Pak turns into a 'Tiger'

NEW YORK -- They have the same dynamic smile, the same knack for winning a major championship in unforgettable fashion. They both were trained in unorthodox manners by fathers obsessed with them becoming a champion.

Se Ri Pak and Tiger Woods now share something else in common.

Pak, the South Korean rookie who won two majors and took women's golf to its highest level of popularity in the United States in 20 years, was announced as The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in a poll of American sports writers and broadcasters in a close vote over Tennessee basketball star Chamique Holdsclaw this week.

The award comes one year after Woods became the first golfer in 26 years to win the Male Athlete of the Year.

"Nineteen-ninety-eight is very special for me," Pak said. "I cannot forget this season."

Pak received 19 first-place votes and 156 points in voting by AP US member newspaper and broadcast outlets. Holdsclaw, the top player on what many regard as the best American women's college basketball team ever, got 142 points.

Tara Lipinski, who won the Olympic gold medal in figure skating, was third with 105 points. Sprinter and long jumper Marion Jones, undefeated in every event this year, was fourth with 101 points, followed by U.S. Open tennis champion Lindsay Davenport.

Pak didn't pick up a club until she was 14, but was trained like few others.

While Earl Woods used to jingle coins in his pocket to teach his son focus, Jun-Chul Pak adopted more bizarre methods. He made Pak walk the stairs in their apartment forward and backward to build strength in her legs.

He made her spend the night in a cemetery to help her conquer fear. And he took her to dog fights to make her mentally tough.

"People say I look focused," Pak said. "Sometimes I don't have nice face. Sometimes poker face." -- Sapa-AP