Pak Se-ri’s effect on South Korean golf was evident at the JTBC Founders Cup on the day the Hall of Famer announced that she is retiring at the end of the season.
“She’s my idol,” leader Lee Mi-hyang said. “I saw her on TV when I was four years old. When I was 15 years old, I played with her in [South] Korea when I was amateur... I will miss her.”
Lee shot a tournament-record 10-under 62 on Thursday after playing her first nine holes in nine-under in perfect conditions at Desert Ridge.
Photo: AFP
The 38-year-old Pak broke the retirement news after an afternoon 69.
She has won 25 LPGA Tour titles and five majors, two of them as a rookie in 1998, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.
“It’s pretty hard to make a decision to be retiring,” Pak said. “I’ll miss all my friends.”
The 22-year-old Lee threatened to shoot the second 59 in LPGA Tour history after opening with an eagle and seven birdies on Wildfire’s Nick Faldo-designed back nine.
Needing to play the Arnold Palmer-designed front nine in four-under to break 60, Lee made only one more birdie — on the par-five fifth — in the afternoon heat.
“I didn’t think the 59,” Lee said. “If I think the 59, maybe I shoot over-par [on the last nine].”
Annika Sorenstam is the only player to shoot 59 in an LPGA Tour event, accomplishing the feat in the second round of the 2001 Standard Register Ping at nearby Moon Valley.
Kim Sei-young and Brittany Lang were tied for second on 63.
Playing in cooler, morning conditions, Kim birdied nine of the first 14 holes, and Lang made nine birdies in a 13-hole stretch.
Italy’s Giulia Sergas had a 64, while Gerina Piller was another stroke back along with Minjee Lee and Swedes Anna Nordqvist, Dani Holmqvist and Pernilla Lindberg. Piller and Nordqvist played alongside Kim, with the group finishing a combined 23-under.
“This is kind of like golfing in a bubble,” Piller said. “It’s perfect weather, great golf course, perfect conditions... You can definitely get in a rhythm out there and just kind of feed off each other.”
Cydney Clanton had a hole-in-one on the 17th in a 68. She won a Kia K900.
“I was sitting there looking at the car, and I was like: ‘If I win the car, I need to change the rims.’ I’m not real keen on those, but that’s a really nice car,” Clanton said.
Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung hit a four-under 68 to be in a share of 24th. She hit seven birdies, but marred her scorecard with a bogey on the third and a double-bogey on the par-three fifth.
Defending champion Hyo Joo-kim had a 69 to join a group in 36th that included Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling. Hyo won the opener in the Bahamas.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko was in a group at 70 that included Jang Ha-na and Stacy Lewis. Jang has won two of the first five events this season. Lewis won the 2013 event and finished second the past two years.
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng hit a 72 for a share of 90th, while Min Lee had a 75 for a share of 128th. Both were projected to miss the cut.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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