First Round of the Sybase Goes to Christina Kim

Christina Kim leads the field after first round action at Wykagyl Country Club.

christina_kim_sybase.jpgChristina Kim showed the veteran tour pros how to score today. Shooting an exciting 6-under par 65, Kim birdied 1,3,5,6, bogeyed 8 then charged with a triple threat of birdies on 13, 14 and 15. At the 15th Kim’s eagle attempt came within three feet of the hole. She easily birdied that uphill putt and every putt but two from within eight feet.

Christina Kim is known for her funky Kangol caps and animal headcovers. From San Jose California, the rookie is in her third year on tour. Her first win came last year and Kim made over 600K in earnings for 2004. If Kim wins this weekend, she expects to take home $187,500, the lion’s share of the $1.25 million purse.

This is Christina’s third attempt to move forward at the Sybase Classic after missing the cut each time. Kim exclaimed after her round, “When I started today, the first thing I thought of was that I had never made the cut here in two starts and last year I eagled No. 1 and 18 in the second round and missed the cut by one stroke,” Kim said. “Now I’m a quarter of the way through and it’s exciting to be on this side of the spectrum.”

Malaysian born Siew-Ai Lim took solo second today. With six birdies (including a chip-in at the par-3 2nd) and an eagle at the par-5 15th, Lim only had one bogey today, at the par-5 18th. Lim and Christina are buddies. When asked about her friend, Lim replied, “She adds personality to our tour. She has fun and I think that’s great.”. Lim is in her seventh year on tour and without a win. She has made the cut three out of her eight starts on tour this year.

First-year rookie Paula Creamer finished tied at 69 with four other golfers. Creamer will not be playing at next week’s Corning Classic, also a New York venue, because she is graduating from high school. After graduation Creamer intends to play career golf with the LPGA tour.

Westchester County residents are well aware that the Sybase Classic formerly known as the “Big Apple” Classic began its first round today at Wykagyl Country Club. LPGA professionals are everywhere driving around in their courtesy red Mercury Mountaineers, toting their golf clubs with them.

Today I met up with Tracy Hanson a tour pro since 1995 and a pretty girl with blond hair and blue eyes originally from Idaho. Tracy began her round on the 10th hole today scoring birdies on the 13th and 15th and declaring a bogey-free round. She finished her round admirably with a 1-over par 72, currently in a tie for 27th place. We had a chance to talk for awhile. I asked her how she prepares for a tournament, especially this particular venue. Tracy mentioned that the greens were very fast here, so she will keep that in mind as she plays this week.

Hanson was frank with me about her choice of golf clubs. Originally she used to carry a three-iron but changed over to a rescue club as it was easier to hit. It’s all about the confidence in your clubs. Tracy said she’ll check out the site so I’ll just say, “Nice day today, Tracy. Keep on truckin’ “.

Cristie Kerr is the only top-10 player at the Sybase Classic this week. She finished her round with a 1-over par 72, tied with Tracy Hanson. Defending champion Sherri Steinhauer who is a two-time winner at the Sybase completed her round with a 3-over 74.

Se-Ri Pak withdrew after the fifth hole experiencing back pain.

Finally, a big thumbs down to Reilley Rankin who topped off her golf outfit with a Boston Red Sox baseball cap. Perhaps Reilley would have heard cheers instead of loud boos if she wore a Yankees cap!

State Farm Bonus Points will be awarded after this event. Cristie Kerr currently leads Annika Sorenstam, Wendy Ward and Lorena Ochoa in bonus points. At the end of the nine sponsored events, the top-ten scorers will share $250,000 bonus money.

Pos   Player                Today    R1
1     Christina Kim           -6     65
2     Siew-Ai Lim             -5     66
T3    Gloria Park             -4     67
T3    Hee-Won Han             -4     67
T3    Miriam Nagl             -4     67
T6    Celeste Troche          -2     00
T6    Yu Ping Lin             -2     69
T6    Soo-Yun Kang            -2     69
T6    Paula Creamer           -2     69
T6    Mi Hyun Kim             -2     69
T6    Heather Bowie           -2     69

ESPN2 delivers the golf this week with the following schedule: May 20 1:30-3:30pm, May 21 2:00-4:00pm and May 22 3:00-5:00pm. All times ET.

Photo Credit: © AP.

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