Career overview

Born in Daejeon, she attended Yuseong Nursery School in that city and then Keumseong Girls’ High School in Gongju City, Chungnam Province where she was the school's best amateur golfer. She then moved to Seoul for training. Pak turned professional in 1996, a year before she moved to the United States as a 20-year-old. In 1996 and 1997, she won six tournaments on the LPGA of Korea Tour. Pak joined the LPGA Tour full-time for the year 1998, crowning her rookie season with victories in two majors: the McDonald's LPGA Championship and U.S. Women's Open. At just 20 years of age, she became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Women's Open. About.com writes that "Pak won a 20-hole playoff for that victory, making that tournament - at 92 holes in length - the longest tournament ever in women's professional golf." Four days after the U.S. Women's Open win, Pak shot a then-LPGA record 61 during the second round of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic. She won the Rolex Rookie of the Year award for that season.

Since 1998, she has gone on to win 21 more events on the Tour, including three more majors. In June 2007, at age 29, she qualified for the World Golf Hall of Fame, surpassing Karrie Webb as the youngest living entrant ever. (Tom Morris, Jr., who died in 1875 at the age of 24, had been elected in 1975.)

Pak has also competed in a professional men's event, at the 2003 SBS Super Tournament on the Korean Tour. The Korean Tour is a feeder tour for the Asian Tour and does not offer world ranking points. She finished 10th in the event, according to the World Golf Hall of Fame "becoming the first woman to make the cut in a professional men's tournament since Babe Zaharias did so in 1945."

At the 2005 McDonald's LPGA Championship, she missed the cut for the first time in 29 majors. In an interview quoted on the PGA Tour's website, she commented that she was searching for a balance between her golf and her personal life: "I've been a little bit unhappy about everything, my game, big game. I'm not really enjoying it at all, and I'm not doing anything with my ability. I know what I needed, a much better balance. I'm always putting a lot of pressure on myself". Eventually, she was found to have a finger injury. In 2006, she rediscovered her best form by winning the McDonald's LPGA Championship for the third time to claim her fifth major title overall.

In 2007, she won the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic for the fifth time, making her the fourth player in LPGA history to win the same tournament five or more times (Annika Sörenstam accomplished this feat at two tournaments).

Perhaps the greatest tribute to her career to date came in a column by Golf World writer Eric Adelson in 2008, who called Pak "a pioneer... who changed the face of golf even more than Tiger Woods." When Pak came to the LPGA in 1998, she was the only Korean player. Ten years later, she was one of 45 Koreans on tour, and the single largest source of revenue for the LPGA was the sale of TV rights in South Korea.

She was the only South Korean on the LPGA Tour in the year 1998, Pak's spectacular triumph at the 1998 U.S. Women's Open encouraged many Korean women to take up golf as a sport. She is regarded as a leader of the game in her home country and has also inspired the new generations of LPGA players Na Yeon Choi and Inbee Park who have followed her footsteps at the LPGA level. A statute of her now stands outside Gongju's stadium. This statue commemorates her signature moment: a successful shot from a water hazard to remain tied for first place in the 1998 U.S. Women's Open; this allowed her to force a sudden death playoff which she then won with "a tremendous birdie putt from nearly 20 feet on the second hole." This was a victory named by the Korea Times as the 3rd most acclaimed moment in 60 years of South Korean sports history. Her shot was shown as the basis for the first episode of the Korean TV drama "Birdie Buddy."

Professional wins (39)

LPGA Tour (25)

Legend

Major championships (5)

