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U.S. Women's Open

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

Inbee Park smooched her championship trophy after she won the U.S. Women's Open Championship Sunday.

A teen dream, 19-year-old Inbee Park handles the wind and field

By MARK CRAIG, Star Tribune

Last update: June 30, 2008

The first step in developing the 63rd U.S. Women's Open champion began at 3 a.m. July 7, 1998, when Sung Kim and Jungyu Park screamed loudly enough to awaken 9-year-old Inbee Park in the upstairs bedroom of the family's home in Pundang, South Korea.

"I didn't know what they were doing," Park said. "I just woke up and was like, 'What are you guys doing?' And they were like, 'We're watching golf.' I didn't know what that was. So I sat down, half asleep, and watched TV."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Kohler, Wis., then-LPGA Tour rookie Se Ri Pak was winning a 20-hole playoff at Blackwolf Run Golf Club to become the first Korean and the youngest player (20) to win a U.S. Women's Open championship.

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Jim Souhan: Lewis and Creamer stumble at the finish

With their first major title within reach, the two promising young Americans, playing in the final pairing, shot 78s.

Photo left: Stacy Lewis

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Lorena Ochoa prepares for U.S. Open

Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1 female golfer in the world, prepared for the U.S. Open during a practice round at Interlachen Country Club in Edina.