Notebook: Quarterfinalist Jisoo Park Turns WAPL Into Web Gem

By David Shefter, USGA

Devens, Mass. – All it took was one click and the Internet provided the rest.

Jisoo Park of Korea had never even heard of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, but was told by the instructors at a Beaumont, Calif.-based golf academy that it was an event worth entering.

Nevertheless, Park’s father still needed some convincing.

“We got through sectional qualifying and her dad came into the office one time and asked, ‘Do you think we should cancel the Public Links for the Junior World qualifier,” said Mark Lamb, one of Park’s instructors and her caddie this week at Red Tail Golf Club. “We told him no. The Junior World is nothing to a tournament like this.”

While Park, who just turned 14 on June 7, may have been ambivalent about the enormity of playing for a USGA championship prior to her arrival, she’s quickly discovering how prestigious this event is. On Thursday, she went 19 holes to beat Kristen Hill, then eliminated stroke-play medalist Stephanie Kono later in the afternoon, 1up, to reach the quarterfinals.

Sun Gyoung Park of Vail, Ariz., posted two victories Thursday to reach the WAPL quarterfinals. (John Mummert/USGA)

Park now stands three wins away from becoming the second-youngest champion in WAPL history. Michelle Wie won this title in 2003 at 13.

“She doesn’t know much about this tournament,” said Lamb. “But she knows where she stands in her matches. She feels the pressure, but she handles it great. Yesterday in the first round [against Sara Grantham], she let it slip[at 18] and went par, birdie, birdie to win in 21 holes.”

Born in Daegu, Korea, Park has only been playing the game five years. Inspired by country hero Se Ri Pak, who won the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998, Park’s father discovered the golf academy in Beaumont after playing a tournament at East Valley Golf Club two years ago. Run by 2001 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Henry Liaw, the academy is still in its fledgling stages, but Park decided to give it a trial run for a couple of weeks last December. Things went so well that she committed to come back this summer.

Lamb has worked extensively with her fitness as well as tweaking other parts of her game. Because the Scottish-born Lamb had caddied previously at Muirfield in Scotland, Park’s father felt comfortable inviting him to Massachusetts to be on his daughter’s bag at the WAPL.

“I think it’s awesome for her to be where she is right now,” said Lamb, who like Liaw played his collegiate golf at the University of Arizona, where he graduated in May 2008. “[Beating Kono] is a great achievement. She’s a great player at UCLA.”

Park, who qualified for next month’s U.S. Girls’ Junior prior to the WAPL, almost never made it to match play. She shot an opening-round 80 during stroke-play qualifying, but rallied with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday to get into the draw by three shots. All three of her matches have gone to the 18th hole and beyond. In Friday’s quarterfinals, she faces Cydney Clanton of Concord, N.C.

“I like the competition here,” Park said through a translator, fellow WAPL quarterfinalist Sun Gyoung Park (not related). “Compared to Korea, the tournaments are run better here. I’m enjoying the experience.”

Another Park

Jisoo Park isn’t the only player named Park enjoying success in her first WAPL. Sun Gyoung Park (no relation), who moved from Korea to the U.S. with her family six years ago, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-and-4 win over Kristen Schelling.

“I’m living the dream,” said Park, a 17-year-old senior-to-be at Cienega High in the Tucson, Ariz., suburb of Vail. “I’m enjoying this so much. Whenever I play, I smile. Even when I make a bogey, I just laugh about it. I think if I enjoy the rest of the week, I will have some good results.”

By reaching the quarterfinals, Park already is exempt for next year’s WAPL and two more wins would earn her spots in this year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur. She is scheduled to play her Girls’ Junior sectional qualifier June 30 in Pennsylvania.

She also is using this trip to the East Coast to visit colleges. She already toured Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown are also on the itinerary.

“I have really good grades,” said Park, who speaks English proficiently for being in this country just six years. “In Korea, you tend to focus too much on golf and not enough on studying. I want to go to a college with good academics.”

Park may only be 5-foot-3, but she can carry the ball 250 yards with her driver. Her instructor back home at Del Lago Golf Course is Jeff Kern, the 1977 U.S. Amateur Public Links runner-up.

“I’m hitting the ball well,” she said. “I’m putting well. My caddie, Mike Griffin, is awesome. I’ve never met a better caddie.”

Shot Of Her Life

Joanna Coe knew she needed something special at the par-5 18th hole and the Mays Landing, N.J., resident pulled it off. A perfect drive left the Rollins College junior with only 200 yards to the hole. From there, she flushed her hybrid second shot onto the green to set up a winning birdie and force extra holes against Australian Leanne Bowditch.

“If I’m not going for it there, I don’t belong here,” said Coe, the 2008 NCAA Division II individual champion. “I hit it just perfect.”

At the first playoff hole, Coe used a 3-wood off the tee and knocked a wedge approach to 3 feet for the winning birdie and a spot in the quarterfinals in just her second USGA event.

“This has been an amazing week,” said Coe, who has won five college tournaments in two years at Rollins. “At this point, I’m thrilled with how I’m playing.”

Even though Coe plays at a smaller school, she feels her performance this week has shown she can compete against the best competition. She’ll face UCLA senior Sydnee Michaels in the quarterfinals on Friday. Already, she is fully exempt into next year’s WAPL and two more wins would get her a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

“I’ve always known that I belong here with these girls,” said Coe. “And this week has been awesome so far.”

David Shefter is a USGA Digital Media staff writer. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.