In the classic golf movie Tin Cup, protagonist Roy McAvoy is on the range at the U.S. Open and hitting shank after shank. His caddy, Romes, tells him to tie his left shoe in a double knot, turn his hat around backwards, and put a tee in his left ear. Finally, McAvoy pipes an iron shot on the range.
“You’re not thinking period, you’re just looking like a fool and hitting the ball pure and simple,” Romes directed at McAvoy.
While not needing to throw her outfit a curveball, Jane Park had the same process bringing her game to the course for Thursday’s first round of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.
“I had a crappy warm up this morning on the range,” Park said. “I just had a feeling, it’s probably going to be a good day, because whenever I have a crappy warm-up, you honestly stop thinking about things. You stop thinking about mechanics. You just go out and hit shots.”
Going out and hitting shots put the 13-year LPGA veteran on track to the second lowest round of her career, an 8-under, opening round 63.
Park carded four straight birdies on holes four through seven en route to shooting a 5-under 30 on the front nine.
“I was just thinking, let’s scrape it around today and thankfully I shot a good number,” Park said.
Before the start of the second round on Friday, Park is planning to celebrate the birthday of her husband, Pete Godfrey, who is currently in Scotland caddying for Ariya Jutanugarn. She opened her interview saying she carded this round for him, but he had his own birthday plans for the day.
“I think he’s going to ditch me and play North Berwick. We might go to dinner later, but yeah, he's going to play golf.” Park said.
With the wind and rain set to pick up Friday, including gusts up to 30 mph, it’ll be a vast adjustment from the 12 mile-per-hour winds Park and the field faced in the opening round.
“It’s a super challenge obviously, but it kind of makes you dig deep and make some good putts and good pars,” Park said. “I think my game is really good for grinding out some pars. I’m looking forward to it, whatever tomorrow brings."
Park tees off on Friday at 2:10 p.m. local time off the 10th tee, in the hunt for her first career victory on the LPGA Tour.
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