Although she is on the cusp of something that would tear up the history books, is now recognised at all points in her home country and was given a spanking new Ferrari last week by her sponsors, Inbee Park still does anonymity very well.
The Korean arrives in St Andrews for the RICOH Women’s British Open having won the first three golf majors of the year and a fourth on the Old Course this weekend would be unprecedented in golf, for either gender.
But she could walk up Market Street without being recognised and until recently the same could be said in Seoul.
This history-maker is a quiet, contained presence and any fuss about her status present or potential is calmly tolerated and then dismissed.
For her, there are no expectations at all for this week because she’s already far exceeded them.
“At the US Open (her third win) I kept thinking: ‘You know it’s okay if you don’t win’, because I felt I’d already won five times (on the LPGA Tour) at that point,” she said.
“Just wanting more is wanting too much, I thought, so there were no expectations and I went out there and had fun.
“That really worked! So obviously, I’m trying to do the same this week. Three major wins was something I never expected to do, so it’s already been very good.
“Just having this kind of opportunity is very special and, if it were to happen, my name will be in the history of golf forever. But I don’t think about that and put pressure on myself.”
Inbee has had this calm attitude since she was a child but has worked on it further with the help of her mental coach, Sook Yung Cho.
“She’s taught me how to handle the pressure on the course,” she continued.
“Pressure is something that comes with playing good golf. It’s certainly better than playing first group out and having nobody watching you; I’d think I would prefer playing in the last group and feel that pressure every time.
“When I’m off the course, I feel the pressure but Sook Yung Cho teaches me how to handle the pressure on the course, even though it changes every week.”
Inbee went home to Korea last week as preparation for St Andrews and found that her previous statement that she would have to be wearing her golf gear to get recognised in downtown Seoul no longer applied.
“A lot of people recognised me, even the day at the toll booth, although she still charged me,” she joked.
“It was tiring to do physically but I am a lot happier mentally for seeing friends and family and seeing my fans.
“Everybody’s expecting me to play well, people praying for me and wishing me luck, so many people are on my side and I think that helps me.
“It gives me energy to play well, and it really motivates me. The possibility that I might inspire a lot of young players is very special to me.”
Stacy Lewis, who is second behind Inbee in both the LPGA moneylist (Park has won twice as much) and the Rolex Rankings, thinks that the lack of recognition for the Korean reflects the lack of recognition for women’s golf.
“What Inbee is doing right now, she’s not getting the credit she deserves for it,” said Lewis, World No 1 until Park’s remarkable recent run.
“If someone was doing this on the men’s tour, it would be talked about over and over a month before the major, not just for a couple of days before. As a tour, we’ve struggled to get the credibility and recognition we deserve.
“When I’m at home playing with some of the (men’s) tour players, I compete with them and I take the money sometimes. There’s some really great golfers out here (on the women’s tours) and I don’t think people realise that at all.”
Lewis herself may have some advantage on the Old Course although Park’s natural low ball flight suggests she’ll do well as she’s never lost here, going 5-0 for the US in the 2008 Curtis Cup.
“I have a lot of good memories of that week, and I played with Alison Walshe in practice like we did then.
“There’s been some changes but, overall, it’s what I remember. Compared to other links courses, it’s very fair, there’s bunkers in the right places if you miss a shot but, for good shots, you’re going to get rewarded.”