Other LPGA Tour (20)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	17 May 1998	McDonald's LPGA Championship	65-68-72-68=273	−11	3 strokes	Donna Andrews Lisa Hackney
2	5 Jul 1998	U.S. Women's Open	69-70-75-76=290	+6	Playoff	Jenny Chuasiriporn (a)
3	12 Jul 1998	Jamie Farr Kroger Classic	71-61-63-66=261	−23	9 strokes	Lisa Hackney
4	26 Jul 1998	Giant Eagle LPGA Classic	65-69-67=201	−15	1 stroke	Dottie Pepper
5	20 Jun 1999	ShopRite LPGA Classic	63-69-66=198	−15	2 strokes	Trish Johnson
6	4 Jul 1999	Jamie Farr Kroger Classic	68-69-68-71=276	−8	Playoff	Carin Koch Kelli Kuehne Mardi Lunn Sherri Steinhauer Karrie Webb
7	12 Sep 1999	Samsung World Championship of Women's Golf	67-71-70-72=280	−8	1 stroke	Karrie Webb
8	14 Nov 1999	PageNet Championship	66-66-74-70=276	−12	Playoff	Laura Davies Karrie Webb
9	16 Jan 2001	YourLife Vitamins LPGA Classic	71-68-64=203	−13	4 strokes	Penny Hammel Carin Koch
10	22 Apr 2001	Longs Drugs Challenge	66-71-71=208	−8	2 strokes	Laura Diaz
11	8 Jul 2001	Jamie Farr Kroger Classic	70-62-69-68=269	−15	2 strokes	Maria Hjorth
12	5 Aug 2001	Weetabix Women's British Open	71-70-70-66=277	−11	2 strokes	Mi Hyun Kim
13	30 Sep 2001	AFLAC Champions	70-67-64-71=272	−16	5 strokes	Lorie Kane
14	7 Apr 2002	The Office Depot Championship	68-68-73=209	−7	1 stroke	Annika Sörenstam
15	9 Jun 2002	McDonald's LPGA Championship	71-70-68-70=279	−5	3 strokes	Beth Daniel
16	25 Aug 2002	First Union Betsy King Classic	70-68-66-63=267	−21	3 strokes	Angela Stanford
17	13 Oct 2002	Mobile LPGA Tournament of Champions	65-70-67-66=268	−20	4 strokes	Carin Koch Catriona Matthew
18	27 Oct 2002	Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic	65-76-72=213	−3	6 strokes	Carin Koch
19	23 Mar 2003	Safeway PING	65-68-68-64=265	−23	1 stroke	Grace Park
20	27 Apr 2003	Chick-fil-A Charity Championship	71-65-64=200	−16	Playoff	Shani Waugh
21	18 Aug 2003	Jamie Farr Kroger Classic	69-67-64-71=271	−13	2 strokes	Marisa Baena Han Hee-won
22	9 May 2004	Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill	70-71-69-65=275	−9	2 strokes	Juli Inkster Lorena Ochoa
23	11 Jun 2006	McDonald's LPGA Championship	71-69-71-69=280	−8	Playoff	Karrie Webb
24	15 Jul 2007	Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic	63-68-69-67=267	−17	3 strokes	Morgan Pressel
25	16 May 2010	Bell Micro LPGA Classic	69-66-68=203	−13	Playoff	Brittany Lincicome Suzann Pettersen

LPGA Tour playoff record (6-0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1998	U.S. Women's Open	Jenny Chuasiriporn (a)	Won with birdie on second extra hole after 18-hole playoff (Chuasiriporn:73, Pak:73)
2	1999	Jamie Farr Kroger Classic	Carin Koch Kelli Kuehne Mardi Lunn Sherri Steinhauer Karrie Webb	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1999	PageNet Championship	Laura Davies Karrie Webb	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	2003	Chick-fil-A Charity Championship	Shani Waugh	Won with par on fourth extra hole
5	2006	McDonald's LPGA Championship	Karrie Webb	Won with birdie on first extra hole
6	2010	Bell Micro LPGA Classic	Brittany Lincicome Suzann Pettersen	Won with birdie on third extra hole Pettersen eliminated with par on second hole

LPGA of Korea Tour (14)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	26 Sep 1992	Lyle and Scott Women's Open (as an amateur)	71-72=143	−1	Playoff	Won Jae-sook
2	1 May 1993	Tomboy Women's Open (as an amateur)	76-71-72=219	+3	Playoff	Kim Soon-mi
3	29 Apr 1995	Tomboy Women's Open (as an amateur)	76-71-68=215	−1	3 strokes	Kim Soon-mi Lee O-soon
4	17 Jun 1995	Midopa Women's Open (as an amateur)	72-68-68=209	−7	4 strokes	Lee O-soon
5	24 Jun 1995	Christian Dior Women's Open (as an amateur)	65-67-67=200	−16	10 strokes	Lee O-soon
6	8 Oct 1995	Seoul Women's Open (as an amateur)	69-73-72=214	−2	2 strokes	Ku Ok-hee
7	24 Aug 1996	Dongil Renown Ladies Classic	65-74-70=209	−7	1 strokes	Song Chae-eun
8	1 Sep 1996	FILA Women's Open	70-67-69=206	−10	4 strokes	Bu Hyeong-soon
9	8 Sep 1996	Diadora Cup SBS Professional Golf Challenge	77-73-77-74=301	+13	1 stroke	Song Chae-eun
10	6 Oct 1996	Hanwha Cup Seoul Women's Open	68-71-71=210	−6	Playoff	Chung Il-mi
11	28 Sep 1997	Cheil Industries Rose Women's Open	68-69-73=210	−6	Playoff	Chung Il-mi
12	5 Oct 1997	Hanwha Cup Seoul Women's Open	71-68-68=207	−9	9 strokes	Park Hyun-soon Mi-Hyun Kim
13	18 May 2003	MBC-Xcanvas Women's Open	69-65-70=204	−12	3 strokes	Ji Eun-hee (amateur)
14	23 Sep 2012	KDB Daewoo Securities Classic	69-66-65=200	−16	3 strokes	Heo Yoon-kyung

