by HAEIN JUNG
And the victories keep piling on for golfing prodigy Inbee Park, who won the Manulife Financial Classic on Sunday, her first LPGA Tour title in more than 11 months.
Park, whose status in the Women’s World Golf Rankings was bumped to second place last week by Stacy Lewis, spoke to CBS sports about the win. “Obviously, with the U.S Open in two weeks, I think it’s a great confidence boost,” she said. “I think it’s great timing.”
KoreAm featured Park in a cover story last October, highlighting the golfer’s rise to success. She first picked up the club at the age of 10 when she saw her father celebrate South Korean Se Ri Pak winning the U.S Women’s Open, a monumental feat. A few years later, at age 18, Park started breaking records, too. She became the youngest player to win the U.S Women’s Open and also the first South Korean in LPGA history to win the Rolex Player of the Year.
But after the record-breaking start, her career hit a lull, and she staggered through a bout of winless streaks for several years. She told KoreAm, “My game was just not ready yet. But over time, I worked on everything very hard, and little by little, it improved, I think, every year.”
She came back in 2012, when she won her second LPGA title at the Evian Masters, and continued to triumph in 2013, becoming the first player to consecutively win three major championships—the Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wegmans LPGA Championship and U.S Women’s Open.
This win will be a great motivator for the golfer, as the tour will resume June 19-22 at the U.S Women’s Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Park will vie for the top spot at the event against Cristie Kerr, who she recently defeated on Sunday, and Stacy Lewis.
Image via Golf Digest
