IK Kim Gets Kudos...But Not For Winning LPGA Event

When it comes to golf writing, there are usually some stock pieces that lazy writers can just pull up in Word and replace the blanks with the winner, tournament name, venue, etc.  I think there may be a new one on the horizon, though:

The hey-she-can-speak-some-English piece!

Cam Inman's story in the Contra Costa Times screams it.

THE THRILL OF victory wasn't lost in translation for In-Kyung Kim, a 20-year-old South Korean who won the Longs Drugs Challenge by three strokes Sunday at Blackhawk Country Club.

She drilled a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole's island green. She shot her arms in the air. Tears streamed down her face, and, a few minutes later, she got showered with champagne that her friend just purchased from the clubhouse.

Then came the awkward moment the LPGA Tour still fears: The trophy presentation and acceptance speech, in which the winner reads from a pre-written script to thank everyone from the maintenance crew to the host city (or town, in Danville's case.)

Kim handled it with aplomb, even if she stumbled through some words with her broken English. She had the crowd cheering and the dignitaries behind her smiling.

Consider her a swell role model in the LPGA's controversial quest to emphasize the English language.