It's a beautiful day for NYC
For those wondering why I didn’t cover the U.S. Women’s Open, please see the explanation at the bottom of the page. Since I wasn’t there–and truly wish I had been–I’ll leave most of the commentary on the tournament to my colleagues who were.
Heading into the final round with a six-shot lead, Na Yeon Choi was lapping the field and seemingly cruising to her first major victory at Blackwolf Run, the same venue where Se Ri Pak won the legendary ’98 U.S. Women’s Open in a playoff, inspiring thousands of girls in her native South Korea (and beyond, in my opinion) to pick up the game and sparking the popularity and rise of the dominance we’re seeing today on the LPGA.
Choi, known for her consistency and fluid swing, not to mention her awesome nickname, pulled her drive into the hazard on the 10th hole and ended up making a triple-bogey, cutting her lead over Amy Yang to just two strokes. She also hit poor tee shots on Nos. 12 and 13 that could have led to more large numbers and cost her the championship, but she had the golfing gods looking after her on this steamy Sunday, along with composure and clutch putting.
Like any tournament winner, NYC had her share of luck and good breaks to help her along the way, which GolfChannel.com’s Randell Mell reports in detail.
Choi will be remembered for the resolute way she bounced back to win this U.S. Women’s Open.
“I think I had pretty good control of my emotions today,” Choi said.
That’s like saying Shakespeare had pretty good command of the English language.
Choi eloquently put on a clinic in how a leader ought to handle adversity when it strikes on the back nine of a championship.
That was as impressive as her nearly flawless 65 was on Saturday.
Choi will also be remembered, literally, for “The Bounce,” or “The Bounces.” She will be remembered for how her tee shot slammed into the rocks on the edge of the water right of the 13th green, how her ball fortuitously bounced once, then a second time, off those rocks before bounding safely just over the back of the green.
One bounce is lucky. Two bounces? That veers into questions of cosmic intent.
Choi improbably made par.
Her heart should have been in her throat watching her ball bound on the water’s edge, but she laughed when she saw where it ended up.
“When I had that happen, I looked at my caddie,” Choi said. “All the winners of a tournament, they had a little bit of luck. So, I thought, maybe today I had luck from that tee shot, and then that’s why I can win today.”
NYC didn’t just win, she dominated. She still won by four shots.
***
The best part of the story is the Se Ri Pak connection. When Choi was 9, she woke up in the middle of the night to watch Pak win this very championship. It inspired her to take up the game. She decided that she wanted to be standing where Pak was and hoisting the same trophy. 14 years later, she made it back to where it all began.
Does anyone not remember the ’98 U.S. Women’s Open? I mean, I even do (which says a lot considering I kept the amount of golf I watched to a minimum since I spent enough time playing the game). Quite vividly, too. We all thought Pak was done and amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn would prevail on the 20th playoff hole. I’ll never forget watching (on TV) Pak taking off her shoes and standing in the murky water to hit that incredible shot. I’m thinking back to the big moments I recall seeing as a kid. The other two were Jean Van de Velde’s epic choke at the ’99 Open and Greg Norman’s meltdown when he lost to Nick Faldo in ’96. But I digress.
Choi’s journey is a heck of a story. One that we can all relate to, regardless of nationality or gender. At least I know I can. Choi represents what makes our country so special and the principles it was founded on. It’s the land of opportunity (which doesn’t always work out for everyone, but that’s life), but that’s something I truly believe in and I’m grateful every day for the system that provided a path for my parents to immigrate and pursue better lives. Choi followed her dreams and practiced tirelessly to reach her goals. She chose and created her own destiny. There’s talent and some luck involved, but sometimes harder you work, the luckier you get.
***
Meanwhile, the dominance of the Asians, particularly the South Koreans, has caused controversy with some going so far as suggesting the LPGA limit the numbers of foreigners that play on the tour (which is appalling). From the time I’ve spent covering tourneys, which isn’t as many as I’d like, I can sense the resentment. Heck, it had already started when I was a junior golfer. I mean, it was in the early stages, but I remember the South Koreans were coming over and beginning to dominate. I think it’s mostly due to the cultural differences and the no-nonsense cutthroat approach and demeanor, particularly the (over)involvement of some of the parents, which isn’t limited to the South Koreans. However, American parents tend to back off once their kids are in their 20s.
