CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo., June 26, 2005 – There was only one birdie on the 18 th hole during the final round of the U.S. Women's Open conducted by the USGA, and it decided the tournament.
Second-year player Birdie Kim was in the right greenside bunker after two shots on the 459-yard, par-4 finishing hole—the longest par 4 in U.S. Women's Open history and the most difficult hole of the week—and then promptly holed her bunker shot for birdie and the win.
Kim, who played as Ju Kim in 2004, finished the tournament at 74-72-69-72=287 (+3) and two shots clear of amateurs Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang to become a Rolex First-Time Winner on the LPGA Tour. It was the highest finishing score since 1998 when Se Ri Pak won in a playoff after finishing regulation at 6-over-par.
To say Kim is a surprise winner is an understatement. She made only three cuts in 20 events in 2004 and her best finish this year was a tie for seventh at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship hosted by Nancy Lopez. She had only one other top-20 finish in her career coming into the week and has made the cut in only seven of 14 events this year.
Not that any of that matters now. Kim is the 10 th international winner of the national championship and with first-place earnings of $560,000 she now owns the largest paycheck in the history of women's golf.
Kim, who was a sectional qualifier, was tied for 141 st in sand saves this year capitalizing on only six of 27 opportunities coming into the week. She knows she has work to do on her sand game, but her shot on 18 is the kind that defines careers and establishes legacies.
“Actually, I am not a real good bunker player,” said Kim, who estimated it would take her more than 50 shots to replicate the one that won her the U.S. Women's Open. “Also I change my sand wedge about two weeks ago. That club is not used yet to me. So I have a lot of misses this week with bunker shot. Finally I make it.”
Kim jumped from 66 th to sixth on the ADT Official Money List and played her way into this week's HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship where she will receive one of the top seeds. She is also the 14 th player and first since Hilary Lunke in 2003 to make the U.S. Women's Open her first-career win.
Pressel, 17, who was playing in her third U.S. Women's Open, began the day tied for the lead with reigning Weetabix Women's British Open champion Karen Stupples and 15-year-old Michelle Wie. She was gallant all day and showed poise and vigor beyond her years. She shot 71-73-70-75=289 (+5) for the tournament and had a view of Kim's shot from the fairway.
“That was unbelievable that she made that shot,” said Pressel, who put her hands to her head in disbelief when Kim's shot rolled in. “I saw her in the bunker (and thought) maybe par will win it. That's a tough hole. She hit a great shot. I was like, I can't believe this is happening to me .”
Pressel had an opportunity to tie Kim and force an 18-hole playoff, but she was short and right of the green after two shots. She tried to chip it in, but her attempt went by the cup. She two-putted for bogey and a tie for second place with 19-year-old Lang.
Lang, who just finished her sophomore year at Duke, teed off an hour before the final group and played her first six holes at 3-over-par to go to 8-over-par for the tournament. She quickly turned things around and got into contention at 4-over-par heading to 18. Her par putt on 18 lipped out, leaving her at 5-over-par for the championship.
“ I was happy with my week so I wasn't disappointed she made that bunker shot or how they finished up,” said Lang, who was playing in her first U.S. Women's Open.
Lang said she was not disappointed, but she was surprised how Kim won the tournament.
“That's a tough hole,” she said. “I was shocked, but that's how things go.”
Lorie Kane, who was the only player to break par in the final round, tied for fourth with Natalie Gulbis.
Annika Sorenstam, who was trying to become the first player to win the modern-day Grand Slam, tied for 23 rd for her worst showing finish since missing the cut at the 2002 Weetabix Women's British Open.
With her win at the U.S. Women's Open conducted by the USGA, Birdie Kim earns the following:
- $560,000
- Five-year exemption on LPGA Tour
- 10-year exemption into the U.S. Women's Open
- Five-year exemption into the Kraft Nabisco Championship
- Five-year exemption into the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by AIG
- Five-year exemption into the Weetabix Women's British Open
- Entrance into the Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions
- Exemption into the 2005 Samsung World Championship
- Exemption into the 2005 Evian Masters
- Rolex watch as a Rolex First-Time Winner
- 60 Rolex Player of the Year points
Players who made the U.S. Women's Open their first-career win
Name /Year /Total LPGA wins to date
Murle Breer /1962 /4
Mary Mills /1963 /9
Sandra Spuzich /1966 /7
Catherine LaCoste (amateur) /1967 /1
Donna Caponi /1969 /24
Jerilyn Britz /1979 /2
Janet Anderson /1982 /1
Kathy Baker (Guadagnino) /1985 /2
Jane Geddes /1986 /11
Laura Davies /1987 /20
Liselotte Neumann /1988 /13
Annika Sorenstam /1995 /62
Hilary Lunke /2003 /1
Birdie Kim /2005 /1
International winners of the U.S. Women's Open
Birdie Kim, South Korea, 2005
Karrie Webb, Australia, 2000 and 2001
Se Ri Pak, South Korea, 1998
Alison Nicholas, England, 1997
Annika Sorenstam, Sweden, 1995 and 1996
Liselotte Neumann, Sweden, 1988
Laura Davies, England, 1987
Jan Stephenson, Australia, 1983
(a) Catherine Lacoste, France, 1967
Fay Crocker, Uruguay, 1955
Amateurs who have either won or finished second in a major championship (1950-present)
Year Tournament Winner Runner-up(s)
2005 U.S. Women's Open Birdie Kim Brittany Lang (a) and Morgan Pressel (a)
2005 McDonald's LPGA Championship Annika Sorenstam Michelle Wie (a)
1998 U.S. Women's Open Se Ri Pak Jenny Chuasiriporn (a)
1967 U.S. Women's Open Catherine Lacoste (a) Susie Maxwell and Beth Stone
1956 U.S. Women's Open Kathy Cornelius Barbara McIntire (a)
1951 Women's Western Open Patty Berg Pat O'Sullivan (a)
1951 Titleholders Championship Pat O'Sullivan (a) Beverly Hanson
1950 U.S. Women's Open Babe Zaharias Betsy Rawls (a)
1950 Titleholders Championship Babe Zaharias Claire Doran (a)
(a) denotes amateur