Bogey-Free Streak Comes to An End For Park

Inbee Park knew it would most likely come to an end at some point this week and was just glad to get it over with. Park went bogey-free all 72 holes during her victory here a year ago and almost made it through the first round this week to continue the streak. She picked up her lone bogey of the day on the par 3 17th.

Even more impressively, Park’s streak dates back to 2014 in the third round. Her last bogey at this event was on the par 4 9th hole two years ago which made her bogey-free streak 115 holes.

“Yeah, it was going to come at some point,” said Park. “It’s actually nice to get it over with today and without playing with it for the next three days. It was a good round. To make a bogey is disappointing, but it happens.”

I Can See Clearly Now

Minjee Lee is seeing the game in a completely different way this season and has had an unexpected upgrade to her eyesight. Lee was going through a physical for the Olympics during the off season and ended up failing the eye test portion.

“Well, before Christmas, I got my eyes checked for the Olympics because we had to do a medical screening,” said Lee. “So, yeah, I’m wearing contacts now, and I have glasses at home when I don’t wear contacts… The optometrist said two years it’s been deteriorating. She said my brain was just so used to it. I was like, okay. But now I can see like really, really clearly.”

With the new contacts, Lee said she’s like any new user and is getting used to wearing them for the extended hours outside on the course.

“They are working pretty well,” said Lee. “They dry out a little bit on the golf course when it’s windy, so you always have eye drops. It’s good.”

Quotable

“At first I was thinking about ten. And now I just keep going. Who knows when I’m going to stop. You never know...Because I started when I was 20, yeah. So 30, it was a good time, 30, start something else. But I guess there was nothing else going on my life, so I’m still here...Yeah, I’m actually happier now playing golf.”

-Candie Kung on extending her career at least five years longer than originally planned

Withdraw

In Gee Chun withdrew prior to the first round due to a back injury. Second-year LPGA member Jing Yan replaced her in the field and played alongside Brooke Henderson and Minjee Lee. Yan, just 19 years old, brought the average age of the trio down to 18.7 years of age. Yan, who was born in China plays under the Chinese flag but grew up in Singapore and lists it as her current residence. She’s the third-highest ranked Chinese player in the world at No. 130 in the Rolex Rankings, only behind No. 9 Shanshan Feng and No. 45 Xi Yu Lin. She finished the first round 2-over par and in a tie for 50th.

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