Park beats Han in playoff

Gloria Park knows how to win an argument.

The 22-year-old earned her second LPGA Tour victory when she made a 6-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday to beat Hee-Won Han and win the LPGA Big Apple Classic.

She got a big hug and an apology from her father after prevailing in her first playoff.

``I had a big fight with my dad last night about my putting stroke. I cried for two hours and couldn't sleep,'' Park said. But in addition to the $142,500 first prize, she also got the apology from Steven Park, who was the one in tears this time.

``He said he was sorry after the last hole,'' she said with a big smile.

Park and Han, both natives of South Korea, held off Annika Sorenstam in the final group of the day and finished 72 holes at 14-under 270.

Sorenstam, the leading money-winner on tour who has six victories this year, shot a 1-under 70 and missed the playoff by one stroke.

``I was chasing all day and that isn't what I want,'' Sorenstam said. ``That's the way it goes.''

Park, who started the final round tied for the lead with Sorenstam, shot a 69 Sunday, while Han, the tour's rookie of the year in 2001, had a 67.

The victory at the 6,161-yard Wykagyl Country Club course was the second for Park, who is in her third year on tour. The winner of the Williams Championship last year, she started the week 35th on the money list with $168,788.

Park matched the tournament record with an 8-under 63 Saturday, but Sorenstam, who won this event in 1998 and 2000, had a third-round 64 to stay even.

Park started the final round just as hot, making birdies on Nos. 1 and 3, both par-5s, to go 14 under and take a two-stroke lead.

``Maybe I was concentrating more on my putting and it was good at the start,'' she said.

She extended the lead to three strokes with a birdie on the par-4 9th, but saw it drop to one when she bogeyed the par-4 14th while Han and Sorenstam birdied it to get to 13 and 12 under, respectively.

Han had a birdie on the par-5 15th and Park parred, and the two stayed tied until the playoff hole.

Sorenstam, who finished in the top three for the eighth straight event, got within one shot when she parred the par-3 16th out of a bunker while the others both three-putted for bogeys.

The three parred Nos. 17 and 18, but Sorenstam nearly joined the playoff. Her birdie putt from about 15 feet lipped out on the final hole of regulation.

``I had a good chance and hit a great putt that hit the hole, but that wasn't the shot that lost it,'' Sorenstam said. ``I had chances all day.''

Han had an 8-footer for birdie and the win, but it just slid by.

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``I knew if I made the putt that would win the tournament, so I hit it to the hole, but it didn't get in,'' said Han, who is still looking for her first win and was also in her first playoff.

They played No. 18, a 481-yard par-5, as the playoff hole and Park hit her third shot from about 100 yards within 6 feet and made the putt. Han's second shot from a downhill lie about 40 yards closer left her a birdie putt from about 40 feet and she couldn't make it.

``It was the same thing as the regulation hole, but a little closer,'' Park said. ``I had been hitting really good short irons all week and I hit that pitching wedge close.''

Karrie Webb finished with a 67 and was at 12-under 272, while Beth Daniel also closed with a 67 and was at 274.

The tournament was sponsored by Sybase and had a purse of $950,000.

Divots

The start of the final round was delayed 50 minutes because of fog. ... The starting times for the final round were moved up 3 hours Saturday because of a forecast for thunderstorms for late Sunday. The bad weather never arrived although the humidity rose dramatically from what it had been the first three rounds. ... Rosie Jones, the 2001 champion, had a 72 and finished at 2-under 282, leaving Betsy King, who won this event the first two years it was played, as the only repeat winner. ... It was the third time this event ended in a playoff. Daniel beat Laura Davies in one hole in 1994, and Sherri Steinhauer needed five extra holes to beat Lori Kane in 1999. ... It was the third time in LPGA Tour history that Koreans finished 1-2. The most recent wasthe 2001 British Open when Se Ri Pak beat Mi Hyun Kim by two strokes.

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