Speaking of which, I was impressed to learn that several years ago, NYC had a talk with her parents and told them she needed her independence. She sent them back to South Korea, according to ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel’s excellent, must-read piece:
Was she scared? Of course. She was still learning the two disciplines that were so important in her continuing maturation: golf and English. Being on her own in a different country would be challenging. There would be no mom and dad around to cook for her, help her pack/travel, or be there for her during the hard times.
But this was somebody who used to wrestle other kids in her neighborhood with the motto, “First to cry is the first to lose.” A natural athlete and very much her own person, Choi was ready to captain her ship.
She sailed to the U.S. Women’s Open title Sunday, the first major championship for a thoughtful, intelligent, determined young woman who could very well win several big titles in her career.
“I said, ‘I think I need to be more independent, and I can learn something from independence,’” Choi said of the difficult conversation she had with her parents when she opted to go it alone in the United States. “I said, ‘Please trust me.’ “
Voepel makes a great point here, along with describing NYC’s concerted effort to learn English:
The danger for American audiences is that, unfortunately, they may see the Koreans as a monolith, instead of stopping to listen to or read the personal stories that make each of them unique.
Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam and Australia’s Karrie Webb dominated on the LPGA for years and they weren’t exactly the warmest, most open characters. Yet, that never turned into a point of contention. I understand it’s a numbers thing, but then there’s another factor that feels like the 800-pound elephant in the room. I said in this week’s PGA Tour Confidential: “It’s just that Annika and Karrie looked American, so people felt like they could relate to them better.” Sorry to break it to you, but that’s part of the issue. It’s human nature and it’s not wrong, per se — but it doesn’t mean we have to be closed-minded.
Choi recognized that in 2010. She topped the LPGA money list and was winner of the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average but realized she really wasn’t known by American fans or media. And that mattered to her. She didn’t just want to be a foreign name on the leaderboard in the United States.
“I said to my dad, ‘I might need to really study English,’” Choi said. “He said, ‘Do whatever you want.’ So I said I would find an English tutor and travel with him a whole year.”
After she did a live post-round television interview Saturday, Choi got a text from her tutor complimenting her on how well she spoke.
“That makes me confident to speak English,” Choi said.
She should be — not only is her English very good, she’s also quite eloquent in her second language.
She spoke about how her parents initially wept and were a little angry when she told them she needed to go solo to grow as a golfer and a person. But not long after her “declaration of independence” in 2009, Choi got her first LPGA victory. She had won four times before that on the Korean LPGA tour, but the breakthrough in the United States was confirmation she had made the right decision.
I was impressed with how well she spoke English, especially in a live on-camera interview. I was told last year that she’d been working really hard on her English and it’s paid dividends. I heard her post-round interview on Saturday and correct me if I’m wrong, but she had hardly a hint of an accent and spoke more eloquently than a number of Americans.
And you can’t tell me that you didn’t walk away a fan after reading Voepel’s story.
*****
[*Aside: I've been asked (or attacked) by quite a few people why I wasn't in Kohler, Wisconsin, covering the U.S. Women's Open. In fact, it nearly dominated the comments section of this post. I expected some questions and I was going to explain when I properly congratulated Na Yeon Choi on her impressive victory, which deserved to be praised in a standalone piece. Silly me, I should know better and have gotten in front of this so-called controversy over why I wasn't at the women's major! Trust me, I wanted to be there and felt bad I couldn't swing it.
I'll quickly just say again that I would have loved to have been in Kohler, but it didn't pan out for several reasons. Believe it or not, I have to work within a limited budget (especially toward the end of the year) and I couldn't find a mainstream publication to send me. Driving from NYC to AT&T National and The Greenbrier (which I almost skipped, mostly for the same reasons) was much more economical. How can you help? Well, just keep reading WUP and if you know of companies that would be interested in becoming a sponsor of the site, please send them my way.
