The exception was Michelle Wie at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014. The Stanford product was 2-over on Friday and is 5-over for the tournament.
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Park, who is playing in her first-ever U.S. Women’s Open after making her LPGA debut a year ago, enjoyed a lot of success on the front nine as she made three birdies. Halfway through the tournament, Park has put herself in prime position to contend.
Sung Hyun Park’s double bogey at the par-5 9th hole tightened the leader board Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open, with world No. 1 Lydia Ko moving to within two shots of the lead midway through the third round. Nordqvist hit all 18 greens in regulation, the first time that has happened at the U.S. Open since the statistic started being tracked in 1986.
“It would be a tournament that I would love to win”, she said.
“Because I’ve been in this position this month three times, I don’t think about it as much”.
Over the first two days, the 71st U.S. Women’s Open searched for an identity. Marissa Chow, who played at ‘Iolani and Pepperdine, shot a 75 to finish 11 over. A victory would also make Ko the youngest man or woman to win three majors, surpassing Young Tom Morris, who was nearly 19 years and 5 months old when he won The Open for a third time in 1870.
Lee, meanwhile, who shot a first-round 64 with a U.S. Open record 10 birdies, hadn’t even started her round as Park finished tied with her at 8-under.
But things then quickly fell apart.
The last time a Women’s Open victor finished above par was 2005, when Birdie Kim birdied the 72nd hole to win at 3 over par. She made two other long birdies Saturday, a 25-foot downhill putt on No. 3 and a long left-to-right swinging putt on No. 13 that she initially thought she had over-read.
Yang had at least a share of the 54-hole lead in each of the last two U.S. Women’s Opens. “So just really do like I did today, not look at the scoreboard – it’s easier said than done”. “So score, it’s not bad, but not good, too”. She bogeyed her first hold before stringing together three-straight birdies starting at the third. She has played three more LPGA tournaments this year, tying for sixth in her first major at the ANA Inspiration in the spring.
While contending in a major is a mostly new experience for Park, Ko is an old hat at it.
Park, who only made her debut on the LPGA tour past year, tied for sixth in her first major at the ANA Inspiration in April.
She finished runner-up at the most recent major, the Women’s PGA Championship, when she lost in a play-off to Canadian Brooke Henderson.
“I definitely do get nervous, but I think that’s part of it”, Ko said. I think nerves are good because it means you’re excited.
“I’ve been here before and I think you really have to just get to work on what you’re doing, because if you spend a lot of time thinking about where you’re going to finish, you’re going to drop down pretty quick”, Lang said.
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In the end, the course played almost a stroke harder overall Friday, pushing the cut line to 4 over. par Among those who benefited were No. 2-ranked Brooke Henderson (3 over), No. 4 Lexi Thompson (3 over) and past victor Paula Creamer (4 over).
