Inbee Park began the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open with a hole-out for eagle from the fairway on the opening hole. Could such a dream start be the sign of what’s to come?
One could never tell by watching Park, of course. Drop in on the Hall of Famer at any given moment of a round and it’s impossible to tell if she’s setting a course record or missing the cut. She’s never too high. Never too low. A trait her peers have long admired.
Plenty of friends came out to soak Park in bubbly after she clinched her first Australian Open title. Park led by as many as six during a taxing final round. The victory ended a two-year victory drought.
WOMEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Leaderboard
“I have been missing them quite a lot,” said Park of collecting trophies.
A look at the bigger picture shows an outcome that’s classic Inbee. One week after the LPGA announced that its entire Asian swing was canceled due to the coronavirus, Park got down to business. To make the 2020 Olympic team, Park figures she needs to win twice on the LPGA before the end of June. With three opportunities no longer available, the 2016 gold-medal winner put the pedal down and delivered.
“Nothing is really going to change this year,” said Park. “It’s a very important year to make the Korean National Team. It’s not the easiest task, and this win might not do it yet. … so I’ve still got to play really good golf.”
Park, 31, secured her 20th title on the LPGA with a three-stroke victory over American Amy Olson. Park closed with a 74 to finish at 14-under 278, calling the conditions on the back nine at windy Adelaide brutal.
“I made some great par saves out there today,” she said, “and I knew that a lot of people were going to struggle out there today, so I was just trying to take that advantage of that three-shot (lead) I had yesterday, which I did.”
Olson, who finished second at the 2018 Evian, is still searching for her first victory. France’s Perrine Delacour posted a career-best solo third at 10 under.
“I made some adjustments with my putting over the weekend last week and I’m just pleased to have seen that really hold up under pressure,” said Olson. “That was a lot of fun and I’m just looking forward to this year. I think I’ve got some solid fundamentals and good stuff to build on. It’s a good momentum boost.”
Twenty-eight players have reached the 20-win milestone on the LPGA. Park became the second South Korean player to get to 20, joining 25-time winner Se Ri Pak.
While Park has long been one of the greatest putters in golf, she struggled on the greens in recent years. In Australia, it was vintage Inbee.
“That really tells you,” she said, “golf is all about putting.”
This two-week stretch marked the first time that Park had competed in Australia in six years. She typically starts her season later in the year but pushed up the timeline due to her Olympic goals. The Aussie Open was her fourth tournament of the season. She lost in a playoff to Gaby Lopez at the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
The top four South Koreans in the Rolex Rankings will qualify for Tokyo, provided all are ranked inside the top 15. Those who would currently qualify are Jin Young Ko (No. 1), Sung Hyun Park (No. 2), Sei Young Kim (No. 6) and Jeong Eun Lee6 (No. 9).
Inbee entered the Australian Open at 17th in the Rolex Rankings. Earlier in the week she said it’s harder to make the South Korean team than it is to win a medal.
One aspect that made Park’s Down Under triumph especially sweet is that her longtime caddie, Brad Beecher, is a native Australian. Beecher has been on Park’s bag for 14 years.
“He loves Australia,” said Park, “and every time we play in the U.S. he flies back home, even if there’s five days off. So, it’s not a short way to go, but he just loves Australia that much and being able to win in front of him in Australia is just great.”
Because of the canceled events in Thailand, Singapore and China, the LPGA’s next event is March 19-22 at the Founders Cup in Phoenix.
