Ariya Jutanugarn is on track to once again make history in 2016.
Wednesday, Thailand’s Jutanugarn took the lead in the first round of the women’s competition at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, carding a six-under par, 65 to lead by one-stroke ahead of the Republic of Korea’s Inbee Park and Sei Young Kim.
Jutanugarn’s performance this season on the LPGA Tour has been historic. The world No.2 swept the month of May to become the first player on Tour to win her first three events consecutively and continued her incredible play with her first major victory in July at the RICOH Women’s British Open where she again made history, becoming the first player from Thailand, male or female, to capture a major championship. This week, Jutanugarn looks to once again add her name to the record books. With a win on Saturday, she would become the youngest gold medalist from Thailand at 20-years-old.
Jutanugarn went out in 31, carding four birdies, an eagle and one bogey to make the turn at four-under par. She took the outright lead at the par 4, 16th hole by knocking her approach to within five inches of the hole, leaving her a tap in for birdie to move to six-under par. One-back of Jutanugarn sit Kim and Park, who took the early lead by posting her lowest round of 2016 with a five-under par, 66.
“Bogey‑free round, been awhile. Feels great. It wasn't too windy out there this morning, so I had a lot of opportunities at birdie,” Park told the media. “I had a really good ball‑striking day. I had a lot of opportunities and there was probably two or three more putts that I possible could have made. But yeah, I'm very satisfied with today's round. I felt quite nervous this morning, teeing off, and being able to overcome that kind of nerves feels great.”
Park has been plagued by injury throughout the 2016 season. A back injury forced her to withdraw following the first round of the season opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic and the world No.5 is now rehabbing a left thumb injury, which made her miss multiple events including the RICOH Women’s British Open where she achieved the Career Grand Slam in 2015. This week, Park is playing in just her second event since the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June where she missed the cut but qualified for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. She returned to competitive golf two weeks ago at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters on the KLPGA where she opened with back-to-back rounds of 74 to miss the cut.
“I first started feeling it in the off‑season in January. Some weeks it was good. Some weeks it was bad. I tried to rest it and tried to play again. Didn't really work. When I tried to play again, it just didn't work,” Park said. “I felt like still perform well and I can still play with injury, but it just didn't happen. It was just my mistake. Now I feel much better than before. “
The battle to make the four-person team representing the Republic of Korea in the Olympics has been a tight race over the past two years, with seven players currently ranked within the top-15. The pressure to show she’s worthy of her place on the team has served as a motivator for Park in her preparation for the Olympic games.
“Well, I think being a Korean women's golfer, I think we always have that kind of pressure on our shoulders. It's hard, because we play 30 events a year, and there isn't many weeks where all Korean golfers finish one, two, three,” said Park. “You know, being able to do it in the Olympics would be something unreal, but obviously it's going to be something that's very, very hard to do with all of the great competitors all around the world. I think a lot of the Korean girls are pretty used to it, but at the same time, it is a pressure for a lot of us.”
Two-back of Jutuanugarn sit Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen, Chinese Taipei’s Candie Kung and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda. Despite a bogey at the last, U.S.A’s Lexi Thompson sits just three-strokes back of the lead, opening with a three-under par, 68. She is T-7 with Spain’s Azahara Munoz, India’s Aditi Ashok and Great Britain’s Charley Hull. Americans Gerina Piller and Stacy Lewis opened with rounds of 69 and 70, respectively.
Wednesday morning, Brazil’s Miriam Nagl hit the opening tee shot in Barra da Tijuca to usher in the return of women’s golf to the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
Click here for complete scores from the first round of the women’s competition in Rio.
)
)
)
)
