Blog: Playing at Muirfield was his closest to a major

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This past week, I was fortunate enough to get an invitation to play in the Memorial Tournament. I can't explain in words how excited I was to play at Muirfield Village and to meet Mr. Jack Nicklaus. Having all the great players there and playing at such a pristine golf course made it seem like a major championship. The rough was about 6-inches deep, and the greens were faster than Augusta National, according to some players. This was about as close as I've ever come to playing a major-like event. It was nice to be joined by fellow Citi Team member Parker McLachlin and of course, our captain, Paul Azinger. It was a new experience for both Parker and me; Paul, a past champion at the Memorial, knows the course as well as anyone.

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Jin Park is one of four young golfers being mentored by Paul Azinger this year.

After having the previous week off, I decided to play two practice rounds. On Monday, I joined Jim Furyk to learn the ways around the golf course. He gave me some pointers on club selection off the tees and places to hit where I would have the best chance to make birdie or par. The birdies however, would be hard to come by this given week. On Tuesday, I joined a fellow Korean, K.J. Choi. It was a great opportunity for me to learn because he had won this event the previous year. K.J. emphasized hitting the right portions of the greens and having uphill putts.

The Memorial Tournament gets so much hype about how well the players and their families get treated. I had my wife, Judy, and 1-year-old daughter, Ellie, come with me to this event, and the tournament far exceeded our expectations. Ellie was able to pet some animals they brought over from the zoo just for the child care. In the meantime, Judy was able to get a massage, manicure and pedicure courtesy of the tournament. I want to have their life when I grow up.

When the tournament began the course played very differently than the practice rounds. The rough seemed longer and rougher, and the greens were rolling at a Stimpmeter measurement of 14. The highlight of the first round came on the last hole where I hit a 7-iron to 4 feet and made birdie. I shot a round of 75, which wasn't great but surely not out of the tournament. To make the course more difficult on the second day, the wind decided to kick up to 20 mph. I made two very long putts on the last two holes to shoot another score of 75 and make the cut right on the number --once again. It has been very encouraging for me to make those long putts in order to make the cut and play on weekends.

Although I finished the tournament 13-over par and tied for 64th, it was a very memorable week. Being a part of Mr. Nicklaus' event will always be special to me. The most memorable moment was hugging my wife and baby after the final round on the 18th hole. Seeing our baby Ellie smiling and laughing made me forget about the 6-inch rough and the slick greens. To her, I was the champion.