They showed they have the potential to score well on a wide, hilly course that suits their games. They are tied for second at nine-under 204 and will be playing alongside Park.
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“You’ve got to take advantage of those good conditions”. Lewis was one shot behind Inbee Park of South Korea, who birdied her last two holes for another 5-under 66 and the 36-hole lead.
“He’s learning the different levels of grumpiness with me, I guess”, Lewis said with a smile. “I’ll just kind of be going out there and putting everything at stake aside and focusing on putting a good swing and being all in on every shot”.
However, she dodged a bullet with a wedge to 12 feet after taking her drop and duly holing the putt. This despite making a double-bogey 5 on the 14th hole and a bogey on the par-4 seventh.
“Many a player at three-over par through four holes would not recover from there”, Mullally said.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, the first-round leader, had a 72 to fall five shots out of the lead. On the other hand, generously wide fairways helped to keep disaster out of the mix for most, which made Henderson’s doubles that much more surprising. Henderson hit a 10-foot putt to avoid a rare triple bogey. “Unfortunately I had two today”.
Park shook off a left thumb injury that had threatened her participation in the Games to shoot a bogey-free round.
But something worked as she traversed the Olympic Golf Course.
“The next two rounds, I think everybody kind of knows the golf course and the real game begins”, the former world number one said.
A string of pars to close the round had the seven time major victor pleased with her performance. Lydia Ko, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, got into the picture only late in the day when she holed out with a 9-iron from 135 yards for eagle on the par-4 15th hole.
“I was excited from the get-go with the announcement of the Olympics, ” Lewis said.
“I was just trying to get a third shot after that lie in the bunker”, Lewis said. “You saw some of the guys shoot seven under last week”. I did my homework and nobody gave me a good reason why I shouldn’t come.
The 23-year-old Nomura, a two-time victor on the LPGA Tour, had the better round of the Japanese pair, going around the Olympic Golf Course in 2-under 69 to end the day in an eight-way tie for 11th.
“I think it’s so cool to be an Olympian and to be around everything that this event is, is so cool, I mean I grew up probably watching the Olympics more than I watched golf even”, golfer Stacy Lewis said.
There were pockets of Canadian fans on the course but attendance was quite low in comparison to a regular Tour event. A few grandstand seating areas along the back nine were almost empty.
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Last week Britain’s Justin Rose edged Henrik Stenson of Sweden to win the gold medal in the men’s event.
