Golf: Park Inbee wins HSBC Women's Champions

Golf: Park Inbee wins HSBC Women's Champions

On a day that celebrated women internationally, Park Inbee showed world No. 1 Lydia Ko yesterday that the 17-year-old teenager is no longer a girl, but not yet a woman.

While consistency has been the New Zealander's hallmark as she displaced the South Korean at the top of the women's world rankings last month, Park was flawless

over 72 holes in the four-day HSBC Women's Champions at the Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong course. The world No. 2 carded a two-under 70 on International Women's Day to win the tournament with a 15-under 273 total.

Said Park, 26, who tasted victory in this tournament for the first time in eight attempts: "It feels great, I thought Singapore wasn't a place that I could win a tournament, because it has been hard for me every year.

"This week was just incredible. I don't think I can even believe myself that I didn't make any bogeys for 72 holes.

"If I thought about making bogeys, or was afraid of them, I'd probably have made some. But I thought: whatever happens, it's just meant to be.''

"I just tried to focus on my game and not think about so many other things," added Park, who "wasn't that nervous" despite having Ko and world No. 3 Stacy Lewis breathing down her neck yesterday.

"I'd say from tee to green it was probably 10 out of 10 points for me. I don't think anybody else played a better long game than me this week, that's for sure."

Ko, who started the day tied on second place with Lewis on 11 under, shared the lead with Park between the fifth and seventh holes after posting birdies on the fourth, fifth and seventh holes.

But she slipped after a bogey on the eighth.

The error allowed Park, who had birdies on the seventh and 11th holes, to canter to a two-shot victory for the US$210,000 ($290,000) top purse.

Ko said: "On this course it's not that hard to lose shots. There were some lip-outs and so many close ones.

"Inbee finished this tournament with no bogeys and that's pretty impressive. She was playing consistently... and I just hit a couple of loose shots.''

"But I'm pretty pleased with the way I finished," added the world No. 1, who had two birdies and two bogeys in the back nine, and finished second with 275.

Stacy Lewis was two strokes adrift of Ko on 277.

For Park, extra motivation also came from a friendly wager with her father Park Gun Gyu.

She said: "I've always told him that this is such a hard course, and I'll just be happy if I shoot under par.

And he said, 'If you make a birdie, I'll give you $500, but if you bogey, you have to pay me double'.

BET

"I took the bet, thinking maybe even if I made bogey, he was not going to take my money.

"It was so fun, something motivating and something else to concentrate on (other than the tournament itself)."

"I don't think he'll pay me today, he ran out of money since yesterday," she added, laughing.

Winning the tournament while being on the same flight as Ko and Lewis on the final day has also given Park a psychological advantage in her bid to regain her world No. 1 status this year.

Park said: "It's not a pairing I really looked forward to playing in the final round, it's the toughest pairing I'd probably have all year.

"Actually breaking out from that and winning gives me a little bit more motivation... I haven't played so many times with Lydia before, especially in the final round.

"I thought she doesn't make any mistakes, but I definitely saw her making a couple of mistakes today, and thought she is actually human.

"So that gives me a bit of room and I can catch up to her a bit."

A Champion of Champions

There were thunderous cheers yesterday as Park Inbee hit her approach to the 18th green, to about four metres from the pin.

It was a shot that put the stamp on the South Korean's convincing golf triumph at the 2015 HSBC Women's Champions at Sentosa's Serapong course.

But the affable Park's response was unusual.

There was no victory wave. No doffing of cap. Or a high-five with her caddie.

She was emotionless. Expressionless. Never even breaking into a smile.

Maybe because she had seen it all before, that glorious walk to the finishing green.

Her sensational record in a pro career of nine years reads: 13 LPGA titles, one European triumph, four Japanese crowns, another regional win and five Majors.

And for this first HSBC title which drew the world's top 50 players, the world No. 2 had a three-shot cushion as she ambled her way to her ball.

So the high drama of last year - when Paula Creamer sank a 75-foot for an eagle to beat Spaniard Azahara Munoz in the second play-off hole - was a thing of beauty soaked in history.

Flightmates world No. 1 Lydia Ko and world No. 3 Stacy Lewis, a former champion, could offer only token resistance.

On a hot, windy day, a big crowd followed the world's top three players, hoping for some drama as only two shots separated the leader from the twin chasers.

But no. The lady in white, the current best of the Seoul Sisters who played impeccable golf over the previous three days, was simply too good.

Too powerful. Unbeatable. Never letting her grip go.

FLAWLESS ROUND

Holding a two-shot lead going into yesterday's round, she kept Lewis at bay with a flawless round.

And although Lydia, her left thumb strapped, offered some fight on the outward journey and drew level once, Park's consistency saw her through.

A bogey-free display over 92 holes (carried over from the 16th hole of the third round at last week's Thailand Open), underlined that steadiness.

A two-under 70 yesterday was enough to see Park romp to a wire-to-wire victory.

"This week was just incredible. I don't think I can even believe myself that I didn't make any bogeys for 72 holes," was how she summed up her round.

Against that bright backdrop, Lydia - despite the brilliant birdie on the finishing hole - delivered some loose shots and rued a couple of birdie misses.

Lewis had a helter-skelter round, best endorsed on the par-five 12th when she sent her wayward second shot to the palm trees.

The ball nestled on a branch and - thanks to caddie Travis Wilson who retrieved it while standing on a buggy - the American suffered only a one-shot penalty.

What followed was sheer brilliance.

Lewis lofted a chip over the bunker and saw her ball finish about five metres away.

And she sank the difficult downhill putt to save par while Lydia, in contrast, three-putted for a bogey.

Lewis birdied the next par-four hole and the fans longed for a fightback from the 2013 champion.

But no. She floundered again.

Another bogey saw her fall further behind.

And, on the 18th hole, she chunked her approach from 100 metres and the ball spun back into the pond.

In the meantime, precision golf from tee to green saw Park safely manouevring her way to a well-deserved victory. She was truly a champion of champions.

godfrey@sph.com.sg

 


This article was first published on March 9, 2015.
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