Pak Se-Ri, `Million Dollar Golfer`

Pak (24, Samsung Electonics) became the `million dollar golfer` in four years since she made a debut in the US LPGA.

Pak missed her fourth title of this season in the final round of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic Sunday at the Squaw Creek Country Club (par 72) in Vienna, Ohio. But she added the prize money of $67,932 for the outright third place winner (11-under-par 205), which marked the total prize money of $1,026,924.

As Pak earned the prize over $1 million, she formed `the troika of US LPGA` with Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) and Karrie Webb (Austria).

It is only four golfers including Pak who have broken through the total prize money of $1 million in a season of the US LPGA.

The first golfer is Karrie Webb who earned $1,002,000 in 1996. Like Pak Se-Ri, Sorenstam broke through $1 million in 1997, in the fourth year after her debut in the US LPGA. Both Webb and Sorenstam passed over $1 million a season four times in total. The third golfer is Meg Mallon (USA) who succeeded to earn over $1 million last year in her fourteen years after LPGA debut.

Pak Se-Ri made a good start, grabbing a birdie in the first in the final round, and finished the front nine recording 2-under-par with three birdies and one bogey. Since Pak has not made a bogey in the back nine for last two rounds, if she maintained her pace, she could have won her fourth title of this season easily.

However, Pak tumbled down in the 11th hole (par 4, 346 yard) in which she consecutively captured a birdie in last two rounds. The driver shot fell to the left woods so that she received one shot penalty. Even her third shot went to the bunker, and finally she made a double bogey with 4-on and 2-putts.

Stressed by the misfortune in the 11th, Pak missed 2m birdie putt in the 12th (par 3), and blew out the eagle chance of 5 m from the hole cup recording just a par with three putts in the 13th (par 5).

In the midst of Pak`s unexpected slump, the Filipina American Dorothy Delasin (20) successfully defended the title recording 13-under-par 203 in total with the final round 7-under-par 65, which is her lowest score in 18 holes.

Meanwhile, Kim Mi-Hyun chased the leader group with the five consecutive birdies from 12th hole, she had to be satisfied with her ninth top-10 in this season, ranking in the outright 8th place (8-under-par 208).

Ahn Young-Sik ysahn@donga.com