I don't discuss every detail of my life and job because, well, they're personal and no one wants to read about my trivial gripes and problems of running an independent website and working as a freelance writer-reporter, all of which is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. People jump to conclusions, which is inevitable and simply human nature, and it is what it is! I'm probably bordering on the line of over-sharing, but I'm finally heeding the advice of my family and close friends (and even strangers!) that I need to take better care of myself. As they say, you don't have anything if you don't have your health...
Thanks for your patience and understanding.]
(Photo by Getty Images/Elsa)
These incredible stories are what makes watching golf interesting (even women’s golf!! LOLLLL). But really, I’m glad I chose to watch this tournament over the Greenbrier, which was a complete joke it seems
Great review and thanks for the heads up to a great article on NYC.
I think that it is a real shame the flak that the Asian women golfers get (those that complain about this don’t seem to make a distinction between the South Koreans and other Asian golfers sometimes). I think that it shows just how much of a difference that a personality can make to the growth and profile of a sport. The 1998 playoff was a great moment, but Se Ri Pak was also so open and beguiling in the way that she connected with the public, both at home in South Korea and abroad.
Even to hear the commentators and their focus on being back at the course this weekend demonstrated the impact that it had not just on South Korean golf, but on women’s golf as a whole.
You mention Karrie and it is an interesting contrast that at one of the events recently (the PGA maybe?) the commentators were discussing the fact that the players were not really respecting Karrie’s contribution to the game. But her manner and personality has really in my view tempered the impact that she did have on the game. While Greg Norman for example caused golf to explode in Australia, there hasn’t been the same impact on women’s golf in Australia, and I don’t know that you would see the same dialogue at the end where an Australian woman paid homage to Karrie in the same way that NYC paid tribute to Se Ri.
I for one did not ask you why you were not IN Kohlher covering the US Women’s Open.
I asked you why, if you chose to write about the US Women’s Open at all, you chose to write a gossipy piece about something on Twitter and two stories about Michelle Wie’s chances at the US Open.
Not being in Kohler didn’t stop you from writing those three stories. You could have just as easily written a story on the actual weekend contenders or on the winner. I wasn’t in Kohler and I could have done that.
Also, yes I get that not all the posts on your blog are written by you, Stephanie. The blog is under your name, however, and presumably you dictate what’s posted here. So the two Wies and a Tweet approach to covering the US Women’s Open was not good enough.
Enough attacking you…. Can you answer this question? I read about journalists often playing golf at the local tournament site before or after a big tournament. Do you all travel with your golf clubs whenever you’re on the road? How does this work?
I trust Conor, a very capable writer and editor, and let him take the reigns. I had some personal matters I had to deal with last week, so I entrusted his editorial judgement.
Some journalists play the tournament site on the Media Day a few months before the actual event. For major championships, specifically the Masters and the U.S. Open, there is a “lottery” you put your name in (if you remember to do so) and I’m not sure on the specific number of spots given, but 20 or so are given the opportunity to play the course the day after.
I take my clubs with me (too) often on the road, but unfortunately, they more often than not stay in the travel bag for several reasons. There are writers who do travel with their clubs all the time and have the opportunity to play local courses in the area if time permits.
That other comment thread seemed unnecessarily harsh. I guess you could take it as a compliment that so many people are eager to read your posts.
As for the Asian domination on the LPGA Tour, obviously the best players should be allowed to compete, especially at majors. That said, it is often difficult to get excited about a different anonymous Korean golfer winning each week. Golf is an individual sport and knowing a player’s personality is important to create a rooting interest. The Greenbrier had the same issue this week. When they don’t give interviews in English, it is an even greater issue. Se Ri Pak and (the Taiwanese) Yani Tseng are recognizable, so I don’t believe it is entirely about race.
