It’s hard to tell you’re making history when you’re making it. Se Ri Pak had no idea what effect her shot from the water at the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open would have on her country, on Asia and on the trajectory of women’s golf when she took off her shoes and socks and waded into the water hazard left of the 18th fairway at Blackwolf Run. She couldn’t have guessed she’d inspire a generation. But she did.
Pak was in an 18-hole Monday playoff with amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn as she looked to capture her second major title of the 1998 season when she hit her drive left on the final hole. The 20-year-old didn’t think too much of it, assuming that it wouldn’t fly far enough to find the penalty area, but when she walked up the left side of the fairway, Pak saw her ball sitting a foot from the water, fortuitously sitting up just enough where she could get a club on it.
“That’s all I thought. Is this how it’s ending? Is this really how it’s ending?” recalled Pak. “But strangely enough, the ball seemed particularly more white that day. At first, I was worried because the ball wasn’t where I thought it’d be. Second, I didn’t see the ball, so I assumed it went in the water.
“But when I saw that white ball, I thought I still had a chance.”
Pak and Chuasiriporn were tied through the first 17 holes of the playoff and a win on 18 for either player would give them the Harton S. Semple trophy. Pak had to find a way out of the pickle she was in. And the only way out was to go right in.
“When I first saw the ball, I didn’t think of taking a drop,” Pak said. “I was looking from the top and saw it in the middle to check again. Even then, I didn’t think of taking a drop. I just thought to try. I thought to myself this is an opportunity for me, so I had to give it a try. So I checked again in the middle and took my shoes and socks off and went in. Then I knew I wanted to hit, I knew it was more likely to fail than succeed. But I still wanted to try it.”
We all know what happened next. What looked like disaster turned into miracle. Pak peeled off her socks and shoes, baring gleaming white feet that were a testament to all the hours spent in the sun working on her game. She stepped in and eyed her shot for a bit, figuring out how best to swing with the ball way above her feet. Pak then choked down and swung hard, popping the ball up and out of the hazard, keeping her chances alive.
“After I hit that shot, I didn’t know where the ball went. But the feeling in my hand was a feel that I’ve never felt in my life,” she said. “That was my best shot. My life shot. I didn’t know what kind of shot it was or how it went, but the feeling in my hands were so good and what I heard was an applause. I knew there was still a chance for me.”
Pak made bogey, and when Chuasiriporn missed her putt for par, the pair needed two extra holes to decide who would be the champion. They both parred the first hole and Pak drained a birdie putt on the second, surviving a 20-hole playoff to become the first player from the Republic of Korea to win the U.S. Women’s Open. But while some may forget the closing birdie, “The Shot” became lore and was something that fans would always remember. Pak won her second major at a time when the Republic of Korea was going through a financial crisis, and while she was just striving to win a golf tournament, “The Shot” gave people hope, golf fans and otherwise.
“I think first and foremost, it was a dream I wanted to achieve going on this Tour, so ‘I did it’ was my first thought,” Pak said. “One of my goals was to win a major, and I really wanted to win the U.S. Women’s Open once at one point in my career. Don’t know why but I wanted it really bad. When the birdie dropped, I’ve achieved my dream. It was a reward for all my hard work. I couldn’t describe it.
“After I won the U.S. Open, we still had tournaments the following week. It’s not like right now with internet advanced that I could check what was going on and being said in Korea. But how I knew was when I went to each tournament, I learned through the Koreans living abroad. They would always thank me when they saw me, and at first, I didn’t know what that meant. But hearing what they said and their situations, I realized what their thank yous meant.”
Pak’s performance on that Monday also inspired many to take up the game in Korea, particularly young girls who would become known as “Se Ri Kids.” Former Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 and U.S. Women’s Open winner So Yeon Ryu distinctly remembers what Pak’s shot from the water meant to her country and how much it inspired her to put her all into the game.
“When Se Ri won the U.S. Women’s Open, Korea was going through (International Monetary Fund Agreement), so lot of people were going through tough times,” remembered Ryu. “It was such a big issue when she won on a world stage. Back then, there weren’t that many TV channels, so when you turn on the TV early morning or keep it on until late at night, the national anthem would play like a music video. Toward the end, Se Ri’s shot in the hazard with her socks off would come out.
“That situation was similar to what Korea was facing at the time. If you think about it, Se Ri going into the water hazard itself was a hardship on its own and she overcame it taking an unexpected route. Her signature shot gave hope to lot of people.”
Another U.S. Women’s Open champion and “Se Ri Kid” In Gee Chun felt like the shot showed what it meant to be from the Republic of Korea, a real-life demonstration of the tenacity and resilience that her culture emanates. “She showed the toughness and grit of the Korean people,” Chun said. “After her, so many Se Ri Kids performed well. I think she left a lasting impression that Korea cannot be ignored in golf.”
Twenty-five years on, Koreans make up some of the LPGA Tour’s top talent. Seven players from the Republic of Korea have won major championships since 2019. Jin Young Ko just beat Lorena Ochoa’s record for most weeks spent at Rolex Rankings No. 1 and she has won twice already this season. Alongside Ko, five other players of Korean heritage have been ranked as the best player in the world since 2006 and 47 others have become LPGA Tour winners.
All of that can be accredited to Pak and the risk she took on that Monday in 1998, when her shot from the water inspired a country and ignited a flame that has burned brightly for the last 25 years, one that we hope continues to do so for 25 more.
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