5’6”...Started playing golf at the age of 8...Has two siblings: Young Sik and Lisa...Credits her father as the individual most influencing her career...Graduated from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea, in February 2003...Served as a non-voting member of the 2004 LPGA Tour Player Executive Committee...Enjoys shopping and listening to music.
Career
In 2012, played in eight events in the first half of the season and then officially retired from full-time competition. A T33 at the Sybase Match Play Championship was her best finish.
In 2011, finished tied for 13th at the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola; tied for 23rd at the Avnet LPGA Classic.
In 2010, best finish was a tie for 10th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
In 2009, best finish was a tie for 12th at the MasterCard Classic Honoring Alejo Peralta; played only four events due to injury.
In 2008, best finish was a tie for 20th at the Stanford International Pro-Am.
In 2007, best finish was a tie for 11th at the LPGA Corning Classic.
In 2006, best finish was a tie for 13th at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay; limited to 15 events because of recurring neck and back injuries; captained Team Asia to a 12 ½-11 ½ victory over Team International at the Lexus Cup.
In 2005, recorded a season-best finish at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she tied for fifth; crossed the $5 million mark in career earnings at the CJ Nine Bridges Classic, where she tied for sixth.
In 2004, won two tournaments, her fifth and sixth LPGA titles: Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the year; and the CJ Nine Bridges Classic Presented by Sports Today; won her first Vare Trophy; posted a career-low 61 during the third round of the Welch’s/Fry’s Championship, where she tied for second; crossed the $4 million mark in career earnings at the Wachovia LPGA Classic Hosted by Betsy King, where she finished second; won the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge, an unofficial event, with Cristie Kerr and Juli Inkster.
In 2003, won her fourth career title at the Michelob Light Open at Kingsmill; lost a sudden-death playoff to Annika Sorenstam at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by AIG, one of the LPGA’s four majors, and was the runner-up at the Safeway PING Presented by Yoplait; tied for second at the Longs Drugs Challenge, CJ Nine Bridges Classic Presented by Sports Today and Mizuno Classic.
In 2002, won the third title of her three-year career at the CISCO World Ladies Match Play Championship, where she defeated Midori Yoneyama 1 up after 22 holes; crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings after a tie for fifth at the Longs Drugs Challenge.
In 2001, won her second career title at The Office Depot and posted five additional top-10 finishes.
In 2000, became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Kathy Ireland Greens.com LPGA Classic; finished as runner-up in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race behind Dorothy Delasin; suffered an intercostal rib muscle injury in August which forced her to pull out of events for five weeks and hampered her play throughout the end of the season.
In 1999, earned exempt status on the LPGA Tour by placing first on the 1999 Futures Tour money list (she won five of 10 events in which she played and was named Futures Tour Player of the Year); as a sponsor’s exemption, tied for second at the Safeway LPGA Golf Championship.
Amateur
In 1994 and 1996, Park was named American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Player of the Year, and from 1992-97, she was named an AJGA All-American. While on the ArizonaStateUniversity women’s golf team from 1997-99, she contributed to their 1998 NCAA Championship title. As a freshman in 1998, she was named the Rolex Eleanor Dudley College Player of the Year, was a member of the NCAA All-American Team, won the Trans-Amateur Championship, the Western Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. She was the first player since Patty Berg in 1938 to sweep all major amateur championships. She also was named Golfweek’s Player of the Year (1998) and was the 1998-99 Honda Award winner as college player of the year. She won a total of 55 national junior, college and amateur titles. In 1999, she competed in three LPGA events before turning pro in July and made the cut in every one; Park tied for eighth as an amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open.
