Park ponders Grand Slam puzzle

29 July 2015 04:16

When is a career Grand Slam not a Grand Slam? That is the question for world number one Inbee Park ahead of this week's Ricoh Women's British Open.

The British Open is the only one of the 'traditional' major championships that Park has yet to win, but the Evian Championship only became the fifth major in 2013, a year after Park won the event, which was then called the Evian Masters.

" It would be nice if I can win it (the Evian) again," Park told a pre-tournament press conference at Turnberry. "It's the same trophy, isn't it? I've won that event before. My name is on there whether it's a major tournament or not.

"I've never put my name on the British Open trophy. That's really my main goal. For me, the true Grand Slam would be winning the British Open. If I win Evian again and never won the British Open, I don't know if I can give myself a Grand Slam then or not. It's questionable."

Park has won three times on the LPGA Tour this year, most recently the Women's PGA Championship for the third year in succession in June, to reclaim top spot in the world rankings from New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko.

But she will still be under less pressure at Turnberry than she was at St Andrews in 2013, when she arrived at the Old Course having won the first three majors of the year.

"I think it's got better and better every year," Park added. "2013 was obviously really the craziest pressure. And then 2014 got a little bit better and then this year I feel a lot less pressure because last week I didn't play well at all.

"Last week in the final round I had probably one of my worst rounds of the year (76 in the Meijer LPGA Classic), and I was just hitting the ball everywhere. Really it freed up my mind.

" I come into this week with no expectations. You get a couple of weeks like that where you don't feel like you're hitting the ball that well. But sometimes it takes a couple of days to come back, sometimes it can take one to two weeks to get back to position."

Park declined to be drawn on the controversy surrounding Turnberry owner Donald Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants, which were expressed when the 69-year-old announced his decision in June to stand for the United States presidency.

But Dame Laura Davies said she "assumed" women's golf would follow other organisations in moving events from courses owned by Trump.

The PGA of America announced earlier this month it had been ''mutually agreed'' that the Grand Slam of Golf - a 36-hole event contested by the year's major champions - would not take place as scheduled at Trump National in Los Angeles on October 20-21.

"I don't get involved in that side of it," Davies said. "But the PGA seem to be taking some of their events away, so I am assuming we are going to follow suit. That's up to the commissioner and the board and everybody."

Source: PA