SOUTHERN PINES, NORTH CAROLINA | They all say the same thing. And Annie Park is no exception. After playing well early in the week at The Chevron Championship, where she posted rounds of 69 and 67 before stumbling on the weekend, and then going deep in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards last week at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, the New York native and seven-year LPGA Tour veteran put together a solid opening round of 2-under par in the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club. “It was a solid round,” she said. “I hit some really solid shots last week and started putting well last week so I think that helped me coming here.”
Then came the cliches, the ones anyone who follows golf has heard more often than chirping birds or “nice shot” compliments. “I’ve been staying in my process and staying in the present,” Park said. “I’m working on hitting one shot at a time and not getting too far ahead and too far behind.”
For those wondering how on earth you hit two shots at a time, this is tour speak for avoiding distractions and forgetting about the shot last struck, whether good or bad. It’s about forgetting where you stand, not just on the leaderboard but in relation to par. The greatest players of all time do it consistently. Arnold Palmer couldn’t remember anything about past rounds. More than once, he would call his long-time assistant Doc Giffin and say, “Doc, what’d I shoot in that tournament I won?”
On the other hand, some know exactly where they stand and can handle the pressure of internal scorekeeping. When Annika leapt into the arms of her caddie after that fateful day at Moon Valley Country Club, every shot of her 59 was internally logged, tallied well before the final putt dropped. One shot at a time doesn’t matter when you’re making history.
Park isn’t there yet, but she’s working on it. Her new caddie, Brandon Jackson, who is a former Evans Scholar and caddie at Inverness Club in Toledo, is helping. “We’ve been together four events now,” Jackson said. “I’m learning what she wants and needs and how to help her.”
Turns out Parks need a couple of things: food, drink and a good distraction.
“We have a long journey all year,” she said. “It was really slow out there today (at Pine Needles), so I was trying to stay patient and making sure I was hydrating. I think once I wasn’t hangry anymore, I started hitting it good. I talk to my caddie. We tell jokes out there. I talk to my playing partners. I think about what I want to eat for dinner or what I’m eating tomorrow. I plan out my meals between shots.”
It’s not that Park is a foodie; she just needs to keep her mind busy. Focusing on her nutritional needs takes care of two important aspects of her game and life.
“I’m glad I played last week (at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play in Las Vegas) because I didn’t realize, overall, how dehydrated I was,” she said. “I was (out there) chugging waters and electrolytes. I also realized that I wasn’t eating properly. You get hot and you forget to eat. When it’s hot and you’re walking, you’re going to burn more calories and get more exhausted so I’ve been trying to eat. Coming into this week, having that experience is really helpful.”
There are no culinary masterpieces or five-course dinners on the agenda this week, just enough carbs to keep going and enough protein to stay sharp.
“Also, I’m getting a little older, compared to my rookie year,” the 27-year-old said with a chuckle. “So it takes me longer to recover than before.”
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