With grace, Park looks for breakout season

In her two years on the LPGA Tour, Grace Park has put up some reputable numbers — a tournament victory and more than $420,000 in earnings for a top-25 ranking each year.

Grace Park has a new new coach, who has "taught me to trust my own swing. I just needed to step up my game." She begins her third season on the LPGA Tour at the Takefuji Classic at Waikoloa today. Advertiser library photo

In 1998, she was the first player in 60 years to sweep all three women's major amateur championships, including the U.S. Amateur. Patty Berg was the last to do it in 1938.

Park also won the 1999 NCAA title in her junior year at Arizona State before joining the SBC Futures Tour, where she won five of 10 events to gain her LPGA playing card.

Everyone expected Park to be the tour's 2000 rookie of the year, continuing the South Korean streak kept alive by Se Ri Pak and Mi Hyun Kim.

Instead, Park was edged out by Dorothy Delasin despite earning nearly $100,000 more. The award weighs tournament finishes more than the amount of money won. A rib muscle injury, which sidelined Park for five weeks, didn't help either.

There was no "sophomore jinx" for Park last year as she made the cut in 22 of 27 tournaments with six top-10 finishes. Still, no "Amazing Grace."

Well, Park hopes 2002 will be the breakout year. She's got the charisma and style.

She's ready to give it a try with a new golf coach in Peter Kostis, and, more important, with a new mental approach to her game.

"Now that I finished my two years on the tour, I think I learned a lot about myself," said Park, who will play in the LPGA Takefuji Classic beginning today at the Waikoloa Beach Course on the Big Island.

"My main goal this year is to be proud of myself and enjoy myself out there. I was stressing out, spending a lot of time at the golf course and not accomplishing much. I was putting in time over quality," Park said.

It got to a point that there were moments when her mind wandered and her heart wasn't in her game.

"At times, I didn't care if I played well or not," she said. "There was anger and frustration and I was showing it on the golf course. Now, I'm going to just relax and play golf, not put pressure on myself to win."

As for her game, it hasn't gone away. "It's still there. So I think it'll come," said Park, referring to a long-awaited breakthrough year by her fans.

Changing to Kostis had nothing to do with retooling her golf swing — one of power and, yes, grace — that led to 55 national junior, college and amateur titles.

"He has taught me to learn to trust my own swing. I just needed to step up my game. It was time to move on," Park said.

The biggest difference, she feels, is her new mental outlook.

The LPGA's three-month hiatus between seasons has helped, according to Park, who divided her time off in Phoenix and native Seoul.

"Except for a two-day deal (the Hyundai Team Matches) in December, I put my clubs away for a month and a half," Park said. "I finally took some time off for the first time since I left ASU, seeing a lot of friends I haven't seen since my college days."

Late start, more money

So she doesn't mind the late start to the 2002 LPGA season. The ladies have yet to win a dime, while five players have already won a million dollars on the PGA Tour.

"I actually kind of like it. I thought our season was too long anyway," said Park. "It's helped me to take time off and prepare better. Besides, we're playing for bigger purses."

What is disappointing is that there is no second LPGA event in Hawai'i as in previous years when the Hawaiian Ladies Open lost its title sponsor.

"That's definitely a bummer. Me, personally, I would like to have two tournaments with a week off in between as we did before because of friends and relatives in Hawai'i," Park said.

"And, honestly, it has hurt the (Takefuji) tournament here. The field isn't as strong as it should be for a tournament starting the year. It's too expensive to come here for just one event."

She also doesn't mind the change of venue from the Kona Country Club, where it had been held the past two years, to the more wind-prone Waikoloa Resort.

"It's something that happens a lot on the tour," Park said. "The one thing I do miss is the lack of wind in Kona. I heard there was none there (Monday). It was blowing so hard (at Waikoloa), I didn't even bother to practice other than chip and putt because it wasn't worth it. It would have ruined my timing and my swing."

That is an example of the new Grace Park, who turns 23 next Wednesday:

Knowing it's not time needlessly spent on a golf course that counts, but rather quality time.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net