| Grace Park 박지은 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Full name | Grace Park | ||||||
| Born | (1979-03-06)6 March 1979 (age 46)[1] Seoul, South Korea | ||||||
| Height | 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||
| Sporting nationality |  South Korea | ||||||
| Residence | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||
| Career | |||||||
| College | Arizona State University Ewha Womans University | ||||||
| Turned professional | 1999 | ||||||
| Former tours | Futures Tour (joined 1999) LPGA Tour (joined 2000) | ||||||
| Professional wins | 11 | ||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||
| LPGA Tour | 6 | ||||||
| Epson Tour | 5 | ||||||
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 1) | |||||||
| Chevron Championship | Won:2004 | ||||||
| Women's PGA C'ship | 2nd: 2003 | ||||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T6: 2000 | ||||||
| du Maurier Classic | DNP | ||||||
| Women's British Open | T3: 2003 | ||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
| Grace Park | |
| Hangul | 박지은 |
|---|---|
| RR | Bak Jieun |
| MR | Pak Chiŭn |
Grace Park (born 6 March 1979), bornPark Ji-eun (Korean: 박지은), is a South Korean retiredprofessional golfer on theLPGA Tour. She was a member of the LPGA Tour from 2000 until her retirement in 2012 and won six LPGA Tour events, including onemajor championship, during her career.
Park was born Park Ji-eun inSeoul, South Korea. She moved toHawaii at the age of 12, and then toArizona. She received the 1996Dial Award as top female high-school scholar-athlete in the United States. She attendedArizona State University and graduated fromEwha Womans University in 2003. In 2002, she won the Honda Award (now theHonda Sports Award) as the best female collegiate golfer in the nation.[2][3]
Park had an outstanding amateur career in the United States being Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 1994 and 1996,[4] winning several amateur championships in 1998 including theU.S. Women's Amateur and theWomen's Western Amateur. She tied for eighth as an amateur in the 1999U.S. Women's Open.
Park turned professional in 1999 and decided to play on theFutures Tour instead of taking exemptions toLPGA Tour tournaments. She won five of the ten tournaments she entered and became one of the first three golfers to gain automatic LPGA Tour exempt status by finishing top of the money list.[5] She was named Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year.[6]
She won at least one LPGA tournament in each season from 2000 to 2004, including her only major, the 2004Kraft Nabisco Championship. The years 2005 and 2006 were difficult for Park as she suffered from back and neck injuries, and success continued to elude her the following two seasons as well. In April 2009 it was reported that Park had undergone a successful hip surgery, and that she would be off the LPGA tour for several months.[7]
In June 2012, Park announced her retirement from golf.[8]
TheBoston Globe has described Park as "the striking beauty, the tall and proud walk, the dazzling smile" and she has attracted sponsorship fromNike andRolex.
| Legend |
|---|
| LPGA Tour major championships (1) |
| Other LPGA Tour (5) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Jun2000 | Kathy Ireland Greens.com LPGA Classic | 66-68-70-70=274 | −14 | 1 stoke |  Pat HurstJuli Inkster |
| 2 | 28 Jan2001 | The Office Depot | 70-69-70-71=280 | −6 | 1 stroke |  Karrie Webb |
| 3 | 3 Nov2002 | Cisco World Ladies Match Play Championship | 22 holes |  Midori Yoneyama | ||
| 4 | 4 May2003 | Michelob Light Open at Kingsmill | 67-68-69-71=275 | −9 | 1 stroke | Cristie Kerr Lorena Ochoa Karrie Webb |
| 5 | 28 Mar2004 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | 72-69-67-69=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | Aree Song |
| 6 | 31 Oct2004 | CJ Nine Bridges Classic | 66-69-65=200 | −16 | 5 strokes |  Carin KochAnnika Sörenstam |
LPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 | McDonald's LPGA Championship | Annika Sörenstam | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | −11 (72-69-67-69=277) | 1 stroke | Aree Song |
| Tournament | 1995 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | CUT | CUT | 23 | T39 | |
| LPGA Championship | CUT | ||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T63 | CUT | T8 | T6 | |
| du Maurier Classic |
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T28 | T9 | CUT | 1 | 5 | T35 | T69 | CUT | CUT |
| LPGA Championship | T30 | T15 | 2 | 3 | WD | CUT | CUT | ||
| U.S. Women's Open | T39 | T18 | T10 | T64 | T52 | CUT | CUT | ||
| Women's British Open ^ | T32 | T53 | T3 | T13 | T8 | T50 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T10 | CUT | CUT |
| LPGA Championship | WD | 77 | T71 |
| U.S. Women's Open | |||
| Women's British Open ^ | CUT |
^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
Amateur
Professional
