South Korean Ha-Neul Kim carded a bogey-free six-under 66 on Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead over the world’s No. 1 player and fellow South Korean Inbee Park at the end of the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open. Kim, who is competing in just her third LPGA event this season and is appearing in her first U.S. Women's Open, is a seven-time winner in the KLPGA Tour.
Kim started on the back nine but it was when she made the turn at two-under that she got rolling. She birdied four of the next eight holes to take the outright leader over Park who had been the leader for most of the day. She went two-for-two in sand saves today which was the key to her bogey-free round.
Park’s quest for a ‘Penta Slam’ got off to a strong start with her five-under 67. She also started on the back nine and opened with a birdie before picking up another shot at the 14th. Park made the turn at two-under and went on to birdie three of the next four holes moving to five-under.
The only blemish on her card went after she stumbled to a bogey at the sixth to drop back to minus-4, but bounced right back with a birdie at the eighth and closed with a par to head into the clubhouse with the lead.
Park is seeking to become just the second player ever to win the first three majors in a season after having already captured titles at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and Wegmans LPGA Championship. Babe Zaharias in 1950 is the only player in LPGA history to win the first three majors of a season—the only ones played that year.
One shot back behind Park at four-under were Anna Nordqvist, I.K. Kim, Lizette Salas and Caroline Hedwall.
Hedwall was off to a strong start when she began her day on the back nine. From the 11th to the 17th hole she made five birdies and a bogey to make the turn at four under. She would bogey two of three to start her way inward but with three birdies on the next five holes she moved to five-under. A bogey on her 18th hole dropped her back to four-under.
I.K. Kim started on the front nine and she made four consecutive birdies starting on the 7th hole and added birdies on the 12th and 13th holes to move to five-under. But a bogey on the 18th hole dropped her into a tie with Hedwall, at that moment for second place.
Nordqvist and Salas, both had six birdies and two bogeys for their four-under 68, good enough to join Hedwall and I.K. Kim into a four-way tie for third place.
Paz Echeverria and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc shared seventh-place at three-under 69. The performances for the other Top 10 players in the Rolex Rankings:
- Stacy Lewis - T-17th one-under
- Suzann Pettersen – T-81st, four-over
- Na Yeon Choi (defending champ) – T-17th, one-under
- So Yeon Ryu – T-37th, one-over
- Shanshan Feng – T-17th, one-under
- Yani Tseng – T-81st, four-over
- Karrie Webb – T-37th, one-over
- Jiyai Shin – T-81st, four-over
- Ai Miyazato – T-81st, four-over
Other notables: Catriona Matthew and Jessica Korda (T-9th, two-under), Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and 16-year-old New Zealander phenom Lydia Ko (T-28th, even-par).
The action continues on Friday starting at 6:45 a.m. ET from the first and 10th tees. The leader, Ha-Neul Kim, will tee it off from the first tee at 8:46 a.m. ET playing alongside American Brooke Pancake and Netherlands’ Dewi Claire Schreefel.
Park’s tee time is at 1:25 p.m. ET from the first tee, and she will play alongside Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen.
The U.S. Women’s Open concludes on Sunday with a total purse of $3.25 million up for grabs.