Wheaton native Park hopes to stay in Solheim Cup race
There's not much that Jane Park remembers about her time living in Wheaton.
She was just 5 years old when her family packed up and moved to California. She went to grade school there, high school, and college as well. That pretty much makes her a West Coast girl now.
Well, except for on the golf course. There, her roots are as much Midwestern as anything.
Starting at age 13, Park returned to the Chicago area almost every summer to visit the many relatives on her dad's side of the family who still live here. She hung out, did normal kid stuff - and went golfing every single day.
Even at such a young age, Park was a serious golfer. And as she was perfecting her game at courses such as Cantigny, Kemper Lakes and The Glen Club, Park says she was dreaming of the LPGA.
"I knew it was a great possibility," said Park, who won two junior tournament titles in Chicago. "I wanted to have a really great amateur career so I could move on. I spent a lot of my time here each summer preparing for (junior) tournaments and working on my game."
In 2007, Park joined the LPGA Tour. Now, she wants to return to Chicago to make yet another dream come true.
She is in the midst of fighting for one of 12 coveted spots on the United States Solheim Cup team, which will take on a team from Europe next summer in a biennial tournament similar to the Ryder Cup in men's golf.
The Solheim Cup will take place Aug. 18-23 at Rich Harvest Farms, a links style course in far west suburban Sugar Grove. To experience such a career highlight in front of scads of relatives and in an area in which she laid the foundation for her career would be beyond special for Park.
"For any golfer, it's such a dream to be on that team," said the 21-year-old Park. "But to play in the Solheim Cup in what is kind of like a hometown for me would be amazing."
Park has positioned herself well.
Members of the Solheim Cup team are determined by the points they accumulate for Top 20 finishes at select tournaments over a two-year qualifying period that began in 2007. As the 2008 season draws to a close, Park is ranked No. 13 in the standings with 99 points and is hoping to add more with a big finish this weekend at the Hana Bank KOLON Championship in Korea.
With tallying continuing into the 2009 season, Park has several months to leapfrog only a few players to qualify on points. Of course, it's also possible she could be handpicked for the team by captain Beth Daniel, who gets to add two players in addition to the 10 who qualify on points. European captain Alison Nicholas can choose three to go with her top nine point winners.
"You still have to play your way onto that team and I'm trying my hardest to do that," Park said. "It's a great accomplishment to be on that team. You're surrounded by great players and you get to represent your country. I've been in touch with Beth Daniel already and she knows how much I want to be on the team. I'm just trying to play the best golf I can right now."
Park has been doing that all through the year. She ranks 26th on the LPGA's 2008 money list with $605,152 in winnings.
One of her proudest moments was earning enough to buy a few nice things for her mother Kathy and father Frank, who coached her for many years.
"I really like being a pro," Park said. "I'm doing something I love for a living and not many people can say that. I'm very thankful and blessed to be where I am right now."
Come August, Park hopes to be saying the same thing in Chicago.
Gift some golf: Got a golfer on your holiday list? The Solheim Cup has put together two special holiday packages that can be purchased now through Dec. 15. Among other goodies, one package includes two weeklong grounds tickets while the other features two weeklong passes to the PING Pavilion located behind the 17th green. Prices range from $199 to $499. For more information, visit solheimcup.com.
pbabcock@dailyherald.com