Article published May 20, 2008
Pak has chance for historic sixth win in Farr Classic
By DAVE HACKENBERG
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
Se Ri Pak said fellow pro golfer Annika Sorenstam's recent retirement announcement "surprised me, too," but the Korean legend and five-time winner of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic admitted yesterday she has given the topic some thought.
"I'm not really saying how many more years I'm going to play, but I'm not going to play forever," the 30-year-old Pak said during the annual Farr Classic media day at Highland Meadows Golf Club. "I'm planning. I'd like for the timing to be right, as it was for Annika, to be going out on top or close to the top.
"Hopefully, I'll play a couple more years and I'll play well. Then I'll start seriously thinking about retirement."
Pak, already in the LPGA and World Golf halls of fame, was at or near the top from 1998, her rookie year on tour, through 2003. She won 21 tournaments, including four major championships, during that time time.
She has won just three times in the last four-plus years, but one of those titles was a major and one, of course, was the 2007 Farr Classic.
It is in this local event - the 2008 edition is scheduled for July 10-13 at the Meadows - that Pak can make some history.No LPGA player has ever won the same tournament six times. Pak tied the record of five last summer, joining the great Mickey Wright (Sea Island Open) and Sorenstam, who has done it twice (Samsung World Championship and Mizuno Classic).
"You look at so many players over so many years and only three have won a tournament five times," Pak said. "It's not easy to make something like that happen.
"But I still have some years to go, so I can make some history here, maybe, before I retire."
Farr Classic director Judd Silverman told Pak that he doubted "there is anyone in this room who'd bet against you."
Pak, as an LPGA rookie, set scoring records while winning the Farr with a 23-under par total in 1998. She repeated in a record six-woman playoff in '99. Pak also won at Highland Meadows in 2001, '03 and in '07 after a final-round duel with teen Morgan Pressel.
"It has been unbelievable to watch this young lady grow up before our eyes," Silverman said of Pak.
Contact Blade sports columnist
Dave Hackenberg at:
dhack@theblade.com
or 419-724-6398.
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