October 15h, 2008

I often tell my fans that life on the road for golf pros isn’t as glamorous as they think. Well, I’d be lying if I did that right now… The LPGA is having an inaugural event at the Kapalua Bay course in Maui, Hawaii this week. I arrived on Monday afternoon from Fresno, CA where I played in a 36-hole charity event, organized by Peter Jacobsen Sports, in ear muffs and a turtleneck… After a long trip from the mainland, I was welcomed to Maui by my housing hosts Gunars and JoRene who happen to live on the Plantation course of Kapalua… Not a bad spot to stay for a week :):)

 As they gave me a tour of their gorgeous house with a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean (next door to Jim Furyk’s house), I found out that they have a full-time personal chef who prepares lunch and dinner every day of the week!!! His name is Riko and he’s not just another chef… He is an amazing chef/artist from a 5-star restaurant in San Diego.  So as you can imagine,  I was thinking ‘Is this real?’, ‘do I get to enjoy all of it this week?’  I’m going to be so spoiled by the end of this trip. As I was describing this experience to my husband Brian over the phone, he just couldn’t help but ask me if I was ‘ever coming home’… :):) He sounded a bit worried!!!  And I didn’t just get lucky with the accommodations but also with my hosts, who are just wonderful human beings.

The next day, I had to qualify for the LPGA tournament as I was still on the alternate list. I literally played blind: first, because I had never played the course before, and second, because my right contact lens was coming out every other hole and didn’t have a backup in my bag… I shot 72 and got into a playoff against Amy Read. To make matters worse, my caddie was having trouble keeping up with me (it’s a hilly golf course) and then, it was my turn to struggle. After both of us parred and tied the first playoff hole, we moved on to the next tee and I literally collapsed on my butt after finishing my swing. My right calf cramped up on me…. It was so scary as it never happened to me before!!! After stretching my calf muscle and delaying play against Amy, I kept going. I tried to stay as composed as I could… We both hit the green in regulation and as I walked up to the green, my left calf and toes cramped up. At that point, Angus (one of our LPGA rules officials), Amy and the caddies were helping my stretch my leg. It was quite a funny scene. I felt so badly for Amy because I was probably very distracting to her game… But she handled it so gracefully. She was joking around by telling me that she was old enough to be my mother and that she should be the one collapsing now after walking 20 hilly holes!!!!

At that moment, I was so concerned about not cramping again that I quit thinking about this playoff. We both 2-putted and moved on to our 3rd playoff hole!!! I couldn’t wait to get off the course! I stepped up on the par 3 12th tee (where I had double bogeyed it in the qualifying that morning) and hit it to a foot and a half. Amy made a solid par and I sank my little putt to finally earn my spot in the Kapalua classic!!! I guess it’s true when people say to “beware of the injured/wounded”!!!

Getting a spot in the tournament this week is so special for 2 reasons: First, my sponsor Universal Insurance Holdings of North America is having an event in Kapalua to celebrate Hawaii as their new coverage territory! Second, my mother joined me on Tuesday afternoon from South Korea to visit me. She and the Universal team will get to watch me play in the tournament!!! I have a dinner function each of the 3 nights Universal is here so this is a very busy week! I’d better go and get ready now!!!

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon again!

