Wuesthoff Wins 55th U.S. Girls' Junior
 |
| Korean-born
Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff, 16, of Toms River, N.J., rallied from a
5-hole deficit to win the U.S. Girls' Junior title over defending
champion and fellow Korean In-Bee Park. (Steve Gibbons/USGA) |
Fairfield,
Conn. – Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff
came back from a five-hole deficit to defeat defending champion In-Bee
Park, 1 up, and capture the 55th U.S. Girls' Junior Championship.
Wuesthoff, 16, of Toms River, N.J., rallied after bogeys on three
of the first four holes to post 12 consecutive pars and draw even
with Park, 15, of Eustis,
Fla., with two holes to
play. She then took the lead for good with a decisive birdie at the
17th hole, before closing out Park with a par at 18 at the 6,303 yard,
par-71 Brooklawn Country Club. Her victory ranks as the greatest comeback
in the history of the championship. 
Paula
Creamer Ruling
During
play of the 12th hole in the first semi-final match of the 2003 U.S.
Girls' Junior Championship, Paula Creamer's ball lay about 5 feet
from the hole after three strokes.
Hear
an Audio Interview with the Champion Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff
Statistics
From The Championship Match
Stats
and hole-by-hole commentary from the championship match of the 55th
U.S. Girls' Junior Championship.
Offseason
Work Pays Off For Wuesthoff
Fairfield,
Conn. – Whether it’s sizzling hot or frigid, Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff
can usually be found at the practice range at Woodlake Country Club
in Lakewood, N.J. Living in the northeastern part of the country means
that her actual golf season might only last six months, while juniors
in warmer climates have the luxury of playing and practicing throughout
the year.
Photos
From the Championship Match
Follow
this link for photos of the championship match between Korean-born
golfers In-Bee Park and Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff.
How
They Got To The Final
In-Bee
Park and Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff had to beat out 154 other golfers to
make it to the final of the 2003 U.S. Girls' Junior. Follow
the link below to see just how they did it.
Coming
To America ... Move To U.S. Four Years Ago Pays Off For Wuesthoff
Fairfield,
Conn. – Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff ’s journey to the championship match
of the 2003 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Brooklawn Country Club actually
began four years ago. That’s when her parents gave their blessing
to send the then-12-year-old from Korea to Toms River, N.J., to live
with her aunt.
Photo
Gallery From The Semifinals
Follow
this link for photos of the four remaining players in the field.
A
Who's Lu Of Golf
Fairfield,
Conn. – The country once was the dominant force in Little
League Baseball. Chinese Taipei (formerly known as Taiwan) was to
youth baseball what the New York Yankees are to the big leagues. It
was a sheer dynasty. Now the country is trying to make a name in golf.
Hsaio-Ching Lu, a 15-year-old, did just that this week, advancing
to the quarterfinals in her first-ever U.S. Girls' Junior appearance.
Small
Frames ... Huge Games
Fairfield,
Conn. – Don’t let their small frames fool you. Mina Harigae and Esther
Choe might look like 8-ounce soft-drink bottles, but they devour opponents
like 32-ounce Big Gulps.
Lights,
Camera ... Golf
Fairfield,
Conn. – Dusk morphed into darkness at Brooklawn Country Club and virtually
everyone had cleared the premises from another day of play at the
U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. All of the remaining competitors
had retired to their temporary residences for the week – hotels or
private housing – and even the grounds crew had called it quits. But
there was activity on the course. Just off the 11th fairway and a
pitching-wedge shot away from the maintenance area, a small group
of individuals were working tirelessly. The production trucks spectators
might have seen while roaming the course are not there for aesthetic
purposes. Housed inside these vehicles is sophisticated television
equipment being used by NBC Sports personnel to produce the Girls’
Junior highlight show that will air this Sunday from noon until 1:30
p.m.
Friends,
Teammates And Competitors
Fairfield,
Conn. – Whitney Wade could have easily gone back to her hotel, had
some dinner and relaxed after easily winning her opening-round match
at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship on Wednesday. After all, it
had been a long day for many of the competitors since stroke-play
qualifying needed to be completed in the morning to get the 64 players
for the match-play portion of the competition. Instead, she came out
to support her friend and high school teammate, Taryn Durham.
