How it unfolded
Twenty-year-old Se Ri Pak arrived at Blackwolf Run in July 1998 after winning her first major at the LPGA Championship in May. She tied Duke amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn at six-over 290 after 72 holes, and Monday's 18-hole playoff also ended level at 73 each. On the 18th in that round Pak's tee shot found a water-side slope; she declared an unplayable lie, removed shoes and socks and hit barefoot from the water to save par — an image of mud-dark calves against pale feet that became iconic in Korea. Sudden death continued to a second extra hole, the 92nd of the day, where Pak drained an 18-foot birdie putt to win.
Why it still matters
Broadcast live at dawn in Korea during the Asian financial crisis, the playoff launched a generation known as 'Se Ri Pak kids' — Park Inbee, Shin Ji-yae, Choi Na-yeon, Ko Jin-young and others who reshaped the LPGA in the 2000s. South Korea became the world's second women's golf power after the United States — a rare case of one victory shifting an entire nation's golf demography.