Park
opens with 63 to take lead in Arkansas
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[June 24, 2017]
(The Sports Xchange) - Rookie
Sung Hyun Park fired an eight-under-par 63 to take the first-round
lead at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Friday in Rogers,
Arkansas.
Park went out in 31, including a stretch of six consecutive birdies
interrupted by her only bogey of the day, and added three more
birdies on the back despite hitting just eight of 13 fairways.
"My play was best with putter today, very good," Park said.
Three players are two shots back of Park, including So Yeon Ryu, Mel
Reid and Ally McDonald.
"I went to see Ian Baker-Finch and he told me -- he actually make me
really comfortable to do putting, like he gave me a lot of
confidence like just trust yourself," Ryu said.
"Also, I played with Nick Price, which it was really a pleasure to
play with him. He also told me like your putting stroke is so smooth
and you're really great, so after that I got extra confidence."
Reid, also a rookie, birdied five of her first seven holes. A
hole-in-one at the par-three 11th moved her to eight under, but she
made bogey on two of the final seven holes.
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"As soon as I hit it I thought, oh, it's got a chance," Reid said of
her hole-in-one. "It just pitched a little longer than we thought.
But yeah, I mean, a hole-in-one, I hit a good shot into there. I
just hit a little 9-iron, so I think it was 135. I just tried to
play a 130 shot and it pitched about seven behind it and came back."
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Reid's 65 is her low round of the year and comes
after she missed the cut in her last three starts.
Ryu played bogey-free golf while notching six birdies. McDonald
finished with seven birdies and a bogey while playing in front of
her parents, grandparents and several family friends.
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"There are few places that my family can get to with the schedule
and with my grandparents wanting to watch me," McDonald said. "I'm
happy they could all be here, and hopefully I can play well for
them."
Stacy Lewis, the 2014 champion, was part of a group that included
Juli Inkster, Moriya Jutanugarn, Felicity Johnson and Katherine Kirk
at 5 under.
Defending champion Lydia Kos shot a one-under 70.
The opening round was delayed for nearly an hour because of
dangerous weather conditions in the area. [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
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