At the end of her week in St Andrews, Park recapped for the umpteenth time on how things had gone downhill after she had started out with those six birdies in her first 10 holes.
Mother Nature, she said, had not been on her side. The seaside gusts had taunted her slow and carefully executed swing, while her putting had lost its magic. In her closing round, she dropped any number of shots but, as she dropped them, it was not all bad. The accumulated pressure had blown away with the wind and you could almost see it happening.
"I have a feeling of relief, now," she said at the end. "I enjoyed every moment here but it was tough to be at the centre of everything. To have everyone watching me and to be asked to do interviews even when I play bad was a bit weird. But now all that is over. I can go home and relax for two or three days [a new Ferrari awaited her as part of a sponsorship deal] and get my energy up again." (Here, she would have had the Evian Championship in mind because that new major, if she could make a successful defence of her 2012 title, would still give her four majors across the one season.)
There was an American pressman at the Ricoh who, when the last interview was done that week, congratulated Park on her accomplishments before going back to what she had said and noting, with a wry smile, "We’ll still want to talk to you."
Park laughed out loud. She thanked the media - yes, she thanked them - and went on her way.
A charmer, if a quiet one.
The Inbee File
Date of birth: 12 July 1988
Place of birth: Seoul, South Korea
Turned pro: 2006
Major wins: 4 - US Women’s Open (2008 and 2013); Kraft Nabisco (2013); LPGA Championship (2013)
Other victories: 9 - including five on the LPGA Tour and four on the JLPGA Tour
Others: Became the world’s No 1 ranked player in April 2013
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