBEE PARK: Well, I've just done three majors in a row now. I think it's too early to think about the next one. I think I really want to enjoy the moment as it is in the moment.
I mean, grand slam is very big. I probably wouldn't get this kind of opportunity ever again. I know this year is a good opportunity for me.
But I think one of my goals for ‑‑ one of my goals for my career was the career grand slam, not the grand slam, but I think career grand slam is good enough for me. I mean, I haven't done that yet. It would mean so much if I could do the grand slam. But takes so much hard work, and it takes a lot to do.
I'm just glad that I can give it a try at St. Andrews. That's going to be a great experience. Whether I do it or not, I'm just a very lucky person.
Q. I think I heard you say that if you knew what you were doing, you wouldn't be able to stand out there. Does that mean you weren't paying attention to the leaderboard? Does that mean you weren't thinking at all about winning? What's that mean exactly?
INBEE PARK: Well, today I just thought I was playing with I.K., pretty much. I know the third place was a little bit further back. So I just thought I had to play better than I.K.
I mean, she was playing great golf, especially on the front nine. She really tried to put pressure on me. She holed the putts that were very hard. And, yeah, I had a couple of bogeys on the front nine.
I mean, just if you think about I'm just trying to write history, I'm trying to break some kind of record that hasn't been broken for over 50 years. Yeah, if you think about all of those things on the golf course, you can't concentrate on golf. So, yeah, it's a good thing that I didn't think about it so much.
I looked at the leaderboard, but I pretty much was looking at what I.K. was doing pretty much. Yeah, I mean, I was lucky that I only got to see one player instead of ten players competing. I think I played very good the first three days to put myself in a position like that.
Q. In the past you've said that having your father here would have made you nervous, and sometimes he didn't come. What made you decide to have him here this week, and what did it mean to you to have your father here this week?
INBEE PARK: I think he would have been coming anyway, even if I said he wasn't coming. He was definitely coming this time, and it was planned. He came last week on the weekend, so he saw two weeks in a row that I won. I think it just means a lot that I can show this kind of golf tournament to my parents. Yeah, it just feels great to show them and share the moment like this together.
Q. You mentioned the names on the trophy, what about the name Babe Zaharias who you joined today? How much do you know about her and what she did not only in golf but in all of sports?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean, I think just trying to put my name next to hers means just so much. I would think I would never get there, but it's somewhere that I've never dreamed of, but all of a sudden, I'm there. It's just such an honour to put my name in the history of women's golf.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
280 Inbee Park (S Korea) 67 68 71 74
284 I K Kim (S Korea) 68 69 73 74
287 So Yeon Rhy (S Korea) 73 69 73 72
289 Paula Creamer (USA) 72 73 72 72, Angela Stanford (USA) 73 68 74 74, Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 70 69 74 76
SELECTED SCORE
294 Catriona Matthew (Scotland) 70 75 74 73 (T15)
She is also the first player of the modern era to capture three straight major titles to begin a season.
Park had already won the first two majors on this season's lady pro calendar - the Kraft Nabisco and the LPGA Championship.
There are two majors remaining this year, the Ricoh Women's British Open over the Old Course, St Andrews early in August and the Evian Championship in France in September. Four shots ahead overnight, Inbee carded a 74 to finish on eight-under, four clear of compatriot Kim In-Kyung.
The top three finishers were all South Korean-born.
A third South Korean, So Yeon Ryu, was the only other player to finish under par at the challenging Sebonack Golf Club, a links-style course in Southampton, New York State
This is the first year in which there will be five majors on the schedule, after the Evian Championship, won last year by Inbee, was elevated in status.
Babe Zaharias is the only woman to have won the first three majors of the year, in 1950 when there was no fourth major, with Mickey Wright and Pat Bradley the only other women to win three majors in the same year.
"It's scary to think what I'm capable of doing," Inbee said.
