Staff WriterThe Aramco Korea Championship served up the kind of Saturday sizzle that makes jet lag feel like a gentle massage.
Before a gallery equal parts umbrella and selfie-stick, Team Kouskova nabbed their first PIF Global Series title when South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace buried a downhill birdie on the brutish 18th at New Korea Country Club, nudging the trio home by a solitary shot.
Birdie, beer-tent bedlam and a Czech captain’s grin
The winning posse—Czech skipper Sara Kouskova, Germany’s Patricia Isabel Schmidt and American super-sub Brianna Navarrosa—looked like strangers in the airport lounge 48 hours ago. Now they’re arm-in-arm, blinking in flashbulbs beside the silverware.
“I am so proud of the team! think it was such a good performance from everyone, over both of the days. We just held up such a solid game. I’m very proud of how we managed ourselves,”
Kouskova beamed, the syntax wobble forgiven in the euphoria.
“We just said on the first tee we want to stay in the moment and put not too much pressure on ourselves. We managed it very well.”
The Aramco Korea Championship—second stop on the re-tooled, five-leg PIF Global Series—is Golf Saudi’s latest swing at turbo-charging the Ladies European Tour. Judging by Saturday’s decibel level, mission accomplished.
Pace sets the pace
Veteran Pace, an 11-time LET winner, played like a woman who’d just found the keys to the kombi in a snowstorm.
Her three-wood into the final green never left the flagstick; the 12-footer that followed caused more racket than a K-pop encore.
“I’m so chuffed. Especially about that last putt. I still can’t believe it,” she said, clutching her putter like a newborn.
“It’s one of the toughest holes. I’m really proud of myself and really proud of my team… I feel very comfortable out there and I have my wife [Anne-Lise Caudal] on the bag.
She helps me quite a lot. We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but I’ll take it the same way.”
Navarrosa’s red-eye fairytale
If Brianna Navarrosa looks dazed, it’s because she is. The Californian got the 5 a.m. “pack-your-bags” text a week ago, flew halfway round the planet and, despite an opening 79 that would make a monk swear, punched back with a heroic 71.
“It’s been a crazy last week-and-a-half… I booked all my stuff and now I’m here and won the Team event. It’s the best,” she laughed.
“I played horribly yesterday and today I put up a fight and was able to sink some birdies and push towards the end.”
Solo leaderboard: Kim in command
While the team trophy was being spritzed with champagne, South Korea’s own Hyo Joo Kim quietly pocketed a one-shot lead at four-under.
She’ll sleep on thin margins: Pace lurks a stroke back, with Ecuador’s Daniela Darquea and France’s Perrine Delacour hovering at two-under.
What’s next?
Sunday’s finale is limited to the top 62 and ties. If Saturday’s soundtrack is any hint, Seoul’s sleepy suburbs should brace for another decibel spike.
Tickets and tee-times live at aramco-korea.tixr.com—just don’t blame us if Pace drains another walk-off and your latte ends up in the lap of the bloke in front.
