Se-Ri`s Homeground, ``Jamie Farr Classic``

Is there a truly well-suited golf course for a golfer?

Pak Se-Ri (24, Samsung Electronics) has been unbeatable at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. She is a two-time champion and a third-place winner in the LPGA Jamie Farr Kroger Classic (total prize of $1 million) which has been held in this golf club.

Moreover, Pak`s victories have been the record-building ones. When she was a rookie in 1998, she captured the championship trophy, breaking the records of the lowest score (23-under-par 261) in 72 holes and the lowest score (10-under-par 61) in 18 holes. At the next tournament, she won the second consecutive victory with a birdie in the first hole of the playoff, competing with 6 playoff runners. But last year, she failed to earn her third consecutive victory by a hairbreadth, failing to reach a playoff, one stroke behind the leader group.

However, there was a bitter experience behind Pak`s brilliant records. She participated in this tournament by a sponsor`s recommendation in 1997 before she made a debut in the LPGA, but she failed to pass the cut-off. But she told that ``even though the record was unsatisfactory, it was a good experience for me, and furthermore, it was a big help``. Thanks to the experience of failure, she could continue the stellar play in the Jamie Farr Classic, adjusting herself to the golf course from the first year of the LPGA

How was she this year? Pak started off the first round to share the 19th place, but she ran up the leader with nine birdies in the bogey-less second round.

Pak held a four-shot lead over Meg Mallon, Kris Tschetter and Heather Bowie (USA) who tied the second place with a 12-under-par 201 after the third round yesterday in which she recorded four birdies and two bogeys.

Eight times she has been the leader going into the final round, and seven times she has walked away the winner. If she wins this tournament, she will earn her third victory of the year, and the 11th victory of her career. And she would be the first golfer to have earned the title three times in the 18-year-old Jamie Farr Classic.

Pak has been flawless with the driver shots, iron shots and putts throughout the round, but she blew a couple of birdie chances due to the misjudgment of distance.

Pak told that ``the golf course was comfortable and helpful to play perfectly. I still have to be aggressive in the fourth round. I can`t say `OK, I have to be safe.` I want to be aggressive, with strong play``. Especially, she mentioned that the course management was easy and comfortable, and she has been very confident because she has felt more familiar with this course than any other courses. Another factors of her fabulous performance were the slow green speed of the Highland Meadows GC similar to the golf courses in Korea and the gallery`s encouragement.

The youngest grand slammer Kerrie Webb (Australia) tied the sixth place with a three round total of 6-under-par 207, and Jang Jung (Zinus) recorded a two-under-par 211 in total to share the 26th place. Kim Mi-Hyun (KTF) shot a one-over-par 214 to share the 53rd place with the defending champion Annika Sorenstam, while Song Aree was at 59th place with a two-over-par 215.

Kim Jong-Seok kjs0123@donga.com