Inbee Park's Women's British Open Struggles Shouldn't Cloud Accomplishments

After having already won three major championships this season, Inbee Park entered the RICOH Women's British Open with an opportunity to make history by becoming the first golfer, male or female, to win the Grand Slam in a calendar year. Park's chances don't look good, but that shouldn't overshadow what she has accomplished.

Park opened the tournament at St. Andrews by shooting a three-under 69, which had her in contention. But after her one-over round on Friday, she now trails tournament leader Na Yeon Choi by eight strokes. Park has had to come from behind to win majors on a couple of occasions, but her current deficit is likely too great.

The 25-year-old South Korean star has had a whirlwind season, and she has certainly helped garner the LPGA Tour more publicity than it has received in a long time. Even so, 25 percent of sports fans polled by ESPN's Darren Rovell didn't even know who Park was.

That isn't an indictment of Park, as it can be argued that no athlete is more dominant in his or her sport right now than she is. It does go to show that the LPGA Tour has a long way to go in terms of becoming mainstream, though. Even with a player on the verge of making history, many sports fans simply haven't taken notice.

If Park somehow pulls off a miraculous comeback to win the Women's British Open, though, it will be interesting to see what it does for the sport. John Kim of PGA.com admitted to rooting for Park to win the Grand Slam in hopes that it would allow the LPGA Tour to grow and gain more popularity.

Unfortunately, the odds are against that happening as of right now. With that said, Kim could still very well be the player who helps lift the LPGA Tour to the next level.

Even if she doesn't win the Grand Slam this year, she is still the top player in the game, and she could conceivably continue to dominate the sport for the foreseeable future.

The biggest obstacle standing in Park's way, though, is the fact that she is in Korea. Park is likely a big star overseas, but foreign athletes don't always resonate with American fans.

Had Michelle Wie lived up to her vast potential and delivered major championships as Park has, perhaps the state of women's golf would be totally different right now.

As great as it would be to see women's golf gain more of a mainstream fanbase, the onus shouldn't fall on Park to make that happen. Her only job is to play golf at the highest level she is capable of, and she has certainly done that this season.

If that eventually helps grow the game in terms of popularity, then that will just be a bonus.

Women's golf faces an uphill climb, because golf in general seems to be in a downturn. If not for the presence of Tiger Woods in the men's game, it isn't as if that would be immensely popular, either.

When you add in the fact that the LPGA Tour doesn't do a particularly good job of marketing itself, Park and all of the other female golfers are fighting a losing battle.

From an athletic standpoint, though, Park has had one of the most incredible seasons in the history of women's golf. It would have been fantastic to see her win the Grand Slam, since sports fans tend to enjoy excellence. But her run this season has been nothing short of amazing regardless.

It's just unfortunate that a large portion of sports fans have no idea what she has accomplished.

Assuming Park falls short in her Grand Slam bid, it will be interesting to see how she follows that up. If she remains in elite form and continues to dominate the sport next year, then maybe there is still hope for Park and the LPGA Tour to enter the public consciousness.

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