The Indomitable Spirits of Se-ri and Mi-hyun

Pak Se-ri’s (30, CJ) eyes were swollen and congested with blood, and she ended up getting physical treatments for a wounded shoulder yesterday. Meanwhile, Kim Mi-hyun (30, KTF) also had her knees and shoulder taped, and she felt pain in her elbows whenever she hit the ball.

These two players seemed to be feeling the pressure of being the leaders of Team Korea in the 2-day 8th Korea-Japan Women’s Professional Golf Championship, which will be held December 1-2.

Pak, who fell on the stairs of her home in Orlando and hurt her left shoulder last weekend, had to see an eye doctor because her conjunctivitis became more serious. She did not play in a pro-am event she had scheduled on Thursday, but she will play at the Korea-Japan championship no matter what, saying, “My shoulder was getting better, but then I got this eye problem. But I will still definitely play.”

Team leader Kim Mi-hyun will join Pak in the second round. Kim said, “My left part of the body hurts, but I am committed to winning the championship.”

Pak’s opponent in the first round is Japan’s Women’s Open champion Shinobu Moromizato. Regarding Japan’s performance of one draw and four losses at recent five events, she said, “Korean players excel in skills and mental capacity, but the victory will be ours this year.”

Ahn Seon-joo (Hi Mart) and Shin Ji-ae (Hi Mart), who have been outstanding in domestic championships, will play against “Korean Killers” Yokomine Sakura and Yoneyama Midori. Yokomine has never lost in the Korea-Japan championship, and the leader of the Japanese team, Yoneyama, has a good track record of six wins, one draw and two losses in Korea-Japan play. Ahn Seon-joo, who is a rookie to the event, said, “I will be the first Korean player to win against Yokomine,” while Shin Ji-ae expressed her ambition by saying, “I will win all my matches so the senior members of the Korean team will be proud of me.”

kjs0123@donga.com