Grace Park ``Here We Go!``

``I cannot finish this season like this.``

As Grace Park (22, Ewha Womans University) defeated top-player Karrie Webb by one shot in the Office Depot Championships last January to break `the second-year Jinx` rather early, she started this season with the goal of wins and money titles winner of the U.S. LPGA tour at heart.

However, Grace Park failed to add a win since then struggling with recurrent injuries, and had to be satisfied with only five-time top-10 finishes. And as she ranked a 24th place in the money list (413,670 dollars) far behind expectation, Park had to put off to sign a sponsor contract to next year. If she recorded a good result this season, she could have made a unprecedented big contract.

Park were placed in the high-ranking in rounds under par (21st place, 40/82), birdies (23rd place, 272), and eagles (23rd place, 6), but she has been in trouble with driving accuracy (164th place, 0.617) and sand saves (129th place, 0.356).

Just like last season, Park has played too aggressively to show a steadfast performance.

Grace Park participated in the season-ending Tyco/ADT Championship (purse 1 million dollars) to recover her dignity.

Park hit a 3-under-par 69 first round with 6 birdies and 3 bogeys to share the third place, two shots behind the leader at Trump International Golf Club (par 72), West Palm Beach, Florida, yesterday.

It was her different play style that attracted much attention in this season-ending tournament. Park recorded average driving distance of 255.4 yards in 26 tournaments before this tournament began, but she reduced the distance to average 240 yards for more stable performance in this tournament. Park, whose first round result have usually determined the final result thus far, at least made a good start.

The domestic fans are concentrating their attentions on whether Grace Park will become `a star of stars` defeating the leader Karrie Webb (5-under-par 67) and the second place Annika Sorenstam (4-under-par-68).

Young-Sik Ahn ysahn@donga.com