No Surprise For Park

Southern Pines, N.C. – Angela Park’s home course in Orlando is Orange Tree, which is known for its narrow, tree-lined fairways. The late Payne Stewart, who won two U.S. Open titles, used to regularly visit Orange Tree before the national open. Tiger Woods, likewise, has prepped there.

So maybe it’s no surprise that the LPGA Tour rookie is leading the 62^nd U.S. Open.

Then again, young as she is, Park already is showing up at the top of the leaderboard with regularity as soon as the gun goes off.

Park, 18, nearly escaped Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club Thursday morning without a bogey, but even with a late slip down the stretch, the talented youngster with the lethal putter was able to post a 3-under-par 68 to grab the first-round lead for the second straight major and the fourth time this year.

"Coming out here, especially in the U.S. Open and having a good round the first round gives me a great thrill," said Park, who was born in Brazil but grew up the U.S. "I’m looking forward to the next three days and keep going with the solid rounds."

If she performs with equal proficiency over the final 54 holes, she might actually end a tournament on top.

Knowing she still has a long way to go, Angela Park has put herself in position to at least play through the weekend. (John Mummert/USGA)

Park, who hasn’t missed a cut in 14 starts this year, isn’t a particularly long hitter, but her accuracy off the tee was a real weapon Thursday. She hit 13 of 14 fairways, best in the field, and 12 greens. Ranked among the leaders in putting on the LPGA Tour, Park had nine one-putt greens and needed just 27 putts overall on the tricky Pine Needles surfaces.

"I putted extremely well out there today," she said. I think that was the main key. Coming into this week I realized that the greens were very difficult and the course was playing very long. I’m not a long hitter. I thought I would have to fall back on my short game and my irons, which I did well today."

Said fellow competitor Cristie Kerr, who carded an even-par 70 Thursday: "She played a great round today. Only hiccup she really had was on 17 … so she had a great day. She hit it great; she’s a great putter. She’s kind of almost running away with Rookie of the Year at this point on the LPGA, so she’s a great talent."

Park came to the U.S. from Brazil with her father and brothers (her mother remains in Brazil, where she owns a business but is in attendance this week). She became enamored with golf almost from the moment she began playing at age 9. She turned professional before graduating from high school.

This kid wants to be on TV. She said so. To do that, she has to play some good golf. This she has done most of the season, including the last few outings. Her three top-10 finishes this year include a fifth place at the LPGA McDonald’s Championship.

At last week’s Wegman’s LPGA, played on another narrow layout with U.S. Open design properties, Park opened with a 76, but then started driving it better and finished tied for 21^st. She came to Pine Needles in a groove.

"Every tournament that I play in I try to learn something new," she said. "I’ve been in contention a couple of times, and McDonald’s … a major … I learned a lot of things, and I’m more confident coming into this week because I’ve been in position before."

Not that she was a stranger to success before this year. Park was a semifinalist in the 2005 U.S. Women’s Amateur, losing to eventual winner Morgan Pressel. Her junior career featured 24 top-10 finishes in 29 starts in American Junior Golf Association events. She won the Dixie Amateur Championship and the Junior Orange Bowl.

She finished low amateur at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco.

After one season on the Duramed Futures Tour, Park finished fifth at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. Her goals when she began the season were to win Rookie of the Year and capture a title. It appears as if she’s on track. She believes that she is ready to take care of the victory at any time.

"It’s been four, five months since the first event on the LPGA, and I think I’ve grown as a player and as a person," she said. "I feel much stronger and more confident out here."

But she hasn’t won. If she could somehow grab the title this week, she would eclipse Pressel as the youngest major champion in women’s golf.

"I hadn’t thought about that," Park said. "But any win is a win. If I can get any win, I would gladly take it right now."

Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has appeared previously on www.uswomensopen.com.