Kim lives up to new name with big victory
By Thomas Bonk
Los Angeles Times
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — Now we know why she's called Birdie.
Laura Rauch • Associated Press
There were 63 players who played the 18th hole yesterday, but there was only one birdie all day, and it was made by 23-year-old Birdie Kim, who holed out a 30-yard bunker shot to win the U.S. Women's Open on her first try.
Birdie Kim earned $560,000 for her U.S. Women's Open win after raking in just $79,832 in her two-year professional career.
Kim, who changed her first name from Ju-Yun to Birdie this year because she wanted to stand out from the five other Kims on the LPGA Tour, cleared the lip of the bunker at the treacherous closing hole, landed the ball onto the sloping green and watched it roll in.
It was the greatest bunker shot to win a major since Bob Tway holed a shot from the sand to beat Greg Norman in the 1986 PGA Championship.
It was the shot of a lifetime for Kim, from Cheong-Ju, South Korea. Her career had been perfectly nondescript, right up until the instant the ball dropped into the hole.
Kim's reaction to the moment was uncomplicated.
"After I hit, I didn't see the roll," she said. "I think, maybe it's close. It goes in.
"I think I win the tournament."
To the rest of the field, it was a bye-bye birdie.
Kim said she chose a golf name for her first name but never considered eagle.
"That's a boy's name," she said.
Kim's 1-over 72 provided her with a two-shot victory over 17-year-old amateur Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang, another amateur. Pressel closed with a 75 and Lang a 71.
But the day's most important number is $560,000 for Kim, her winner's share and the best payday of her life by the margin of several banks. She had earned $79,832 in her two-year-career.
It's hard to say what was the most stunning aspect of Kim's victory, because there was no shortage of candidates.
After earning $9,897 last year, Kim lost her tour card, but got it back at qualifying school. Then there is the shot itself. Kim won on a bunker shot, but she was tied for 141st in sand saves this year. Plus, Kim had missed the cut seven times in her 13 other tour events, and in her two-year career, she had 24 missed cuts in 33 tournaments.
While Kim celebrated an unexpected victory, Annika Sorenstam's chances for a Grand Slam flew away with a 77, and 15-year-old Michelle Wie's hopes for becoming the youngest player to win a major went the same way with an 82.
Wie got to see Kim's shot up close because they played in the same group. But that was Wie's highlight. She started with a double bogey at the first, picked up two more doubles and ended tied for 23rd.
Pressel was looking at a possible playoff until Kim's miracle shot. She covered her head with her hands when she heard the cheers for Kim and, slightly rattled, bogeyed the last hole to tie for second with Lang.
Laura Rauch • Associated Press
Then there was the sad spectacle of Lorena Ochoa, who had four birdies on the back nine and would have found herself in an 18-hole playoff today with Kim, but instead sank to a quadruple bogey 8 on the last hole.
Birdie Kim of South Korea, left, hugs Michelle Wie after the final round. Kim and Wie talked in Korean during the final round. "I rooted for her all day," Wie said of Kim.
Ochoa chunked her drive, knocked the ball into the water and tied for sixth.
"It is hard to realize right now," she said. "I just gave it away. I fought so hard for 71 holes, and just the last one, you know, I feel really sad."
As for Sorenstam, the Kraft Nabisco and LPGA Championship winner, saying goodbye to her shot at winning all four majors this year was just one of those things.
"Well, it's just ... I tried, but I am going to leave here and I am going to know in my heart that I gave it (my) all," she said. "It just did not happen."
Any bit of hope Sorenstam thought she might be able to grab ended when she bogeyed the last four holes, but her chances disappeared a lot sooner than that. Altering her conservative game plan for the first time, Sorenstam chose to hit her driver on the first hole. The ball clunked a tree down the right side of the fairway and splashed in a small creek.
She made a bogey, hit another driver into the rough on the second hole and made another bogey. After she bogeyed the ninth hole for the fourth consecutive day, Sorenstam was 9 over par and a goner.
Sorenstam had no choice but to become more aggressive, but it didn't work out too well.
"It totally backfired, let's put it that way," she said.
• • •
| Women's Open at a Glance
Associated Press Champion: Birdie Kim chipped in from the sand on No. 18 to make birdie and finish at 3-over-par 287 for the victory. Trailing: Amateurs Morgan Pressel (75) and Brittany Lang (71) finished two shots back at 289. Shot of the day: Like anyone needs to ask: Kim's tournament-winner from a greenside bunker about 30 yards from the hole. Sorenstam watch: Annika Sorenstam made seven bogeys en route to a round of 77 that left her 12-over par, tied for 23rd. Amateur hour: Michelle Wie shot 82 to fall out of contention early and end up tied with Sorenstam. Key statistic: Kim's chip was just the fourth birdie of the tournament on the 459-yard 18th hole. Noteworthy: Because two amateurs tied for second and can't accept prize money, Lorie Kane and Natalie Gulbis, who finished tied for fourth, got the second- and third-place money, a windfall of $132,697.
Women's Open Leaders Cards At Cherry Hills Country Club Cherry Hills Village, Colo. Yardage: 6,749; Par: 71 Final Round; a—amateur Par out 444 453 434-35 Birdie Kim 544 444 334-35 a-Morgan Pressel 434 564 434-37 a-Brittany Lang 454 554 334-37 Par in 453 443 454-36—71-284 Birdie Kim 543 453 553-37—72-287 a-Morgan Pressel 453 543 455-38—75-289 a-Brittany Lang 352 443 445-34—71-289 |