I know this has been suggested before, but I believe that a Solheim Cup type event with the Asian golfers would be helpful. The team competitions really bring out the personalities of the golfers. To make it competitive, it would have to be Asia against the rest of the world.
Americans are getting heat for not ‘working hard enough’. I tend to agree.. I see “Branding’ from American Female Golfer including Fashion, Reality TV, Wine and the frivolous list goes on. The Asian players are here playing Golf and trying to make a name through Winning Tournaments.
Side note: Annika Sorrenstam has turned into an OLD HAG..she’s everywhere and I’d wish she’d kinda shut up. Much love for Dottie Pepper!!
A dude NYC is crazy cute with a smile that 10 million dollars…I’ll stop it here!!
They sure are getting ‘the heat’. Even Annika and Dottie said that the Americans do not practice/work hard enough at the game. I think the foreign players, especially the Asians, are just more hungry to succeed.
sorry.. Mac Keyboard is wonky..barely working from kids banging on it.
I enjoyed the Womens Open and NYC’s play especially on Sat. was dominant. If all the South Korean women made the same effort to learn English they would all feel more accepted in this country. As far as you not being in Kohler, that’s your business and anything you wrote about the Open is a bonus whether you;re there or not.
I think if you run through the Asian players who have been most active on the leaderboards the last few years you will find that all of them possess sufficient English skills and have interesting back stories. Many of them are quite pleasant to look at.
1. Yani Tseng
2. Na Yeon Coi
3. Ai Miyazato
4. In Kyong Kim
5. Ji Yai Shin
6. So Yeon Ryu
7. Hee Kyong Seo
Whom from this group do you find lacks sufficient language skills to engage an American audience, particularly when guided by a competent journalist. I think the perception is due more to a lack of effort on the media than lack of effort on the ladies.
Great victory by NYC. Even though luck played a part good for her to keep together after that rough patch.
That whole scene on 10 was ridiculous. How could someone not say where the ball crossed the hazard. It’s a major championship. Golf has to start stepping up on this kind of stuff.
I had Na Yeon in fantasy … last year. Damn.
Nicely put Stephanie about the quiet resentment towards the many Koreans on the LPGA. I’m sure it’s there.
You write “It’s just that Annika and Karrie looked American, so people felt like they could relate to them better.” Sorry to break it to you, but that’s part of the issue. It’s human nature and it’s not wrong, per se — but it doesn’t mean we have to be closed-minded.
I think that’s put just right. It doesn’t help to high-handedly decry the reaction as racist–for honestly, any human group would react comparably in a comparable situation. But it is, among golf fans, a relatively easy reaction to transcend, by making a minimal effort individualize the Koreans, (who can help the process along by improving their English). NYC seems a great model for this far from easy task. Learning hard languages in your twenties is pretty tough.
Boy was she lucky during that final back nine! And nervy, to hit that shot out of the gunk when her caddy was kind of urging her to take a drop.
Excellent post Stephanie – a thoughtful and insightful exploration of the issues.
And I’m sorry you have to explain yourself in that fashion to your readers. Nobody here owns you after all!!
Stephanie Wei: I have enjoyed your blog for a long time. I understand the constraints of having a limited budget. But if you stand back and look at what USWO content you provided, it was second rate at best. I understand that your collegiate golf contact with Wie’s entourage coupled with a very good round of golf would make that a natural choice. But to those on the outside it appeared that when Wie’s game went south, so did your interest in the USWO. When the only other coverage was a social media catfight, your coverage of the USWO jumped the shark. It is disappointing because the expectation for WUP is for something better.
What?! Sports medic, shall we come and watch you do your job and tell you how rubbish we think you are? Do good manners count for nothing anymore? Unbelievable!
Posting two articles about about Rolex #40 (who had one very nice round), then “Sophie Gustafson outed Cristie Kerr for being a b*tch” and calling it an Open does make one fair game for a negative comment about the depth and quality of your site’s USWO coverage. Stephanie has not been shy about voicing a negative opinion so she need not be so sensitive about feedback that is less than 100% positive. I said I’ve enjoyed her blog but this was second rate. Love the sinner, hate the sin. That kind of stuff.
