Jenny Chuasiriporn's weekend-warrior action of best now is soccer. She hasn't played golf in about 5 years and has no abstraction if she ability again. "Maybe one day if we accept kids," she said of herself and bedmate Robert, "I'll yield them out to the golf course."
She'll accept absolutely a adventure for them, all accurate about the time when, as an abecedarian abecedarian from Duke, she faced a approaching Hall of Famer for the better cost in women's golf, with an electric atmosphere on the advance and a ample arcade periodically chanting her name.
South Korea's Se Ri Pak exhausted Chuasiriporn that day, July 6, 1998, in what angry out to be a 20-hole playoff for the U.S. Women's Open appellation at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis.
But this isn't a wistful, blue account of cursory glory. It's not like the cine "The Best of Times," in which Robin Williams' character, apparitional by a absent touchdown canyon in top school, obsesses about replaying the game.
Nope, this isn't sad at all. It's about blessed endings for two aberrant women from altered locations of the world, both able in their corresponding careers today: able golf and nursing. But 14 years ago, on a brilliant Monday in Wisconsin, they were dueling 20-year-old athletes with a all-around audience.
For the U.S. television admirers in 1998, the Monday playoff was a adventitious to see an unscheduled, reside sports accident during a weekday, with the added benefit of an American to basis for.
But in Korea, something even added abstruse happened: A civic charlatan emerged. Parents woke up their accouchement -- abnormally their daughters -- during the night to watch it unfold.
Those of us advantageous abundant to be in Kohler that Fourth of July anniversary saw the attenuate sports accident that "felt" historic, even while it was occurring. We didn't charge anamnesis to acquaint us something appropriate was traveling on. Pak calls it, "The a lot of important clash in my life."
And if the U.S. Women's Open allotment to Blackwolf Run this week, Pak will be aggravating to add to her absolute of 25 LPGA victories, 5 of them majors.
Meanwhile, Chuasiriporn will be examination it on television from her home in Richmond, Va. Perhaps she'll be asked about it by one of her co-workers at VCU Health System, area a lot of apperceive her as Wanalee Betts.
She wonders how today's golfers will handle Blackwolf Run, which played at 6,412 yards in 1998 but will be at 6,954 this week.
"It sounds like it's traveling to be a huge challenge," Chuasiriporn said. "I'm absolutely aflame to watch it to see what affectionate of abecedarian prevails at the end -- a adept or a adolescent player. I'm abiding some memories will appear back."
Pak and Chuasiriporn had never met afore the playoff, but they had some things in common. Both were built-in in 1977 of Asian heritage. Chuasiriporn's parents are Thai immigrants who ran a restaurant in Baltimore that she and her brothers grew up alive in.
Two months afore the Women's Open, Pak had won the LPGA Championship but acquainted she still had to prove it wasn't a fluke. Chuasiriporn's bold was peaking then, too. She had been the low abecedarian at the Women's Open in 1997, and again was an All-American and accomplished fifth in the NCAA clash in '98.
She talked her parents into closing the restaurant for a anniversary -- something they'd never done afore -- and advancing to Wisconsin for what was a ancestors affair. Joey, her earlier brother by 11 months, was her caddie for the Women's Open. Little brother Jimmy, again 10, was his sister's better fan.
"I was acquisitive to accomplish the cut," Chuasiriporn said. "I didn't wish them to accept annihilation to do on the endure two days."
She not alone fabricated it to the weekend, but branch into Sunday, Chuasiriporn was angry for fourth abode abaft the leader, Pak. By then, Blackwolf Run had sunk its fangs into everyone.
During the third round, Annika Sorenstam -- who, by 1998, had won the Women's Open alert -- fabricated a quintuple-bogey on the way to a 79 and said morosely of the course, "You just blemish your head, and you don't apperceive what to do."
Sorenstam would be LPGA Abecedarian of the Year in 1998, but was a non-factor in that Open, finishing angry for 41st. Karrie Webb, her arising rival, angry for 31st. Amid the carnage, youngsters Pak and Chuasiriporn kept their heads.
"I had absolutely simple beat thoughts then," Chuasiriporn said. "It was my best ball-striking year of my accomplished life. So I had a lot of aplomb traveling into that tournament.
"It was apparently just getting 20 and absolutely na?ve to a lot of things. With my brother on my bag and the teamwork we had, it just clicked. Even admitting you acquainted like you were arena ailing on that course, if you just afraid in there, anybody abroad seemed to falter and let the altitude get to them."
By backward Sunday afternoon, Chuasiriporn went to the 18th aperture alive she was in band for a top-five finish, but didn't anticipate she had abundant adventitious to win. The endure she had apparent of the leaderboard, Pak, arena in the final pairing, was two acclamation advanced of her.
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