Sung Hyun Park survives heat, field, storm to win KPMG Women’s PGA

It’s understandable that many of the LPGA’s finest wilted at the KPMG Women’s PGA at Kemper Lakes. After all, it was a sweltering week.

Some liked it hot, though.

In a duel that came down to the LPGA’s Co-Players of the Year for 2017, Sung Hyun Park defeated So Yeon Ryu on their second playoff hole. Nasa Hataoka, who had come out of nowhere with a final-round 64 that included two eagles, had been eliminated on the first playoff hole.

On that first playoff hole, the difficult 18th, Ryu had drained a tough birdie putt from the fringe. Park, a prodigious ballstriker not known for her putting, answered with her own clutch birdie roll.

After knocking in another birdie on

No. 16 to win her second major championship, the soft-spoken, stiff-upper-lip Park let the -emotions out.

She hugged her Irish caddie. She hugged Ryu. She wiped away the tears.

“This is my first time feeling this kind of emotion,’’ the 24-year-old Seoul native said through an interpreter. “I was really happy. I still can’t believe I’m sitting here right next to this trophy.’’

For all her talent, Park’s golf game has an aspect of feast or famine. The 2017 LPGA rookie of the year has missed five cuts this year, including three of the previous four tournaments. On the other hand, she won the tournament before that.

“Even though it’s been a tough year for me, I did really good play this week,’’ she said. “And all the work I’ve done has paid off today. That’s what really made me cry.’’

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To understand what Park accomplished by keeping her cool, it’s best to realize how difficult this tournament was for other players.

How hot was it? Brooke Henderson, the ordinarily sunny young Canadian star who was tied for the lead after 36 holes, lost her cool on the 11th hole Sunday. After fluffing a chip behind the green, she whacked a wedge so violently into her bag that she broke the shaft.

The way she putted, though, the putter was probably the club she wanted to take to the woodshed.

Jessica Korda, while slipping to a 75 in the second round after a fine opening 67, didn’t break a club. But judging by some rough handling, that was not out of the question.

Lexi Thompson, Danielle Kang and Michelle Wie, who would have made a nice final trio for television, never did get going. In a sign of LPGA parity, the world’s No. 3 player, the Women’s PGA defending champion and one of the LPGA’s most high-profile stars teed off at 7:19 a.m. — the first group -Sunday.

Anticipating a potentially nasty late-afternoon thunderstorm, tournament officials moved up the tee times and had the field playing in threesomes off the first and 10th tees.

If not for the playoff, they would have made it. There was a 20-minute thunderstorm delay before Park and Ryu rolled their final putts.

When Park sank her winner after Ryu had missed, Ryu, who had been in position to win her third major, was left to ponder the one that got away.

Heading to the 17th tee, she held a two-shot lead. But she overcooked a draw, and the big right-to-left wind bringing in the storm carried her ball left of the green and into the drink.

“Just drew it a little bit too much,’’ said the outgoing Ryu, beaten but unbowed. “This is one of my best performances in my professional career. My biggest regret is 17. I don’t think it was a really bad shot. The ball just drew more than I expected. I did 100 percent effort every shot, every putt. I like looking at the positive side. Keep improving and one day I want to lift that trophy.”