Can The Rookie Close the Deal at the LOTTE Championship?

Apr 5, 2015; Rancho Mirage, CA, USA; Sei Young Kim tees off on the 16th during the final round of the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills CC – Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Going into the final round 19th ranked rookie Sei Young Kim is the woman to catch at the LOTTE Championship. Kim’s looking at her second rookie year victory at the Lotte, although going into the final round the conclusion of the LOTTE is far from certain. Kim has only a two shot edge over IK Kim, Inbee Park, and Jenny Shin. Still, unless disaster strikes today on the Ko’Olina track, the 5-time KLPGA winner is looking to notch her 5th top-10 finish this season, or her 4th top-5, if not her second win.

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Before the season began Inbee Park told a number of Tour veterans that several rookies who were transitioning from the KLPGA to the LPGA were going to pose serious challenges to the established order of things. With Sei Young Kim’s win at the Pure Silk-Bahamas and Hyo Joo Kim’s win at The Founders Cup, that has proved to be the case. Further, one look at the LOTTE leaderboard suggests that the KLPGA-experienced rookies are not only fully prepared to challenge the top of the board, they could well be providing a boost to other South Koreans on the Tour.

Sei Young Kim, IK Kim, Na Yeon Choi, Jenny Shin and Inbee Park — all South Koreans — have dominated the LOTTE from the very start. IK Kim, who’s playing her 9th year on the Tour, set the pace for the tournament with a 1st round 65 and although 50th ranked Kim’s last win came in 2010 at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, she’s certainly maintained her pace this week in Hawaii.

I.K. Kim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

IK Kim hasn’t had a strong start to her year but she’s certainly played a robust game this week in Hawaii, proving to be a skillful manager of some windy conditions that have left other players, including defending champion Michelle Wie, struggling to control their balls. But Kim was never able to pull far enough ahead of the pack to feel comfortable in her lead and the rookie stayed focused and caught her by the end of 36 holes.

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Sei Young Kim put together two 67s and pulled even with IK Kim; and the pair went into the 3rd round at 10-under par and sharing the lead, with 3rd ranked Inbee Park lurking 3 shots back.

At various points during the early rounds a number of veteran American players — Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome and Michelle Wie — looked as though they might challenge the leaders, but each in turn struggled unsuccessfully against the wildly gusting trade winds and dropped down the leaderboard.

Paula Creamer. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Going into the final round at 4-under and trailing Sei Young Kim’s lead by 8 shots, Wie, Pressel and Kerr would need to card 64s just to pull even and force a playoff and the closest anyone’s gotten to a 64 all week was IK Kim’s 1st round 65. I’m not holding my breath for anyone in this trio.

Paula Creamer, who’s going into the final LOTTE Championship round at 6-under par, is in only a marginally better position to make a charge for the lead. Creamer was putting well at the beginning of the LOTTE but struggled to get to the green and struggled some more to sink her putts as the tournament progressed into the 2nd and then the 3rd rounds. Still, I’m not ready to count the Pink Panther (who took the field in black yesterday) out just yet.

Creamer is paired with Cristie Kerr and 4th ranked Hyo Joo Kim, another of the standout rookie champions, for the final LOTTE round. That combination could prove advantageous for her. Kerr’s fearless and Creamer could use some of that confident aggression. Kim’s a wizard with her flat stick. If Creamer can get some crucial reads she might be able to make a final round move.

Realistically, however, Sei Young Kim’s most likely challenger will be Inbee Park. They’re paired in the final group, along with IK Kim, and Park is trailing by only 2 shots, a small distance for the woman who held the top of the Rolex Rankings for more than 100 consecutive weeks. Park has been in this final round position many times. She’s a serene, controlled golfer who consistently delivers a championship game under pressure, and she’s a superb closer.

Inbee Park.

Last year Michelle Wie came from 4 shots back during the final round of the LOTTE to snatch what appeared to be a certain victory away from Angela Stanford. Sei Young Kim faces a similar situation this year as she tries to finish the job. The final groups will face the added challenge of an afternoon increase in the trade winds that have befuddled and snarled approach shots to the Ko’Olina greens for the past three days.

Golf Channel will begin coverage of the LOTTE Championship final round at 7pm ET Saturday night, and if you’ve not have enough when the round ends Ladies Dream Golf will be hosting a Sunday Brunch Hangout at 11am ET Sunday. Follow this link to get in on our conversation about the LOTTE Championship, next week’s Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial and women’s golf in general.

Next: Chico's Patty Berg Memorial Weekend Fun

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