Kraft Nabisco Champ Is No Stranger to Murrieta

Part-time Murrieta resident Inbee Park won the $2 million Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the LPGA season, by four strokes over fellow South Korean So Yeon Ryu Sunday.

Park began the round at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage with a three-stroke lead over former USC star Lizette Salas. Park’s lead over Salas grew to six shots after the first hole, which Park birdied and Salas double-bogeyed.

“Well that made my day much easier, that’s for sure,” Park said. “I holed a long one on the first hole and a birdie start is always a good thing. I never really shot over par starting with the birdie, so that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Park was born in South Korea, and the LPGA player’s guide says she resides in Murrieta. While she doesn’t actually own a home here, when she’s in the United States she often stays with one of her coaches who lives in Murrieta, according to Press-Enterprise columnist Jim Alexander.

No one came within four shots of Park until Ryu birdied the 18th hole, completing a bogey-free, seven-under-par 65, the lowest round of the tournament, to finish at 11-under-par 277.

Park also birdied the second hole, bogeyed the fifth, birdied the eighth and ninth, bogeyed the 10th, birdied the 12th and 13th and bogeyed the 17^th for a three-under-par 69 for a four-round total of 15-under-par 273 for her second major championship.

“I never really played conservative all day until the last hole,” said Park, who also won the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open. “The last hole I played conservative because I wanted to finish with a par and that’s what I did.

“All day I really tried to play aggressive and So Yeon, she was playing very good today, and who knows how many birdies she was going to make, so I had to do my best.”

Following the victory, Park took the traditional jump into Poppy’s Pond, joined by her caddie, fiance, who is also her coach, her swing coach, trainer and two friends.

Park filled a water bottle with water from the pond, which she said she plans to pour over her father's head next week in Hawaii, when he comes to see her play in the LPGA’s next tournament, the LPGA LOTTE Championship.

The victory “feels very special,” said Park, who earned $300,000.

“Today and all week I played very good,” Park said.

This was the third consecutive LPGA Tour major championship won by a South Korean and fifth of the past seven.

The victory will move Park two places up in the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings to second behind Stacy Lewis.

Ryu was among three golfers tied for 11th at four-under-par 212, eight shots behind Park, at the start of the round.

“I really wanted to finish strong, so I was just expecting to finish top five,” said Ryu, who received $187,073. “I couldn't expect winning because I know how Inbee is playing really consistently and I know her putting was great.”

Salas shot a seven-over-par 79 to finish in a seven-way tie for 25th at two-under-par 286, 13 strokes behind Park.

“Very disappointed in myself,” said Salas, a 23-year-old from Azusa in her second year on the LPGA Tour who was seeking her first professional victory. “Everyone is going to have those days where they’re just not going to be able to score and bad luck, it was the last day of a major championship for me.

“I have to look at the bright side and learning from Inbee, there’s a reason why she’s No. 4 in the world. It’s just a learning experience for me. I’m really upset, but I just have to look back and say look how far I’ve come from last year to this year.

“There’s a lot of positives. I just have to dig deeper and figure out what happened today.”

-City News Service