WEST PALM BEACH, Calif. -- On paper, not to mention television, it seemed a true mismatch, even to golf fans who are more than a little savvy about current events.
Australian star Karrie Webb has seven majors, 35 LPGA victories, a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame and certainly needs no intro whenever she walks to the first tee.
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| 'She has the most potential to do what Se Ri has done,' says Karrie Webb of Shin. (Getty Images) |
As it turned out, it was a lopsided match after all, although not the way anybody but true aficionados might have guessed.
In what amounted to an American coming-out party for the budding star, the 5-foot-1 Shin shot a 2-under 70 in the final round of the ADT Championship to take down the veteran Webb by one shot at Trump International Golf Club, winning for the first time in the States.
Rest assured it won't be the last time, either. Looks like Annika Sorenstam, who hung up her spikes this week, had it right. With this kid on the way, it was definitely a good time to bail.
"I think of all the players who have come here after Se Ri Pak," Webb said of the Korean icon and trailblazer, "she has the most potential to do what Se Ri has done."
If you are a Korean player, there's no bigger validation, although for those paying close attention, Shin's U.S. breakthrough was clearly inevitable. There is absolutely no question that she's the best player you've never heard of, male or female.
Shin's win on Sunday was her 21st in the past two seasons alone, and she just turned 20 last April. It marked her third LPGA title this season and 11th worldwide this season. She lost two other starts in playoffs.
She won't officially join the LPGA until 2009. Can we cast our ballot now for next season's rookie of the year?
"My dream is No. 1 in world," said Shin, who has already picked up more English in the past eight months from her new Aussie caddie than most of what she learned in grammar school.
Shin, paired with Webb on the last day of the crazy ADT format, birdied the second and third holes and was never out of the lead, despite being chased by several players who seemingly possessed more resume firepower. But name recognition is one thing. Skill is another.
After watching Shin dissect the tough Trump course -- she hit 50 of 64 fairways for the week -- and roll in an acre of putts, Webb was hard-pressed to find a weakness.
