Two weeks away from her 20th birthday, Inbee Park (MyJoys shoes/StaSof glove) closed with a 2-under 71 to become the youngest winner in the history of the U.S. Women’s Open. Park finished at 9-under 283, four shots clear of the field, marking the largest margin of victory at the Women’s Open since 2001. Park was the only player to break par all four days at Interlachen, and became the third player in the last six years to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA Tour victory. As the pressure mounted during the final round, many players saw their chances slip away with untimely bogeys on the difficult Interlachen layout. Not Park. She pulled away with crucial putts on three straight holes -- two birdies and one par -- early on the back nine and added a final birdie for a 2-under 71. She was bogey-free over her final 10 holes and was the only player in the final nine groups to break par. Inbee wore MyJoys shoes to enjoy the walk to her first victory. Her white/ white DryJoys contained the monogram "INBEE" on both heels. She also held on tight to her U.S. Open trophy with a pearl white StaSof glove. FootJoy was clear shoe and glove choice of more players at the 2008 U.S. Women's Open. Shoe Count FootJoy : 56%, Nearest Competitor : 17% Glove Count FootJoy : 43%, Nearest Competitor : 25% (Titleist)
Meanwhile, on the European Tour, Spanish rookie Pablo Larrazabal (white Classics Dry Premiere style #50672) captured the French Open for his first PGA European Tour victory, closing with a 4-under 67 to also win by four strokes. Larrazabal, who had to play two qualifying rounds to get into the event, finished at 15-under 269. Quite an accomplishment for the 25-year old Spaniard who five years ago was at this event caddying for his brother. Being chased by major champions and Ryder Cup veterans, Larrazabal made the difference on the last four holes. After a bogey on the 14th, he sank birdie putts from 10 and 25 feet on the 15th and 16th to increase his lead to five strokes. FootJoy was the #1 shoe at the French Open with 61% of the players wearing FootJoy shoes.