Yorkshire's Jodi Ewart Shadoff finished in a tie for fourth while while Catriona Matthew from North Berwick finished joint 15th.
Here is the start of Inbee Park's interview in the Media Centre (you can read the full transcript on www.lpga.com):
CHRISTINA LANCE: I'm very pleased to welcome our 2013 U.S. Women's Open champion, Inbee Park. Inbee, congratulations, tell us what's going through your mind right now.
INBEE PARK: I just hope this is not a dream. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and play the final round again. Yeah, it feels great. It feels great to put my name on this trophy twice. That just means so much. Yeah, in this kind of great championship, I just feel very honoured to put my name on this trophy with some people like who are up here. It's just great.
It was a tough day out there. The golf course was playing tough out there. I tried to stay calm, and I think I did. Yes, it was a very good day and I'm just very glad that I can put my name in history.
Q. Can you talk about what a grand slam would mean to you and your knowledge of the history? Do you know who Pat Bradley is and Babe Zaharias and those type players? Have you studied that through the years?
INBEE PARK: Well, I've just done three majors in a row now. I think it's too early to think about the next one. I think I really want to enjoy the moment as it is in the moment.
I mean, grand slam is very big. I probably wouldn't get this kind of opportunity ever again. I know this year is a good opportunity for me.
But I think one of my goals for ‑‑ one of my goals for my career was the career grand slam, not the grand slam, but I think career grand slam is good enough for me. I mean, I haven't done that yet. It would mean so much if I could do the grand slam. But takes so much hard work, and it takes a lot to do.
I'm just glad that I can give it a try at St. Andrews. That's going to be a great experience. Whether I do it or not, I'm just a very lucky person.
Q. I think I heard you say that if you knew what you were doing, you wouldn't be able to stand out there. Does that mean you weren't paying attention to the leaderboard? Does that mean you weren't thinking at all about winning? What's that mean exactly?
INBEE PARK: Well, today I just thought I was playing with I.K., pretty much. I know the third place was a little bit further back. So I just thought I had to play better than I.K.
I mean, she was playing great golf, especially on the front nine. She really tried to put pressure on me. She holed the putts that were very hard. And, yeah, I had a couple of bogeys on the front nine.
I mean, just if you think about I'm just trying to write history, I'm trying to break some kind of record that hasn't been broken for over 50 years. Yeah, if you think about all of those things on the golf course, you can't concentrate on golf. So, yeah, it's a good thing that I didn't think about it so much.
I looked at the leaderboard, but I pretty much was looking at what I.K. was doing pretty much. Yeah, I mean, I was lucky that I only got to see one player instead of ten players competing. I think I played very good the first three days to put myself in a position like that.
Q. In the past you've said that having your father here would have made you nervous, and sometimes he didn't come. What made you decide to have him here this week, and what did it mean to you to have your father here this week?
INBEE PARK: I think he would have been coming anyway, even if I said he wasn't coming. He was definitely coming this time, and it was planned. He came last week on the weekend, so he saw two weeks in a row that I won. I think it just means a lot that I can show this kind of golf tournament to my parents. Yeah, it just feels great to show them and share the moment like this together.
Q. You mentioned the names on the trophy, what about the name Babe Zaharias who you joined today? How much do you know about her and what she did not only in golf but in all of sports?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean, I think just trying to put my name next to hers means just so much. I would think I would never get there, but it's somewhere that I've never dreamed of, but all of a sudden, I'm there. It's just such an honour to put my name in the history of women's golf.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
280 Inbee Park (S Korea) 67 68 71 74
284 I K Kim (S Korea) 68 69 73 74
287 So Yeon Rhy (S Korea) 73 69 73 72
289 Paula Creamer (USA) 72 73 72 72, Angela Stanford (USA) 73 68 74 74, Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 70 69 74 76
SELECTED SCORE
294 Catriona Matthew (Scotland) 70 75 74 73 (T15)
Labels: Pro Ladies
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