A bogey on Sun Young Yoo’s final hole on Thursday was a rare mistake for the South Korean.
But with the past few weeks she’s had, a bogey or two have become a little easier to deal with.
In her first tournament since winning the first major of the season to start the month of April, Yoo is tied for 29th place at 1 under heading into the weekend at the LPGA Lotte Championship at the Ko Olina Golf Club.
Three weeks removed from a dramatic playoff victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, Yoo is one of 33 golfers under par after a 1-over 73 as the wind continued to play tricks on golfers, especially those who teed off in the afternoon.
"It was difficult again — still windy — so I had tough time to make pars at times," said Yoo, currently second on the LPGA money list. "There’s such good golfers that there are low 60s shot every week, but I wish I could have done that."
Yoo couldn’t match countrywoman Meena Lee, one of four golfers to shoot 65 or better on Friday.
The two-time tour winner started on the back nine and birdied No. 15 to get to 3 under. A bogey on the lengthy par-4 second moved her back to even in her round and she missed a downhill 8-footer for par on No. 9 to finish 1 over for the day.
Still, she trails leaders Azahara Munoz and Ai Miyazato by only seven shots, and if the strong winds hold up through the weekend, anything could happen.
"I have a chance to win — just seven shots behind," she said. "I’ll have to aim for some pins (today) and make some good putts."
That’s exactly what she did at the Kraft Nabisco, winning her first major in 21 tries after her LPGA debut in 2006.
She shot her third 69 in four days in the final round and defeated I.K. Kim with a birdie on the first playoff hole, joining Grace Park as the only South Korean winners in Kraft Nabisco history.
The increased attention didn’t keep her away from the golf course, as she got right back at it in Orlando, Fla., where she resides. The hard-working 25-year-old spent little time celebrating, instead fine-tuning her ever-improving game.
"I took a couple days to work on my short game with my coach," said Yoo, who also finished second at the Kia Classic the week preceding the Nabisco. "I’m ready for other tournaments now."
After spending most of the past three weeks discussing and reliving her major win, Yoo’s ready to move on.
It’s a memory she’ll never forget, but one she hopes she can experience again.
"I’ve got more tournaments coming up and those are what I need to focus on," said Yoo, whose $488,987 in earnings this year already tops her 2011 season. "I want to do much more in my career."
After turning pro in 2004 and joining the LPGA Tour two years later, Yoo began to put it all together in 2009.
She missed only two cuts that season and her best finish was a tie for second at the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship.
She avenged a loss in a playoff to Jiyai Shin and Angela Stanford the next year, defeating Shin in the semifinals and Stanford in the finals of the Sybase Match Play Championship.
She made the cut in all four majors for just the second time in 2011, finishing a career-best tied for seventh in the Women’s British Open before breaking through this season.
"I’m just getting better and comfortable," she said. "I try to work hard to become the best I can."