“Sophie Gustafson outed Cristie Kerr for being a b*tch” I don’t think Christie Kerr, Sophie Gustafson or Stephanie Wie come out of that looking any better. To quote your own words “Do good manners count for nothing anymore?”
Spelling correction: Stephanie Wei
Read the byline of the posts, which is located at the top (which I know isn’t visible enough and that will be changed very soon..in the next few days…finally found a programmer)…and at the bottom of the post in BOLD.
However, yes, I can take the negative feedback, bring it on
That’s part of the job. It is just more personalized here since you’re not writing a comment on golf.com or golfchannel.com. I’m pretty sure most other writers don’t read the comments sections. Anyhow, I know I have to take the heat since this is my site with my name on it and I understand that. Other mainstream sites have editors and the company name to shield them from the same issues that I have to deal with. Which is part of the gig. I love what my job and I’m very, very fortunate to have the privilege to cover tournaments and do my best to try and bring you inside the ropes with me. Also, I like to think of this as a place where people can voice their thoughts, but there’s a fine line…
And as I’ve always said, I appreciate constructive criticism.
I always say that I wish there were five of me so I could be five places at once and at every single tournament.
I know Conner was the author of the post but like you said, it’s your name on the site and you gave him the keys to your car. I’m assuming he knows your mind when deciding what to put on your site. A follow-up “Know your Asians” segment would have been better than the CK SG scornfest.
I appreciate that you read the responses from your readers and occasionally respond back. I appreciate the writers that do. And I’ve posted a few attaboys when you’ve written something particularly good. Mostly Harmless does respond and so did Hounddog when his site was active. Ryan Ballangee used to respond comments a lot when he was at Waggleroom. As a result, he use to have a lot of good commenters and discussions on the site. When he left, the site went downhill. He doesn’t do it now at Golf Channel (probably by policy) but I suspect he at least reads them. I suspect Randell Mell doesn’t read them but merely looks at the comment count. I’ll still give my opinion. BTW Ballangee has a nice story today on Keegan Bradley. Although not as good as the Voepel piece on NYC (her Sunday piece on NYC was pretty good too). I was touting it on the GC site.
Anyways, work on your health. You’re a much better writer at full strength. You don’t have to cover something in person to put out good work. And keep plugging others who do good work.
For the record, I did not use my collegiate golf contact with Wie’s entourage. On Tuesday I emailed the VP of PR and Communications (as I always do and requested to interview a high-profile player). Five minutes later, he calls me and tells me MW is finishing her press conference and he’s going to put her on the phone.
Wait, why am I explaining myself again? Haha. OK, i’ll stop now.
I think part of the problem is that it’s different random Koreans. Annika and Keri (in addition to looking the part) also were up there year in and year out.
If a player wins, and then doesn’t win again for two years, you forget about them.
And yes I think a lot of the top Americans are into branding, do the corporate shoots etc. But that also means they stand out more, and develop fan bases and followings. It’s a delicate balance.
3 Non-Golf things I love about NYC:
Growing up, she helped her father operate his Gas/Service station. Talk about humble beginnings. And quite a departure from the environment of parents as Export/Import owners, big company executives, etc that many other Asian players come from.
She was a big Pro Wrestling fan & excelled in Tai Kwan Do as a youth. Now those are Outside Interests!
She is amazingly proud of her country. She stated that her long term goal is to medal for So. Korea in the 2016 Olympics. What a great goal. Note that their Nationalistic Pride is perhaps one reason why so many LPGA fans have not embraced the Asians on the tour. I can’t imagine any American golfer playing the LET or EURO tours would be well-received either, if they talked about America when they had success offshore.
Sports medic, totally third-rate comment.
I’ll take an interview with any of the LPGA Asians using English as a second language over Tiger being an arrogant ass most of the time.
The US Open on both tours in the toughest major to be leading into the final round. The course is always tough and the players have the worst of the conditions generally.
She fortunately had a big enough lead to hold on and complete the victory.