Park Succeeds in Pursuit of Happiness

Grace Park is happy again, and not only because she just won her first major golf championship.

Her victory last week at the Kraft Nabisco Championship helped, of course, but that was more a byproduct of an overall attitude change that began taking shape during a soul-searching session two years ago.

Park, 25, in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour, struggled through two disappointing seasons to begin her pro career but found an inner peace that has helped her accept who she is, what she does and what it takes to succeed.

“It took me two years to figure that out,” said Park, who will be playing in the Office Depot Championship beginning today at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana.

“My first and second year I was miserable out here. I didn’t want to be out here. I think after a couple of years of struggling and being unhappy, I wanted to get rid of all that bad stuff. It didn’t happen overnight, but slowly I wanted to start enjoying my life.”

Park arrived on the LPGA Tour in 2000 as a can’t-miss prospect with an impeccable amateur record. She won an NCAA title, a U.S. Amateur, and a record 18 American Junior Golf Assn. titles. She won 55 junior, amateur and college events combined.

After turning pro in 1999, she found immediate success -- five victories in 10 events -- on the Futures Tour, to finish first on that tour’s money list and earn an automatic exemption to the LPGA Tour.

Park won tournaments in each of her first two years on the major tour -- a testament to her remarkable skills -- but 19th- and 23rd-place finishes on the money list weren’t exactly bowling over the competition.

“I hated losing, but there wasn’t much I could do when I wasn’t happy,” Park said. “I wasn’t happy when I was practicing, I wasn’t happy when I was playing. When you’re unhappy, nothing goes well for you.”

Some of her frustration came from the lack of results, which made for a circle of despair. Park wouldn’t practice hard because she wasn’t playing well and wasn’t playing well because she wasn’t practicing hard.

“Being a professional was much more difficult than I expected and I didn’t want to deal with it,” Park said. “And the expectations were high and when I didn’t get there I got frustrated.”

Near the end of the 2001 season, she sought advice from coach Peter Kostis. The first thing they worked on was her mental approach. During her amateur career, Park won on talent alone. On the LPGA Tour, the other players had just as much talent but worked much harder to improve.

“Her reputation far preceded her,” Kostis said of his first meeting with Park. “She had a lot of talent and not much work ethic and she didn’t know if she wanted to work as hard as she needed to be one of the top players out there.”

From the time Park was 13 until she earned her tour card, she had always been the top player. She was the top-ranked junior, the top-ranked collegian and top-ranked amateur.

That track record suggested success on the tour, but Park turned apathetic when she arrived.

“I was getting sick of playing,” she said. “I was so determined to get my card that I didn’t relax for a second, [but] after I accomplished it, I said, ‘Ha! I can do whatever I want.’ ”

Shopping, listening to music, watching TV and just about every other leisure activity took priority over golf. Then, two years ago, the urge to compete rekindled. With the help of Kostis, she rebuilt her swing and strengthened her fundamentals.

In 2002, she finished sixth on the money list. Last year, she had 19 top-10 finishes, nine in the top three, and finished third behind Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak on the money list.

Park’s victory last week reaffirmed that an attitude change was perhaps all she needed.

Her turnaround has been so dramatic that she has been asked to serve on the LPGA Board of Directors. Born in Seoul, Park has lived in the U.S. for almost 15 years, so she seemed well-qualified to serve as a liaison between the tour and its 21 Korean players.

Two years ago, Park said, that never would have happened. “They wouldn’t have asked me and I would have definitely said no,” she said.

She also has become the only LPGA Tour player outfitted head to toe by Nike, with which she has a contract to use a driver and balls.

Park credits that equipment with helping her to increase her driving distance from 266.5 yards last year to 284.8 this year. Along with her victory last week, she has tied for second and tied for third in three starts this year, leads the tour with 59 total birdies and tops the season money list with $371,204.

But she now realizes she can’t afford to take success for granted.

“A new golf course doesn’t know you’re a champion,” Park said. “Your club, your ball, they don’t know you’re a champion. You’ve got to do the same thing you’ve been doing and not get hung up in the past.”

And, she added, keep a positive attitude.

“I accept what I do now,” Park said. “I’m willing to take on the challenges that come in being a top player. It’s my goal eventually to become the No. 1 player in the world, so I have to.”

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The Facts

stroke-play event.

* When: Today-Sunday.

* Where: El Caballero Country Club, Tarzana.

* Who: 144 players, including Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Grace Park, Karrie Webb, Juli Inkster and Dottie Pepper.

* 2003 winner: Annika Sorenstam.

* Tickets: $15 a day or $30 for three-day pass. Free for those 17 and under when accompanied by paying adult.

* TV: ESPN2, noon-2 p.m. today; 2-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

* Parking: $5 at Lake Balboa, 6335 Balboa Blvd. Includes shuttle service to and from course.