I know a lot of people have been wondering where I’ve been the past few months. I am “almost” officially done with the season. I just got back from the Navistar Classic in Prattville, AL where I got into the field 20 minutes before I teed of (definitely a stressful situation!!) Angela Stanford had to withdraw and as I was next on the alternate list, it gave me the opportunity to get into the tournament. My game was pretty solid overall despite missing the cut and 2 disastrous holes in the 36 holes I played.
I have set some specific goals to improve my game by LPGA Q-school, which is coming up in 2 months. One of my best friends Virada, aka Oui, and I have been traveling together this year. I can say that it was a difficult season for both of us and as she is a more experienced golfer than I am, I always have something to learn from her. She helped me set my own goals to keep my game on track. First, my accuracy and distance control with my wedge shots (between 70 and 100 yards) REALLY need to improve. I cannot explain how many strokes I have wasted on those this year. Next, is my putting speed. I can read greens and stroke it well but neither skills serve well unless I get the EXACT speed. And finally, the next important goal is to maintain my accuracy with my driver. I am already a pretty straight hitter and want to maintain that strong part of my game.
While I work on those goals, I will be heading to Hawaii for the LPGA Kapalua Classic next week. I may or may not have to qualify for it. My main sponsor, Universal Insurance Holdings of North America, will be having a huge event with its agents during the tournament week in Hawaii. I am very excited about it. My mother will be joining me from Korea. I’m really looking forward to spending time with her since I don’t get to see her very often.
When I get back, I will get busy again playing in the Suncoast Series to prepare for Q-school. I will also go to the Duramed Futures Tour Qualifying tournament to secure one of its exempt spot before I go to LPGA Q-school. It will serve as part of my preparation plan. As far as the injury goes (from previous blog that I just posted, sorry), I still monitor it. My arm still gets a bit sore when I practice hard but I make sure to take a day or two off before it swells again.
I wanted to thank all of you who signed my guest book. Your encouraging words REALLY mean a lot to me. Knowing how many people care about me and my career is such a confidence boost. This game is cruel and this lifestyle is challenging. Though I get down myself sometimes, I know I have to get right back up and keep working hard.
I will also do a better job at keeping up with my website (I know, I haven’t been at all:):)). Thanks for reading and if you have any questions at all, please write me a comment. We are adding the “What’s in the bag” section (per fan request), as well as some newer photos of me!!
Sincerely, Jeanne

Being a professional athlete and having a career which depends on my physical well-being, I pass every opportunity to play beach volleyball, go skiing or even start TaeKwonDo to minimize my risks of injuries. But when I developed this weird injury on my left arm/wrist called “intersection syndrome” or “crossover syndrome” just by working on my swing, it started worrying me. I have never had to deal with any kind of bodily injury throughout my golf career and for that, I have been GRATEFUL!!! What I have is a tendon-related injury caused by overuse of the hand/wrist/forearm, and it is SO painful. If interested, click here to read about it. I would call it a minor injury but very tedious as it comes and goes as it wishes… My intersection sydrome came at the end of June RIGHT BEFORE the week of the US Women’s Open. After having qualified for it in the worst golf conditions (rain, cold, wind, course set up way too long), I was so psyched about having my first opportunity to play in the Open as a professional. However, excessive ball hitting caused the injury and forced me to rest until I got to the US Open in Minneapolis area. My wrist was still swollen and in pain up to the day before the first round so our LPGA physiotherapist sent me to a hand surgeon to get a steroid shot. So I did. It was like a miraculous healing. I was a little worried that this shot might mask my injury but I didn’t even care at the time… I was happy I could at least compete in the Open (although I barely got 18 holes in for a practice round). I shot 80-72 and missed the cut by 3 shots, I believe. But the experience was amazing. Though I have played in two US Opens in the past, this time was the first time in 6 years and first time as a professional. It truly is THE world’s most prestigious tournament for female golfers. The crowds were enormous, as expected, but what really MADE the US Open experience were the loud cheers for your good shots. There was electricity on the golf course!!! The fans just came out to “celebrate” with you when you make a putt. Playing golf in front of crowds is really what makes me want play the game for a living… It’s really fun!!! As a matter of fact, it is quite addicting… When we (us, participants) landed at the Minneapolis airport, we were welcomed by the volunteers and handed each player keys to brand new hybrid Lexus SUVs. We were pretty much treated like royalty for a week. Something I wouldn’t mind getting used to… :):)
Anyway, after being healthy for about 2 months, my wrist pain came back. I am still fighting it and it is quite draining. The good news is that rest usually makes the pain go away and the bad news is that there isn’t much I can do to it unless I go for surgery. I am not ready to do that yet. I am strengthening my grip and forearm to possibly minimize the chances of it flaring up. At this point, that is all that I can do. The doctors recommended that I take Advil every day. I literally hate taking pills and they don’t CURE my problem anyway… So I refuse to take ibuprofen unless I absolutely need it.
Anyways, please keep checking in with me. The website still needs a bit of work and any suggestions are welcome. I may need to schedule a photo shoot. All I have are Big Break photos in my Picture folder…
Thanks for reading and for being great fans!!!
Sincerely, Jeanne Cho-Hunicke