Could we be witnessing early signs of the next great dominant force in women’s golf? South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park is delivering on the promise.
Park shot a final-round 64 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Sunday to win the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open by two strokes over Mirim Lee. The victory lifted this year’s US Women’s Open winner to No.4 on the Rolex Rankings for women’s golf. With a bullet.
The 23-year-old Park, a standout on the Korean LPGA who was playing the event for the first time, overcame a four-shot deficit on the final day to finish with a four-day total of 13-under-par 271. Park’s 64 was the second-lowest round of the week behind Canadian Brooke Henderson, who shot 63 in front of her home crowd to set a new course record.
Though Park played in several LPGA events in 2016, this is her first official season on the tour. She’s played in 17 events, and has made the cut in each one. The win at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open marks her second of the season after the Women’s Open at Trump National Bedminster.
“I think it was a perfect game today,” Park said after her round. “Everything was – there were no mistakes today, and I think it was perfect.”
After all of the energy expended by the top American and European players at the Solheim Cup last week, it’s not entirely surprising the winner was a player coming off a rest week. Cristie Kerr, however, was able to keep the momentum up after a dominant performance in the Solheim Cup. She and Marina Alex were the top Americans, finishing as part of a five-way tie for third.
