Grace Park (golfer)
Encyclopedia
Grace Park is a South Korea
n professional golf
er on the LPGA Tour.
, South Korea
. She moved to Hawaii
at the age of 12, and then to Arizona
. She received the 1996 Dial Award
as top female high-school scholar-athlete in the United States. She attended Arizona State University
and graduated from Ewha Womans University
in 2003.
Park had an outstanding amateur career in the United States being Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 1994 and 1996, winning several amateur championships in 1998 including the U.S. Women's Amateur and the Women's Western Amateur
. She tied for eighth as an amateur in the 1999 U.S. Women's Open.
instead of taking exemptions to LPGA 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. She was named Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year.
She won at least one LPGA tournament in each season from 2000 to 2004, including her first major, the 2004 Kraft 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.
The Boston Globe has described Park as "the striking beauty, the tall and proud walk, the dazzling smile" and she has attracted sponsorship from Nike
and Rolex
.
LPGA major
is shown in bold.
^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
WD = withdrew
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er on the LPGA Tour.
Amateur career
Park was born in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. She moved to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
at the age of 12, and then to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. She received the 1996 Dial Award
Dial Award
For the literary award presented by The Dial magazine in the 1920s, see The Dial.The Dial Award was presented annually by the Dial Corporation to the male and female American high-school athlete/scholar of the year.-Awardees:...
as top female high-school scholar-athlete in the United States. She attended Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
and graduated from Ewha Womans University
Ewha Womans University
Ewha Womans University is a private women's university in central Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the city's largest institutions of higher learning and currently the world's largest female educational institute. It is one of the best-known universities in South Korea, and often considered to...
in 2003.
Park had an outstanding amateur career in the United States being Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 1994 and 1996, winning several amateur championships in 1998 including the U.S. Women's Amateur and the Women's Western Amateur
Women's Western Amateur
The Women's Western Amateur is an amateur golf tournament for women. It is organized by the Women's Western Golf Association, which also organized the Women's Western Open from 1930 to 1967. It is one of the oldest women's amateur tournaments in the United States, having been played since 1901...
. She tied for eighth as an amateur in the 1999 U.S. Women's Open.
Professional career
Park turned professional in 1999 and decided to play on the Futures TourFUTURES Tour
The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour...
instead of taking exemptions to LPGA 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. She was named Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year.
She won at least one LPGA tournament in each season from 2000 to 2004, including her first major, the 2004 Kraft Nabisco Championship
Kraft Nabisco Championship
The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
. 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.
The Boston Globe has described Park as "the striking beauty, the tall and proud walk, the dazzling smile" and she has attracted sponsorship from Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
.
Futures Tour (5)
- 1999 (5) Betty Puskar FUTURES Golf ClassicBetty Puskar Golf ClassicThe Betty Pusker Golf Classic was an annual golf tournament for professional women golfers on the FUTURES Tour, the LPGA's developmental tour. The event was part of the FUTURES Tour's schedule from 1992 through 2007...
, YWCA Briarwood FUTURES Open, SmartSpikes FUTURES Classic, Carolina National FUTURES Classic, Greater Lima FUTURES Open
LPGA Tour (6)
- 20002000 LPGA TourThe 2000 LPGA Tour was the 51st season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from January 13 to November 19. The season consisted of 36 official money events. Karrie Webb won the most tournaments, seven. She also led the money list with earnings of $1,876,853.The U.S...
(1) Kathy Ireland Greens.com LPGA Classic - 20012001 LPGA TourThe 2001 LPGA Tour was the 52nd season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from January 12 to November 18. The season consisted of 38 official money events. Annika Sörenstam won the most tournaments, eight. She also led the money list with earnings of $2,105,868.This was...
(1) The Office DepotThe Office DepotThe Office Depot was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1997 to 2001. It was played at Ibis Golf & Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida from 1997 to 2000 and at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Florida in 2001.-Winners:The Office Depot... - 20022002 LPGA TourThe 2002 LPGA Tour was the 53rd season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from February 28 to November 24. The season consisted of 32 official money events. Annika Sörenstam won the most tournaments, 11. She also led the money list with earnings of $2,863,904.The season...
(1) Cisco World Ladies Match Play ChampionshipCisco World Ladies Match Play ChampionshipThe Cisco World Ladies Match Play Championship was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour and LPGA of Japan Tour in 2001 and 2002. It was played in Narita, Japan. It was played at the Sohsei Country Club in 2001 and at the Narita Golf Club in 2002. The field each year was 32 players, 16 from each tour.... - 20032003 LPGA TourThe 2003 LPGA Tour was the 54th season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from March 13 to November 23. The season consisted of 31 official money events. Annika Sörenstam won the most tournaments, six...
(1) Michelob Light Open at Kingsmill - 20042004 LPGA TourThe 2004 LPGA Tour was a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from around the world which took place from March through December 2004. The tournaments were sanctioned by the United States based Ladies Professional Golf Association . This was the 55th season since the LPGA Tour...
(2) Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipKraft Nabisco ChampionshipThe Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983...
, CJ Nine Bridges Classic
LPGA major
Women's major golf championships
Women's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, but the women's system is younger and has been less stable than the men's. Many professional stroke play events for women are played over three rounds , but the majors are played over four rounds , which is the...
is shown in bold.
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|
| 2004 2004 Kraft Nabisco Championship The 2004 Kraft Nabisco Championship was played at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. This was the 33rd edition of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and the 22nd edition as a major championship. It was played from March 25–28.... |
Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
| 1 stroke |  Aree SongAree Song Aree Song is a Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Her father is South Korean and her mother is Thai. She was born in Bangkok, Thailand... |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1995 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
CUT | CUT | 23 | T39 | DNP |
| LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Women's Open | T63 | CUT | DNP | T8 | T6 |
| du Maurier Classic | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
T28 | T9 | CUT | 1 | 5 | T35 | T69 | CUT | CUT |
| LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
T30 | T15 | 2 | 3 | WD | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Women's Open | T39 | T18 | T10 | T64 | T52 | DNP | CUT | CUT | DNP |
| Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... ^ |
T32 | T53 | T3 | T13 | T8 | DNP | T50 | CUT | DNP |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship Kraft Nabisco Championship The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the four major championships on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1972 by Dinah Shore and has been classified as a major since 1983... |
T10 | CUT |
| LPGA Championship LPGA Championship The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour... |
WD | 77 |
| U.S. Women's Open | DNP | DNP |
| Women's British Open Women's British Open The Women's British Open is a leading event in women's professional golf and the only tournament which is classified as a major championship by both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Since 2007, it has been called the Ricoh Women's British Open, for sponsorship reasons... ^ |
DNP | CUT |
^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
WD = withdrew
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.