GRACE.....she's back....and I Lup U!!!!!

Quote :

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Grace Park sat in a cushy chair in the lobby of Grayhawk Golf Club and told her life story in a shockingly straightforward manner. Athletes rarely reveal hidden wounds. The hip pain that led to surgery last April was obvious, but only she could reveal the extent of her personal pain.

“I was a golf machine, and I didn’t want to be that,” said Park, who returns to the competitive stage for the first time in nearly a year March 25 at the Kia Classic presented by J Golf.

Park, 31, often has talked about the pressures many Korean players face. She mistakenly thought playing well would equal freedom. The better she performed, however, the more people expected. When she reached No. 2 on the money list in ’04, plans were hatched on how to get to No. 1. Sacrifice this. Change that.

Eventually, she just let go.

“I practiced; I spent just as much time,” she said. “But I had no goal.”

Park played through chronic back pain for several seasons, but her limited schedule wasn’t always because of injury. From 2006 to ’08, Park played in only 15 events each year before heading home to South Korea to relax. This wasn’t at all how she pictured her pro career when she moved to the U.S. at age 12.

At Arizona State, Park pushed herself at tournaments so that she could skip qualifiers and study halls.

“Winning golf tournaments was a way for me to get other things that I wanted,” she said.



Two years ago, Park sat down with her parents in Seoul and shared her heart.

“ ‘I love you, I know you love me, but let me take control,’ ” she told them. “We had a big blowup in the household, but eventually they accepted it.”

In Korean culture, especially, that was huge. Daughters are expected to live with their parents until marriage (as Park does in Korea) and follow their rule book.

It took several months for the dust to settle, but Park finally felt she had permission to live life as she saw fit. She expected 2009 to be a watershed year. Doctors, however, said otherwise. The torn labrum in her right hip needed immediate surgery. She spent six weeks on crutches and six months in rehab. Park worked toward getting her master’s in sports education at Korea University in Seoul (she had received her bachelor’s in 2003 in Korea)

and went on a family vacation.

“I could do, for the first time in my life, whatever I wanted to,” she said.

When asked if there are other Korean players facing similar situations with their parents, Park said: “I’ll probably get in trouble for this, but yes.”

In January, Park returned to golf. She went back to the instructor of her youth, Mike LaBauve, and tried to find her natural swing. It has been years since she stood on the tee and thought, “I’ve got it.” The “it” days were over.

“I don’t know when she’s going to play great again,” said LaBauve, who sees signs of improvement but doesn’t want to put any expectations on his student. He’s trying to be quietly excited.

“It sounds weird. I’ve been competitive for over 20 years, but I’m finally ready to play golf,” Park said. “It’s because I want to play, not to earn other things, not to get a pass from study hall.”

Naturally, Park worried that her parents would come across poorly in print after such a frank interview.

“Put it in a nice way,” she said, “because they’re nice people.” No doubt. Soo Nam and Jin Ae Park poured their lives into Grace’s golf career. Their intentions were sincere. Still, it’s difficult for a woman living in America to embrace the strict nature of Korean culture.

The struggle contributed heavily to Park’s career skid. Now, finally healthy in body and spirit, Park is ready to restart her playing career.

PS: She and I had the same challenge...when I shoot < 130...people always ask...why not < 130 -1.....sigh.....!!!!

cool..looking forward to see her in LPGA match again...i miss her too

snowman

sorry but nope..thats not Grace park. she used to be a spokemen for nike..i adore her too..

hardrock wrote:

Is she Grace??

Isn't that Grace Park from Battlestar Galatica?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Park_%28actress%29

Yup. This is the cylon grace park, oso equally gorgeous

nientsu wrote:

Yup. This is the cylon grace park, oso equally gorgeous

whooong.... whoong....

Battlestar Republica!

Cylon or not, I gotta find me one of those! Woohoo!

Grace Park from Battlestar Galactica FTW. I'd take her any day. On the kitchen table, bathroom, balcony, or the green of the 18th tee on Augusta, woohoo!

This is the GRACE PARK Duval S is talking about....

Sorry, golfer Grace Park is no fight for the BSG Grace Park.

Golfer Grace Park is the one you want to stay on the fairway with. BSG Grace Park is the one you'd take into OB :rotf:

Totally agree with you ghoonk...I have some pics of BSG Grace...but can't post here....

Me too. Those are for night golf

Grace Kelly?

Nah, not into antiques, but thanks

I see her pic and think of a persimmon wood. I see BSG Grace Park and I get a wood.

Just wondering...are there nude photos of her??? I mean BSG Grace Park

I doubt it. She's pretty squeaky. Clean, i mean.