Pak Posts Lowest Score in LPGA Tour History

L.A. Times Archives

July 11, 1998 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

Se Ri Pak, bolstered by her first good night’s rest since winning the U.S. Women’s Open, has never played better.

Actually, no one on the LPGA Tour has played better than the 10-under-par 61 she shot Friday in the second round of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic at Sylvania, Ohio.

Pak, 20, birdied five holes on each side, wrapping up the round with birdies on her last three holes. She capped the round by rolling in a 20-foot birdie putt before a large and loud gallery encircling the ninth green.

“Every putt was perfect right to left and left to right,” she said. “Everything was perfect.”

Five players have shot 62s, most recently Kathryn Marshall in the second round of last year’s State Farm Rail Classic.

The PGA Tour record is 59, set by Al Geiberger in 1977 and matched by Chip Beck in 1991.

The 61 vaulted Pak, who had an even-par 71 in the opening round at the 6,319-yard Highland Meadows Golf Club, into first place by two strokes over first-round co-leaders Vickie Odegard and Dana Dormann and Hall of Famer Betsy King.

Pak had said after the first round that she was still tired since beating Jenny Chuasiriporn to win the Open in a 20-hole playoff Monday. Pak won on the second sudden-death hole after the two were tied after the original 18-hole playoff.

With her manager preventing calls from getting through, Pak got 9 1/2 hours’ sleep Thursday night.

The 61 was two shots better than Pak’s previous low, as an amateur two years ago. It was one shot shy of the LPGA record for strokes under par; Vicki Fergon had an 11-under 62 at the San Jose Classic in 1984.

Steve Jones shot a five-under 65 and Frank Lickliter shot 64 to tie for the lead at 129 after 36 holes of the Quad City Classic at Coal Valley, Ill.

Casey Martin added a 68 to a first-round 66 and was at 134, five off the lead and four strokes better than the cut of two-under 138.

Gil Morgan eagled the 10th hole and shot an eight-under 64 to take the second-round lead in the Senior Players Championship at Dearborn, Mich.

Morgan, at 133, will play today with Hale Irwin, who shot 69 for 135 at the TPC of Michigan.

Jack Nicklaus, who designed the 6,876-yard layout, shot 70 to tie Jim Albus at 137. Albus shot 69.

Lee Westwood fired a three-under 68 to share the third-round lead with Sweden’s Dennis Edlund in the $1.41-million Loch Lomond tournament at Glasgow, Scotland.

Rain interrupted play for more than two hours, but the break worked for Westwood and Edlund, both of whom finished the round with seven-under 206 totals.

Nick Faldo, who withdrew Wednesday after aggravating an elbow injury in practice, said he will get intensive treatment, hoping to be in shape to play next week’s British Open.

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The Leaders

Leaders after two rounds in respective tournaments (complete scores, C11):

LPGA Jamie Farr Kroger Classic--Par 71

Se Ri Pak: 71-61--132 -10

Betsy King: 67-67--134 -8

Dana Dormann: 64-70--134 -8

Vickie Odegard: 64-70--134 -8

Senior Players Championship--Par 72

Gil Morgan: 69-64--133 -11

Hale Irwin: 66-69--135 -9

Jack Nicklaus: 67-70--137 -7