Park Ji-euns Dream Eagle
One hundred twenty yards left to run.
Park Ji-eun (Nike Golf)s 8-iron shot penetrates the air. A little while later, the ball disappeared from the green like magic with a sharp sound. Eagle. The gallery was overwhelmed by the fantastic shot and exclaimed Wow in unison.
Park Ji-eun answered the cheers of the gallery by lifting her right hand after confirming her eagle. A little while after, she pointed out that the cup hole had sunk while she was trying to take out the ball on the green. It was due to the marvelous shot which hit the flagpole and landed right into the hole.
The first round of the second MBC X-CANVAS Womens Open with prize money of two million won at stake was held at the 88CC West Course (par 72) on May 14. Fine weather and crowds of gallery numbering more than 1,000 people opened the tournament with great flair. Nabisco Championship winner Park Ji-eun placed second to the winner after shooting a fantastic eagle at the 12th hole (par four) with a 3-under par and 69 strokes.
It was regretful that she was one of the two co-leaders until the 17th hole but fell to second place after committing a bogey on the last 18th hole. She said, I only made 30 putts. It was not enough. I think the green is a bit slow.
Pak Se-ri (CJ) who talked to his father, Park Jun-chul, about her pain in the eye because of jetlag and tiredness, placed fifth with a 2-under par and 70 strokes. I heard it rained a lot. I couldnt figure out the conditions of the fairway, said Pak.
Ahn Si-hyun (Kolon Elord), another Korean golf power player abroad, played poorly and placed 17th, finishing the day at even par.
Another highlight of the tournament that day was the great performance by the amateurs. Lee Seo-jae, a 16 year-old Ewha Girls High School student, led the game with a 4-under par and 68 strokes.
Its weird that Im so good every time I play in pro tournaments. Im expecting it so much that Ill be playing with Park Ji-eun in the second round. I may be inferior in terms of drive distances, but Ill make this up by making a good club choice, said Lee. The other amateur, Park Hee-young, a second grader at Hanyoung Foreign Languages School, did well with a 3-under par score.
Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com
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