Major championships

Wins (5)

Year	Championship	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1998	McDonald's LPGA Championship	65-68-72-68=273	−11	3 strokes	Donna Andrews, Lisa Hackney
1998	U.S. Women's Open	69-70-75-76=290	+6	Playoff 1	Jenny Chuasiriporn (a)
2001	Weetabix Women's British Open	71-70-70-66=277	−11	2 strokes	Mi Hyun Kim
2002	McDonald's LPGA Championship	71-70-68-70=279	−5	3 strokes	Beth Daniel
2006	McDonald's LPGA Championship	71-69-71-69=280	−8	Playoff 2	Karrie Webb

1 Defeated Chuasiriporn on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff, after an 18-hole playoff round
2 Defeated Webb on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament	1997	1998	1999	2000
ANA Inspiration	DNP	DNP	T13	T15
Women's PGA Championship	DNP	1	T6	T3
U.S. Women's Open	T21	1	T14	T15
du Maurier Classic	DNP	T41	T13	T7

Tournament	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
ANA Inspiration	T11	T9	T15	T16	T27	T45	T10	T10	T40
Women's PGA Championship	T39	1	T46	T17	CUT	1	T33	T46	T65
U.S. Women's Open	2	5	50	T32	T45	T3	T4	CUT	CUT
Women's British Open ^	1	T11	2	T21	WD	WD	T5	CUT	T20

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
ANA Inspiration	T15	T10	T8	T19	T4	CUT
Women's PGA Championship	CUT	T34	T19	T28	DNP	WD
U.S. Women's Open	CUT	T45	T9	CUT	T38	DNP
Women's British Open	DNP	T14	DNP	T47	WD	DNP
The Evian Championship ^^				T4	T47	DNP

^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001
^^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied for place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
ANA Inspiration	0	0	0	1	6	13	17	16
Women's PGA Championship	3	0	1	4	5	7	17	14
U.S. Women's Open	1	1	1	5	6	9	18	14
Women's British Open	1	1	0	3	3	7	12	8
The Evian Championship	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	2
du Maurier Classic	0	0	0	0	1	2	3	3
Totals	5	2	2	14	22	39	69	57

• Most consecutive cuts made - 29 (1997 U.S. Open - 2005 Kraft Nabisco)
• Longest streak of top-10s - 5 (2001 U.S. Open - 2002 U.S. Open)

LPGA Tour career summary

Year	Tournaments played	Cuts made	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top 10s	Best finish	Earnings ($)	Money list rank	Scoring average	Scoring rank
1998	27	26	4	0	0	8	1	872,170	2	71.41	13
1999	27	24	4	0	0	10	1	956,926	3	70.77	8
2000	23	22	0	0	2	11	3	550,376	12	72.49	10
2001	21	20	5	5	2	12	1	1,623,009	2	69.69	2
2002	24	24	5	1	2	17	1	1,722,281	2	69.85	2
2003	26	25	3	6	0	20	1	1,611,928	2	70.03	1
2004	19	17	1	1	0	5	1	682,669	11	71.34	27
2005	12	9	0	0	0	0	T27	62,628	102	74.21	116
2006	23	21	1	0	2	8	1	884,961	13	71.65	23
2007	23	20	1	0	1	8	1	820,129	16	71.74	14
2008	17	10	0	1	0	3	2	366,143	52	72.59	66
2009	24	20	0	1	0	2	2	447,683	30	71.98	37
2010	15	9	1	0	0	3	1	368,839	32	72.45	49
2011	20	17	0	0	0	4	4	415,447	27	71.97	26
2012	12	9	0	0	0	5	4	430,338	33	71.18	16
2013	18	14	0	0	0	3	T4	440,162	34	71.88	41
2014	16	10	0	0	0	3	T4	271,888	59	71.75	45
2015	8	3	0	0	0	1	T10	36,083	122	74.25	n/a

World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

Year	World ranking	Source
2006	12
2007	10
2008	31
2009	43
2010	32
2011	36
2012	26
2013	30
2014	59
2015	228

Team appearances

Amateur

• Espirito Santo Trophy (representing South Korea): 1994

Professional

• Lexus Cup (representing Asia team): 2006 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2008

[ Source: Wikipedia ]