Han Hee-won Wins LPGA Corning Classic

Han Hee-won (27, Fila Korea) raised both her arms in joy. Her thirst for victory had been quenched after a grueling LPGA finish.

She won a hard fought victory over Lee Mee-na (25, KFT) with a 15-under, 273-stroke game record in the LPGA tour’s Corning Classic held on May 29 at Corning Country Club in New York. With her first victory of the season which won her $180,000, Han stepped up to third place in the prize money rankings ($704,208).

Korean golfers have won five out of 12 LPGA tournaments held this season; eight runner-ups this season were also Koreans.

On the 17th hole, Han made a seven meter birdie putt; on the 18th, another birdie, sending the match into a sudden-death playoff. The two players confronted each other in the first and second hole of the extension. Lady luck then smiled at Han. A wayward tee shot ricocheted off trees and made it on the fairway. Han won the game by shooting par in the fourth extension, hole 8, after Lee Mee-na’s second shot flew over the green to give her a bogie putt.

The four wins Han scored until last year all came after the month of June. Affected by her low blood-pressure condition, Han performed poorly in cold weathers. She scored better when it was hot. However, Han went through intense 40-day winter training before the start of the season. This yielded a clear result: in all four recent matches, Han remained above fifth place, and reached the top at yesterday’s tourney.

Han is the only married player among the Korean golfers competing in LPGA tour. Her play has matured greatly after a marriage to a former baseball star Sohn Hyeok. The extroverted husband has been a force that helped Han become more lighthearted, to envy of her fellow golfers. The sweetheart factor seems to be catching on. Many Korean female golfers started accompanying their boy friends to their games. Han’s husband could not join her at the tournament due to his study. Han said her husband was the first person that popped in her mind at her moment of victory. She will be rejoining her love during summer break next week.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com